Year: 1877

Ephralm Baruett'S nrSt hunting adYen-
ture was of such a serio-comic nature that
it seems really worth relating.


EpLraim's father was a "Selectman -
He had also been a Captain of militia in
his younger days, and therefore it hap
pened that in speaking of him everybody
called him "The Captain" He bore his
hOnOrs meekly, was well-to-do farmer,
and very much respected.


1t was town meeting day-early in
Novem ber-when, of course, the Captain
had to go to the polls to look after the
voting, and help count the votes 1t was
delightful Indian-summer weather, too
one of the last of those soft haZy davs in
the late autumn, when there is such a
quiet beauty over the earth that it seems
of heaven itself. When even the winds
forget to blow; and it seems, at times, as
if all Nature were asleep. Then can be
heard, in the edge of the distant forest,
the tapping of woodpeckers, the barking
of squirrels, and the hoarse cries of blue
jays, so distinctly does every slight sound
reach you through the still atmosphere.
1t was on such day that the Captain and
his hired man went to town-meeting,
leaving Ephraim 1.-the only man on the
farm"


Now Ephraim bad been all the fall
longing for a hunt; but his father had
not time to so hunting with him,
and he thought Ephraim too young
to alone His father had no objection to
his going alone, if he would only go
without gun; but Ephraim could not
see the use of hunting without gun.
He longed to get into the woods with his
fathers old training gun, all alone. This
old piece was rather heavy for sporting
purposes but itwas always kept in perfect
order, standing in a corner of the Captain s
bedroom, behind his desk.


So, after his father was gone, and while
his mother was busted about the house,
the temptation to take that gun was more
than Ephraim could withstand. Watch
ing his opportunity, he first secured the
powder horn and shot-pouch out of the
drawer where they were kept, and then he
took the musket and bore it stealthily
away behind the barn. He felt in hurry,
and as if he were not doing quite right,
and was not quite easy in his mind, even
after he had got the gun out OF sight. He
half resolved to carry it back at once, but
finally concluded that he could return it
just as well after he had had his hunt, and
went to work to load it.


Ephraim was not quite sure how the gun
should be loaded; but the powder seemed
the most essential thing, so he put a
handful of that in first. Then, with
out ally wad between, as there should
have been, he put in handful of
shot; and they were large enough, he
thought, to kill almost anything He put
a very big wad on top OF these, and
ramnled it hard down with the iron ram
rod. 1t was flint-lock piece, and he
knew that powder would be needed in the
pan; so he opened it to put some in. But
the pan was already filled; for in ramming
down the charge the piece had primed
itself.


1t was all right, Ephraim felt sure, and, /,
keeping the barn between him and the
house, he went toward the wood.


1t was lonely old wood. often went
through it myself when | was a boy, and
l know all about it. In the brightest day
it would be dark and gloomy under some
of those great, wide-spreading, low
branched hemlocks. There were all
kinds of wood there that are found in a
New England forest; beech, birch, maple,
oak, pine, hemlock and chestnut; and
partridges, squirrels, rabbits, owls-in
fact, all sorts of small game made it their
home. y


With the gun on his shoulder Ephraim
entered the woods and went trudging
straight into it, as if al! the game worth
shooting were in the middle of it. He
could hear the squirrels and blue-iays in
the high branches overhead; but it was his
first hunt, and he was resolved to have
something bigger.


His progress was suddenly arrested,
however, by the appearance of very Sc
looking bird, as large as a good
sized fowl, with a thick muffier
of feathers around its throat and shoul
ders, that sat perched on a dead limb
before him. The bird was facing him,
and when he stopped it stretched its neck
downward, and turned its head TO one side
as if to listen or observe his movements.
Ephraim wondered why it did not fly
away, but presently it occurred to him
that it was an OWL and could not see him.


s'Ahl" thought he, s'you are just the
fellow I'm locking for! Now just stay
where you are minute, and L III fix you,''


He had to find rest before he could
hold his gun steady, and then he was sure
to take good aim. But he had TO draw so
hard on the trigger that he closed his eyes
Just as the gun went off; and when he
opened them again he was looking an
other way.


The action of his piece seemed unac-
countable. 1t had started backward SO
suddenly as to throw him over, and there
was pain in his shoulder as if it had