U niversity
jg
of .-Q s . e gon
M o ^ t u l y .
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There were other tittle crime's in school that demanded punish-
iment though we could hardly understand why it was necessary;
las when J,oe Wisher tied Chub W ilson’s leg soi tight it went to sleep/
t o th at w h e n h e started to class he fell down. Once, I coaxed my
t u p through on upraised window, and'm ade him bark at v dead
Squirrel another« hoy had. , T h e j sam e. day Jimmy F is h ^ tyred-to
smoke I home-made p W of dried hazel leaves,uhQbs^vcd. ' _
j .There1 w as-another boy', who, whenever I-thm k ,b fh im ,
g
back with him' fresh picture^ of, the 5tfobd& and. stream s and paths,
we
often followed-' He-was my/companion in the evening.search .
fo'r the'grazing village herd. T h e ^ usually wag-well dowp when
we would break off from r,the g a m e s^ f.th e boys of tow n ?fld. tyrn
our bare -toes over the Mstlirig. au tu m n leases* m, .th e , direction
the hpws had gone th at morning.
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H ere and there a pheasant would sit brooding m .an underwood,
- craning his neck t o .way and that, flapping his M f l M H 1*««
• to L e to h is balance-as he moved around; o n Would r u n ^ e i y on
th e dry fallen leaves, then go whirring away^ovey the. tree .to p s.o ^
sight. W e chnild not tarry long to w atch tlffese thjngs, o r . ,,
chipmunks and rabbits..that ran hhff>«gh,-the -brush. O ften yye
whfstled after the .latter, providing we would .em pty, our. mouths .of
h a z e l'^ u te o t acorns quick enough.,. W e whistled ju s t^ o .-sf-g them
h I
^ « h t o v e r the hills, t o u g h , unfenced .fleidy a n d ^ o o d ^ r q w n ,
sweet and still with the touch ■ autumn, we hunted, now and then
Stopping, and breathless, listening for. some tell tale tinkle of he
belf W hen the shafts, of lights .would begin to shoot .into, the
•-ik y from th e-b ettin g su n ,w e usually-came upon them ■ some^quiet
■meadow' the bell cow lying down, reluctant to' m o ^ g a in ,. save to
chew her cild. I t was almost dusk,when the herd was- headed home,
along the leaf-strewn path or dusty road, the .rm p b o ^ sk y backing
up the maple-covered hills, and on
■moon, t o u g h the darkeningtrees, would slowly poke up his-scalp,
big, round and red.'
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1 1 5 .Occasionally we .happened along early oh the
river and while the cows swam across, we ran out on the big iro
lailroad bridge and threw stones at the martins that rested m the
.’" a n d boxed-up work of the
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a t birds I do not k n o w ; I only know that every boy I knew, did. bo
■ we S o d and watched them circle and sport in the evening sky,-our