Some Very Abel Stories

Yt-itfiïUy afternoon, when tlie lawyers in .lusliif Cary's eourt were waiting lor the verdict in a petty larceny case, attorney Soderberg related au incident of liis chUdhood In Itlnaaaot, illustrative mt km jH-Luiinr onatonu in vogue In that stilte: " ' 1 knew u old farmer there wlm OWBd ten acres of timbar land wheri mllliou of plgeotu came eacb year u roost. They devastated the wheat Beidt, and tlie old" coon used tocatohthe bfrda ia neUand thrash them on the ban Moor. Kach blrd had three ouiu-es of wheat In liis erop, and it wu I had year tor 'Old ThomptOB,' when lie couldn't sliip 1,00(1 Inishels of heat to market at $2.(0 a bnshel, and t ranked A Na 1 when itreached the Chicago ele va tor. It there had been a few nullions more of pigeons lie would have come pretty near irctting a corner on the Minnesota 'win -at erop." "I know a planter down in Alabama," said Kittfell, " who was fully M sharp a tliat. He tralned an alligator to work up and down river and catch the little ploaninnlet that played aktnc the bank. The alligator wonld take the little kids in Iris jaws and swini back to the planlalion It was a diill day that he could'nt corral tliiee or four. The planter raised 'era iV rtusnthej got big sold 'em in New Orleans at pii.,s ,-.,,.2,. fr,,m MjOOOto $10000 aplS TSÏÏS in wealth when Lincoln a emancip-i-S "roilanmtion was iseued, and after that Tna ""'1í''1"1' "ivci diii any more work. 9oal xSSiiftêr ín ' Waiblagtoii t-lèrk'infi iii p.10 ot' the goveriiment bureaus at $8,000 a jreaT." .ladffe Cary evideneed tin' reah -st interet .n these weii'd tale. anil edged up to the Kroop. " These are curious yarns, gent temen, bilt 1 believe them all. I had a dog onee, back in Nebraska, that I kept to berd lumber.'1 "Beg parc'on, Judge; did you say the dog herded lamber?" ' Ves, sir. Cottoiiwooil boards. We always kept a dog there to brinfr the UuuIrt in at niglit." Everybody now paid the elosest attention, as they knew that the bott w as at work. " It was this way. Cottoawood boards waip like tliunder in the un. A board wonld beifin to hunip its lack np aboiii nine in the mornin, and in half an honr wonld turn over. By 11 it would warp the other way with the heat and niake iiiiothertloj). Bachtime Ittnrned it moved a couple of feet, always following tlie sim toward the west. The flrst slimmer 1 lived in Brownville 10,000 feetof lumberskipped out to the UU tKc dj betore I nad adver tised a hoiiae raisin'. I went to the coiinly seat to attend a lawsuiL and when I got back there was'nt a stick oí tiniber left. It had strayecl away IntO the nplands. An ordinary boanl wöuiu cllinij . humilli bil] durillo a hot week, and when t .-truck the tiniber it would keep wortnin' in and out ainon the trees like a cartel simke. Every farmer in thé state had to keep .-heptierd dogs to follow liis nmbei around the country, keep it together, and show where it was in the mornlnx. We didn't need any tluuies there lor lamber. We sawed it east of tlie place we wantod to OM it, and let it warp itself to deslination, with men and dogs to head it off at the rijjlit time, we never lost a stick. Well, liere comes the jury," continued the Judge. "'l'he witnesse's lieil so I guess tney will disaree."