Hunters, Look Out

The oíd man laid aside his paper and got up with an air of determination. 'Tve hearn tell o' them thing-s," he said, as he got out his cowhide boots and beg-an putting them on. "What t'nings, Hezekiah?" asked his wife, aaxiously. "Xeveryou mind what things," he returned ruttly. "It ain'tnothin' for women folks to worry abaut. Novv, Henry, where's that there new pitchíork I bought last week?" "Out stickin' iu the stra wstack," replied the boy. "Get it an' put it by the barn door where it'U be handy," instruated the old man. "Then take the old pitchfork down to the gate to the tenacre lot and leave it there." 'Merey, Uezekiah, what be you gon' to do?" asked his wife, in alarm. "Don't j'ou fret about me," he answered. as he reached for the old ïnuzzle-loacliiii; shotgun that had hunjr on the wall for twenty years. "Ireckon I can"t do any damage with this, but it's gooil to scare folks with. PU get the scythe and the axe, too, an' put tliem at the head of the long lane so's 1 eau get at 'em quick if they come that way. I hoard from llirara, Mirandy, down there by New York, an' he's had his farm all torn up by some of those smart Eastern folks 'bout a week ago. He told me all about it, and arter that I reckon I ain't a man to g'o to sleep when I see the Western people has g'ot the fever, too, and are preparin, for one o' them cross-eountry paper chases. Not much I ain't."