Tommy Toebiter in a New Character.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3116, 30 January 1889, Page 2

Tommy Toebiter in a New Character.

[I 1 torn the Field,] ft waß jusrthe soft of winter *' morning when one would be justified in expecting rabbits to'bolt freely, V I called wy ; old dog, put».? fjo'uple ■ pf=l ferrets in a bag, and sliouldpiipg nJy* "HP, parted to hill a few in a burrow".' bejojjging to Majoj; Meadow?, sister wqnld, I kqew, be glad of them her old. by whom a rabbit is"not despised, eepec. lally at'aeeaßon of the'year'when festivity is esteemed almost a moral > duty, ewu by oiir poorer frioads, t

1 walked lesur6ly, and with tho silonce natural to 11 man who baa learnt its v ' jMjiiowbevo sport is un object, until " flPauio to tho buolc where 1 designed" to operate, when I noticed a couple of urchins, of about tho respective ages of H and 9, carefully inspecting tho holes, 'I recognized tliom at onco as promising oil-shoots of an individual known in Margate as a "pier header," <l \ and, being; adverse to an audience, I milaly suggested that thoy should " olear out," to which the elder replied: " What fowor ?" —» ' " Because I dou'A-Wmyou here," I answered, "arid, more than that, you have no right down ■on this bank at all. What are you doing?" "Well, we ain't doin'nothm' pertiokler yet, guvnoi; wo ain't begun; but we was goin' to ketch a rabbit if you hadn't turned up." • • •." Were you though 1 You soeui rather a cool custouioi. Howwero you going to do it, with a fish-hook : a bit of carrot ?" I asked, con- ' Voiding that their ideas of field sport ' would partako of the nature of thoir probablo aunoundinga. "Ho, he I Billeo; that's, a good 'un; but wo knows a triok worth two of tliein, don't us ?" to wliiuli JJilleo, the younger, who was evidently of a silent and reflectivo temperament, responded with a nod, and then iixeii a pair of very shrewd eyes on my face. In those eyes, I fancied there was an air of superior wisdom, not unmingled with pity; so I,asked with an air of assumed curiosity: ■ " What is this trick, then ? If you tell me, I won't say any- ■ thing about finding you here. I suppose you know you would get run iu if a policeman camoby!" " Ah, there ain't many "bobbies about here, guv'nor, and nobody else fuld go for to touch us just for chibg.a rabbit. Why, there ain't no harmin that, surely, is there ?"■ " Well, I don't know that thero is if you're not caught, said I " but make a. start, and show me how you thiuk you will do it, The boys looked at one another and c ti. with a silent nod of mutual intelli•#».gonce, they commenced operations. 1 Billee, who had a coat several sizes too largo for him, slid out of it, and drawing a piece of line from his pocket, proceeded to tie up up the sleeves at the lower extremities. He then carefully examined several holes, and selected what appeared to be a recently built hole, evidently approached from uuder the stump of an adjacent tree. Over this bolt hole he arranged the coat with the sleeves banging down, and took up his position on the skirt with • his legs extended on either side. The elder then produced a quarter: of an inch of wax candle, a box of matches, and last but by no meanj least, a very lively specimen of the common crab, which may be up in any quantity on the Twocks at low water, and he thus proceeded to instruct me. " Well, yer see, guvnor, I takes this 'ere Tommy Toebiter, and I 'olds 'im like that there, then I lights this

'ere bit o' candle, rnd melts some of tbe fat on to Ins back, and then sticks it on. Then, when I puts 'im in this 'ere 'ole under the'treo bo's wot wo calls on the job, and all yer got to do is lo stand by and listen. " Look out Billio, he's took to it proper." The crab made, as fast as crab can for tbe darkness, taking his beacon with him on bis back, and in less than a minute there was a scrimmage in the vicinity of Billie, who suddenly rolled over and bundled down the bank, a confused mass of garment, boy and ' dust presently emerging triumphantly with a rabbit, securely held in the sleeve of his coat, qnd the pair shuffled off with the fruit of jheir ingenuity, evidently satisfied with their mornings work, and oblivious to' the fact that I bad existed.