JMTING
WHITE-TAILED ( V »r1
DEER VMI
BY \ /,/
THEODORE ROOfIBVBLT \
;Copyrlght, ISSS, by G. P. Putnam's Sons
Published under arrangement with G. P
Putnam's Sons, New York and X^ondou.]
afternoon, while mow
of us were away fron
the ranch-house, one o)
the cowboys, riding It
STmjTfl from his day's outinj
over the range, brought
word that ho had seet
two white-tail deer, a buck and a doe
feeding with some cattle on the side ol
a hill across the river, and not muct
more than half a mile from the house
There was about an hour of dayllghi
left, and one of the foremen, a tall
fine-looking fellow named Ferris, the
best rider on the ranch, but not an un
usually good shot, started out at once
after the deer. Ferris found the deei
easily enough, but they started before
he could get a standing shot at them,
and when he fired as they ran, he only
broke one of the buck's hind legs, just
above the ankle. lie followed it in
the snow for several miles, across the
river, and down near the house to the
end of the bottom, and then back to
ward the house. The buck was a cun
ning old beast, keeping in the densest
cover, and often doubling back on his
trail and sneaking off to one side as
his pursuer passed by. Finally it grew
too dark to see the tracks any longer,
and Ferris came home.
Next morning early we went out to
where lie had left the trail, feeling
very sure from his description of the
place (which was less than a mile
from the house) that we would get
the buck; for when he had abandoned
the pursuit the deer was in a copse of
bushes and young trees some hundreds
of yards across, and in this it had
doubtless spent the night.
When we trot to the thicket we first
made a circuit round it to see if the
wounded animal had broken cover, but
though there were fresli deer tracks
leading both in and out of it, none of
them were made by a cripple: so we
knew he was still within. After work
ing some little time we bit on the
right trail, finding where the buck
had turned into the thickest growth.
While Ferris followed carefully in on
the tracks. I stationed myself farther
011 toward the outside, knowing that
the buck would in all likelihood start
up wind. In a minute or two Ferris
came on the bod where he had passed
the night, and which lie had evidently
just left; a shout informed me that the
game was on foot, and immediately
afterward the crackling and snapping :
of the branches were heard as the]
deer rushed through them. Iran as
rapidly and quietly as possible to
ward the place where the sounds seem
ed to indicate that lie would break
cover, stopping under a small tree. A
minute afterward he appeared, some
thirty yards off on the edge of the
thicket, and halted for a second to
Ico!: round before going Into the open.
Only his head and nutters were visible
II'IIIVC the bushes which hid from view
1 ■ rest (!' hi: body, lie turned his
aildlUlCr, , ! 'i." lip J I
(lion(j vi rij easily.
head sharply toward me as I raised
the rifle, and the bullet went fairly
into Ills throat, just under the jaw,
breaking his neck, and bringing him
down in his tracks with hardly a kick,
lie was a fine buck of eight points,
unusually fat, considering that the
rutting season was just over. We
dressed it at once, and, as the house
was so near, determined we would
drag it there over the snow ourselves,
without going back for a horse. Each
took an antler, and the body slipped
along very easily, but so intense was
the cold that we had to keep shifting
sides all the time, the hand which
grasped the horn becoming numb al
most immediately.
When not much molested white-tail
Teed in the evening or late afternoon;
but if often shot at and eha-ed tli"/
»'!ily come out at niglil. They are very
partial to the water, and In the warm
summer nights will come down Into
the prairie ponds and stand knee-deep
fn them, eating the succulent marsh
plants. Most of the plains rivers flow
through sandy or muddy beds with no
vegetable growth, and to these, oi
course, the deer merely come down to
drink or refresh themselves by bath
ing, as they contain nothing to eat.
At times the white-tail will' He so
close that it may almost be trodden on.
One June morning I was riding down
along the river, and came to a long
bottom, crowded with rosq-bushes, all
in bloom. It was crossed in every di
rection by cattle paths, and a drove of
long-honied Texans were scattered
over it. A cow-pony gets accustomed
to travelling at speed along the cattle
trails, and the one I bestrode threaded
its way among the twisted narrow
paths with perfect ease, loping rapidly
onward through a sea of low rose
bushes, covered with the sweet, pink
flowers. They gave a bright color to
the whole plain, while the air was
filled with the rich, full songs of the
yellow-breasted meadow larks, as they
perched on the topmost sprays of the
little trees. Suddenly a white-tail doe
sprang up almost from under the
horse's feet, and scudded off with her
white flag flaunting. There was no
reason for banning her, and she made
a pretty picture as she bounded lightly
off among the rose-red flowers, pass
ing without heed through the raijUs of
the long-liorned and savage-looking
steers.
Doubtless she had a little spotted
fawn not far away. These wee fel
lows soon after birth grow very cun
ning and able to take care of them
selves, keeping in the densest part of
the brush, through which they run and
dodge like a rabbit. If taken young
they grow very tame and are most
dainty pets. One which we had round
the house answered well to its name.
It was at first fed with milk, which
it lapped eagerly from a saucer, shar
ing the meal with the two cats, who
rather resented its presence and cuff
ed It heartily when they thought it
was greedy and was taking more than
its share. As it grew older it would
eat bread or potatoes from our hands,
and was perfectly fearless. At night
It was let go or putin the cow-shed,
whichever was handiest, but it was
generally round in time for breakfast
next morning. A blue ribbon with a
bell attached was hung round its neck,
jso as to prevent its being shot; but
jj in tiie end it shared the fate of all
"pets, for one night it went off and
never came back again.
Only once have I ever killed a white
tail buck while hunting 011 horseback;
and at that time I had been expecting
to fail in with blaek-tall.
This was while we had been making
a wagon trip to the westward follow
ing tiie old Keogh trail, which was
made by the heavy army wagons that
journeyed to Fort Keogh in the old
days when the soldiers were, except
a few daring trappers, the only white
men to be seen 011 the last great hunt
ing-ground of the Indians. It was
abandoned as a military route several
years ago, and is now only rarely
travelled over, either by the canvas
topped ranch-wagon of some wander
ing cattle-men—like ourselves—or else
by a small party of emigrants, in two
or three prairie schooners.-which con
tain all their household goods. Never
theless, it is still as plain and distinct
as ever. The two deep parallel ruts,
cut into tiie sod by the wheels of the
heavy wagon, stretch for scores of
miles in a straight line across the
level prairie, and take great turns and
doublings to avoid the impassable por
tions of the Bad Lands. The track is
always perfectly plain, for in the dry
climate of the western plains the ac
tion of the weather tends to preserve
rather than to obliterate it; where it
leads downhill, the snow water has
cut and widened the ruts into deep
gullies, so that a wagon has at those
places to travel alongside the road.
From any little rising in the prairie
the mid can lie seen a long way off,
as a dark line, which, when near, re
solves itself into two sharply defined
parallel cuts.
.On the trip in question we had at
first very bad weather. Leaving the
ranch in the morning, two of us, who
were mounted, pushed 011 ahead to
hunt, the wagon following slowly, with
: a couple of spare saddle ponies leading
behind it. Early in the afternoon, while
' riding over Hie crest of a great divide,
which separates the drainage basins
• of two Important creeks, we saw that
1 a tremendous storm was brewing with
• that marvellous rapidity which is so
• marked a characteristic of weather
'■ changes on the plains.
We spurred hard to get out of the
; open, riding with loose reins for the
' creek. The center of the storm swept
' by behind us, fairly across our track,
1 and we only got a wipe from the tall
' of It. Yet this itself we could not have
1 faced In the open. The flrr v gust caught
' us a few hundred yards from the cr#ek,
1 almost taking us from the saddle, and
driving the rain and hail in stinging
level sheets against us. We galloped
to the edge of a deep wash-out. scram
■ bled into It at. tiie rislc of our necks,
md huddled up with our horses under
neath the windward bank. Here we re
malned pretty well sheltered until tin
storm was over. Although it was Ait
gust, the air became very cold. Tlx
wagon was fairly caught, and wou!.
have been blown over if the top l-u<
been on; the driver and horses escape*
without injury, pressing under the lee
ward side, the storm coming so leve
that they did not need a roof to protec
them from the hail. Where the cento
of the whirlwind struck it did grea
damage.
The wagon came onto the creek
along whose banks we had taken shel
ter, and we then went into camp. I
rained all night, and there was a thiol
mist, with continual sharp showers
all the next day and night. The
wheeling was, in consequence, verj
heavy, and after striking the Keogl
trail, we were able togo along it bu'
a few miles before the fagged-out lool
of the team and the approach of even
ing warned us that we should have t(
go into camp while still a dozen mile!
from any pool or spring. Aceordlnglj
we made what would have been a drj
camp had it not been for the inces
sant down-pour of rain, which wc
gathered in the canvas wagon-sheet
( \
The bright-colored patch disappeared.
and in our oilskin overcoats In suffi
cient quantity to make coffee, having
with infinite difficulty started a
smouldering fire just to leeward of the
wagon. The horses, feeding on the
soaked grass, did not need water. An
antelope, with the bold and heedless
curiosity sometimes shown by Its
tribe, came up within two hundred
yards of us as we were building the
fire, but though one of us took a shot
at him, it missed. Our sliaps and oil
skins had kept us perfectly dry, and
as soon as our frugal supper was over,
we colled up among the boxes and
bundles Inside the wagon and slept
soundly till daybreak.
When the sun rose next day, the
third we were out, the sky was clear,
and we two horsemen at once pre
pared to make a hunt. Some three
miles off to Ihe south of where we
were camped, the plateau on which
we were sloped off into a great ex
panse of broken ground, with chains
upon chains of steep hills, separated
by deep valleys, winding and branch
ing in every direction, their bottoms
filled with trees and brushwood. To
ward this place we rode, intending to
go into it some little distance, and
then to hunt along through it near tin
edge.
As soon as we got down near the
brushy ravine we rode along without
talking, guiding the horses as far as
possible 011 earthy places, where they
would neither stumble nor strike their
feet against stones, and not letting 0111
rifle barrels or spurs clink against any
thing. Keeping outside of the brush,
a little up the side of the "hill, one of
11s would ride along each side of the
ravine, examining intently with oui
eyes every clump of trees or brush
wood. For some time we saw.nothing
but, finally, as we were riding both to
gether round the jutting spur of a
steep hill, my companion suddenly
brought his horse to a halt, and point
ing across the shelving bend to a patch
of trees well up 011 the opposite side of
a broad ravine, asked me if 1 did not
see a deer in it. I was off the horse in
a second, throwing the reins over his
head. We were in the shadow of the
cliff-shoulder, and with the wind ir
our favor; so we were unlikely to be
observed by the game. I looked lons
and eagerly toward the spot indicated,
which was about a hundred and twen
ty-five yards from us, but at first coulu
see nothing. By this time, however,
the experienced plainsman who was
with me was satisfied that he was
right in his supposition, and he told
me to try again and look for a p.itcli
of red. I saw the patch at once, just
glimmering through the bushes, but
should certainly never have dreamed ii
was a deer if left to myself. Watch
ing It attentively I soon saw it move
enough to satisfy me where the head
lay; kneeling on one knee and (as il
was a little beyond point-blank range'
holding at the top of the portion vis
ible, I pulled trigger, and tin- bright
colored patch disappeared from amor
the bushes. The aim was a good oiv
for, on riding up to the brink of
ravine, we saw a fine white-tail hi" '
lying below us. shot through just !
hind the shoulder; lie was still in '
red coat, with hi-: antlers in 111vel
>/'\ *» •«*
rlo-r-
. V THURM>AY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1908
APPEAL TO
CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Made by Judge Taft In Behalf 0
the Filipinos.
"A Great Missionary Work That li
Certain to Promote Christian Civ
ilization."
The extension of a vitalizing Chris
♦ianity among the Filipinos as advo
eated by Ju<4ge Taft both before hlf
speech of acceptance of the nomina
tlon to the presidency and in that doc
ument itself has been widely com
mented upon in the pulpits of tin
United States. The voice of the cler
gy has given earnest commendatioi
to the attitude of Judge Taft, wh<
when governor general of the island;
exerted the utmost influence foi
amelioration of the condition of tb<
inhabitants of the archipelago, ane
that, too, at the cost of great self sae
ritice on his own part in refusing th«
seat on the supreme bench, to whlct
he was both called and commanded
by President Roosevelt.
Never since he first assumed the bur
den of the governorship of the Philip
pines Ims the welfare of the Filiponos
ceased to be close to the heart 01
Judge Taft. In his speech of accept
ance again he reminded the Americans
that It is the duty of this country as «
strong. Christian and enlightened na
tion to give spiritual as well as ma
terial aid to the distant brown breth
ren.
Taft's Appeal to Church.
Rev. Albert Hurlstone, pastor ol
Roberts Park church, Indianapolis
Ind., in a recent sermon thus spoke ol
Judge Taft's appeal to the Christian
people of America:
"Mr. Taft used words of wisdom li:
referring to this question in his notifi
cation speech. His appeal is not onlj
to his party, but it is to the Christian
church of America. It seems tom«
that every man whose heart beats
loyally to Jesus Christ must rejoice in
the statement so truthfully made. Mr.
Taft said: 'We have established a gov
ernment with effective and honest ex
ecutive departments in the Philippines
and a clean and fearless administra
tion of justice; we have created ami
are maintaining a comprehensive
school system which is educating the
youth of the islands in English and In
Industrial branches; we have con
structed great government public
works, roads and harbors; we have
induced the private construction of SOC
miles of railroad; we have policed the
islands so that their condition as te
law and order is better now than it
has ever been in their history.'
"Mr. Taft Is better fitted to speak
011 this question than any other man
in the government today by virtue of
his close connection with the problem,
his experience and personal observa
tion of the work being done; hence
what he says will be heeded by the
Christian church with intense interest.
Influence of Christian Civilization.
"More than ten years before Dewey
sailed into Manila, Bishop Thoburn,
our missionary bishop for fifty years
iu India, predicted that ere long the
missionary would find an open door in
the Philippines, but God alone knew
how the door was to be opened.
"Now we hear Mr. Taft saying; 'We
are engaged in the Philippines in a
great missionary work that does our
nation hQnor and is certain to pro
mote in a most effective way the in
fluence of Christian civilization. It is
cowardly to lay down the burden until
our purpose is achieved.' True, nor
do we believe that the American peo
ple will allow this to be done. The
sacrifice has been made, the song of
the redeemed people will ere long fill
heaven and earth with gladness. The
selfish are ever lonely and joyless, but
they who bring the sacrifice to the
altar will find the joy of the Lord
arise within them."
"According to His Folly."
'"Shall the people rule?' is declared
by the Democratic platform and can
didate to lie 'the overshadowing issue
now under discussion.' It is no issue.
Surely the people shall rule; surely the
popple have ruled; surely the people do
rule." Thus Candidate Sherman re
plies to Candidate Bryan, and if the
latter was looking for a straight an
swer he certainly got it. ltut those
familiar with the mental processes of
Mr. Bryan know that ho would wel
come 110 reply, but that his absurd
question was asked to instil doubt iu
the minds of his more thoughtless fol
lowers.
Democratic Discouragement.
At the risk of calling down upon our
selves further execrations from a few
of the faithful and fanatical we make
bold to remark that the indifference of
the South Carolina Democrats to the
cause of Mr. Brymi seems to justify
our prediction some months ago that
the campaign would end with the Den
ver convention. We wish that we could
be disillusioned; we wish that the Dem
ocrats of South Carolina and of the
country would' sharply rebuke us for
saying that there was an absence of
enthusiasm for Mr. Bryan.—Charleston
News and Courier (Dem.).
Making or Keeping Promises.
The difference between Mr. Taft's
promise of tariff revision and Mr. Bry
an's pledges in the same direction is
that Mr. Taft if elected will be in posl
sition to redeem his pledge, while Mr.
Bryan if elected would be powerless to
accomplish anything with a Republic
an senate arrayed against his free
trade plans.—Omaha Bee.
Merchant |
Tailoring
i '
Fall Stock has arrived
j in all popular shades.
Brown and Elephant
Gray are the leaders of
this season.
Call and look them over
Theo. Haberstock
MRS.
M. F. Conway
Has removed from Broad
Street and is now located
011 Fourth Street, opposite
the Odd Fellows Block,
where she will continue to
serve her customers with
Home-made Bread
Cookies and any
thing in the Bak
ing line made to
order.
Mrs. M. F. Conway,
<——
Ludlams J
a oummer Clearance Sals 1
■
We do not intend to carry over
any of our Summer Goods and in
order to make all goods go we
have put the knife deep into all
prices.
1I I Any Untrimmed Hat 98c jf
$6.00, $7.00 and SB.OO Hats $3.50 I
$4.00 and 5-00 Hats $2.50 |
$2 and $3 Hats SLSO ij
AH Flowers, One-half Off 11
We still have a few nice pieces
of Embroidery Flouncing that we %
have reduced one-third in price.
New Assortment of Valanese Laces
and Insertion.
Finest line of Hosiery in the
county. Also the new Princess
wmsLr
\ \ V.N \ N N \ \ \ \ A/
SECOND TO NONE
/ ADAM, >
/ MELDRUM &: '
ANDEESON HO. '
g 390-408 ton lt - pjj
d BUFFALO, s
/ /
New Fall
1 Dress I
1 Goods!
% ft
Wc import more, sell
more and carry more Dress
✓ Goods in stock than all the
% department stores in Bnf
% falo combined. Yon get a %
greater selection here from %
% a ful[ range of weaves and '%
I colors. Onr large purchases
and the fact tfcat we deal jt
P with producers only enables
| us to save all middlemen' |j
I I
112 Send for
| Samples |
I \
£of the new Fall goods.
Please state the kind and
<| , /
y : color you desire and about y
the price you can pay. On
account of our immense /
stock it is impossible to /
i| send samples of all. ✓
| |
I
| COME IN PERSON IF POSSIBLE /
%, <
b Railroad fares rebated
'■/ in connection with tlie /
% Chamber of Commerce. >
s &
/ I
I I
| ADAM,
MELDRUM &
| ANDERSON CO. %
American Block, Buffalo, N.Y.
■AN \ \ N N. \ \ \ \ \ \ ,\\