TIM PRICE’S PROG HUNT.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1107, 2 November 1883, Page 4

TIM PRICE’S PROG HUNT.

LITERATURE.

By. Tobe Hodge.

Tim Price devoted much time to invention for my benefit, because I never doubted, his .word; I etood i ll /InS es iira a - tion as ‘ a fellow'ypu could poke anything into and he’ll believe it,’ He boasted so ; much about .f sluffiuVk tne •that J jFQun(l*yf|[eneyer ■ anyqno.had ;a lie to .tell. they came to me todcll it. 1.. therefore, concluded that it was; time to check him into respect. He was A good rifled shot- and very proud of it. His pride vibrated between the ownership of a rifle and a watch. A trade was to him worth a day’s fasting, .and .he would go any distance for a

’.'dicker. ,’V: ; { tU ~ t j tell yon. Colonel, I’ve got -it.-.down' ■ to p’ints. ■ "I:trades my watch for a-rifl ' wh<»n tlio. >iamo gits ready for sliootin’, Tah* my rifle for a''watch when thar’s ■"nbHitn*', .an’ the days gits too long ‘ fer ah’ honest day’s work if yon slop.by the auq. - Tha.r’s,no.man livin-'kin , ; beat me sliootin’, an’ tliar’s no livin’-man-kin j edge, i -the! i nnards / ih ; a watch be t ter nnr.tl'lcin. I had a Watch onst that the skin hid come right off the., taters

when : it !f Aai 1 * hiilf-au-honr’s b’ilin’, nn’there were no fire under the kittle;

an’ denied if The eggs didn’t come boiled

in cold water, knovviu’ they was bound tor be dono?cooked in three minutes by’ ? it. . The . peoples ; used ; ;tq come- - >fcr morlij'five hiijes tergitThetime uv day ter set..their, ..idocks by-—them’ at-had ’em—an* thcm r ’ ;at hadn’t tooki the longest -'in; them: shudders when I says its, grub-time at noon. But sliootin’, Colonel, shoolin’s whar .1 gits ’em.

Thenicbreaken guns' (breech irlpmlctrs) uv 'ybnrh gits but J[ hev ariße.in the cabiii- ; thar ' beats anything for sliootin’ I ever seed; ’ ’Taint no breaken gum a b’ar’s head t’other;Tlay, an’ lie bit the sight off whea l raupned it inter hinv> but hit’s a goocLun. The sqn’rls has -jgofe ler'knowin’ it an’ me; T. idlers'sees n-sq'Vrl’s ;eyes and Tiothen else; an’ allers 'hits him One- day awhile back : .my dorg Spider hoi gits one in .a boll-, r tree, an’ I chops lurn out, ni}’. dern me, " of htr had’nt .patches .bn. his.. two eyos : —- t . bits ,nv bark like,.stuck- bn with cherrystceeigniii—jistitor keep,me froth seeing mover hunted none’cept on wet *'dayß-atter that, when,’t he ’shnf'wcnldh’l stick; They had ho chVncc afore. they larnbddhat dodge, for I kin shobt.’ _, : ' * Cohnc'pyer to my place, Tim, and we will liVve aJrpg Hunt.. l/hey are plenty on the river; TlLpaddio yon. Bring yqqr,/ifl?,^\wai!tt K toißqo.,ypn ~BhopU( i Tini’s ey.es..daqced;> t *• , : ‘ I’ll come in thfijhormu’. I don’t eat iUQ Bdch varmints no. tithe; (but I’ll shoot, more bn ’em ■ nor yon Icin' ; string” on o' clo’es line, if tbe'hpllerin’ duck-footed, ynller beastSJ doesn’t sMy s under, water wlffftethey khoivs I‘th Icoiniii’f I’ll bol over ’arly in tHc* : morliih’.’ • I had supplied with half-a-| dozen cas|Jfou frogs especially for this ;hnht^« j T (fid l a little paintihgiOa Thenritblnake them lookfmore natural,; ami placed t hem in Well-Selected positions 5 on the rivef banks-niidef Toots, in grass, on draft-logs, ahd ’one'with its head just above the water. 1

The next morning Tim-arrived, and; after much boasting of wHat he could do we got off-mthe skiff, Tim standing ||K, tlte bojVrand -,I sitting ph.-the. paddling. I soon . tpok him to where he could see one’of'the frogs.

* JEJold v on, Thar’s., the, all-: fire^est x y hlhV' belly"! bv’er seed. Seoj hints _>ban-sil tin’ qs fdg - as a,mow pir a ! corn bill; right under that root,’ I purposely kept, off a distance and absolntelyrrefused.to see him. . ‘ Hern /it, my.ple. ; bne-eyed gander could see him .without cockin’ rup diis iuill eye. -. .Herned ef lie hain’t propped his.’head, up’ivith them forc-lpgstiy.his’n, jest ter show off an look as wise'as o!o Dr. Mansy, at a pnlsf-feelin’. Hold her steady till I pop a pill in him that ’ll be Harder, on Him nor *login roots I’ I Bang I.went Tin’s rifle, but the frog sal.' still. Tim looked at- him in pstomshinenf. .He gave a, quick, glance to/ sec, if I was :lopking, .and thinking I was not, said—- - s . . ‘Well I’ll be..derncd if ».liar hnin’t another ,right long side uv him. They; go.ca in .pairs Rhis time uv year. I’ll git liim too.’ And he carefully reloaded. Bang! went the gun again, and the frog did not. move. ■ ‘ Well, that beats natur’. He’s no tarnel skeered at seein’,mc he can’t ,git over it ’hough to go dead.’ ‘Hold on; Tim/'1 said. * I’ll hit him with the oar. “Yon can’t shoot.’,. thunder!’ said lie, ‘ Hain’t he two bullets through him now V

r no, Tuh : ; yon said this was another frog.’ *So ’tisj-so ’tis.* T’other nn’s blowcd clar out nv sight.’ I manoeuvred the boat inshore when. Tim was loading, striiclt itldngsiife the frog with the paddle covering with the mud, and pot him;rntb*the boat under the seat.

" \iTtee shot ymiare, Tim ; can’t hit a frog big as that at thirty paces in two shots.’, Tint said nothing, being much occupied examining his rifle. Pretty soon he spied another iron one. ‘ Now, by thunder, I’ll show if I can’t shoot. There hnin’t no man nowhere in West Yirginny kin beat me shootin’. Hold on now. Thar he is nndor that rock. Yer too far—back a bit- th«r !’ I had a wire running to a smallfloat from this one, which I got hold of from the boat. As Tim fired-1 jerked the frog into ilie water. ‘ Missed again/ I said. ‘ Better let'me kill them with, the oar,. Tim.’ . , - (To be continued.)