these city fellers wanderin’ around in the woods a-hunting. They’re helpless. They’re dangerous to theirselves, and that’s a fact, because they don’t know how to handle guns.”
He stopped and looked at Dr Severance, and then he says, “But don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean they’re all like that. Once in a while you run across one that’s just hell on wheels with a gun, and I wouldn’t want you to think I was lumpin’ all city fellers together that way. No offense, mind you.” “No,” Dr Severance says. “No. Of course not.” “But that ain’t neither here nor there,” Uncle Sagamore went on. “I reckon what we got to do now is notify the shurf and explain to him how these poor fellers killed theirselves, and ask him to haul ‘em away, it bein’ warm weather and all.”
Dr Severance nodded. “Sure. I guess that’s the least we can do.”
Then all of a sudden he stopped and rubbed his chin with his hand, his face screwed up kind of thoughtful. “Hmmmmm,” he says. “Gentlemen, I just remembered something.”
He reached back and got his wallet out of his hip pocket and held it in his lap while he started taking stuff out of it like he was looking for something. I watched him through the leaves, trying to figure out what he was doing. He slid out a thick bundle of money that would have choked a horse, and just dropped it across his legs as careless as if it’d been a bunch of old socks, while he went on poking around in the wallet.
Pop and Uncle Sagamore looked at all the bills.
“What is it you’re looking for?” Pop asked.
“Oh,” Dr Severance says. “Why, my copy of the game laws.” He held the empty wallet up spreading it open so he could look inside. “I could have sworn I had it with me, but I must have left it in my other suit.”
“The game laws?” Uncle Sagamore asked.
“That’s right,” Dr Severance says, putting the stuff back in the wallet, the money last. He had to shuffle it around a little to get it all packed in. “However, it don’t matter that I haven’t got it with me. I remember the laws perfectly, because I just looked them up yesterday. And, gentlemen, do you know what?”
“What’s that?” Uncle Sagamore asked.
“Mind you,” Dr Severance says, “I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t know I was right. But the rabbit season closed two weeks ago.”
“No!” Uncle Sagamore says, his mouth falling open. “Is that a fact?” He thought for a minute, and then he clapped his hands together, and says, “Yes, by hell, I believe you’re right. I recollect now, I looked it up just the other day myself.”
“Why,” Pop says, looking at the two rabbit hunters, “they ought to of been ashamed of theirselves, a-huntin’ rabbits out of season that way. They’re no better than common criminals.”
“It’s people like that,” Uncle Sagamore says, “that destroy the natural resources of a country. It’s just disheartenin’, that’s what it is. Out here, sneakin’ around and breakin’ the laws behind people’s backs.”
Dr Severance nodded. “That’s right. And as for me, I wouldn’t have the guts to go bothering a poor overworked sheriff with ‘em. He’s got enough on his mind now, protecting the citizens, and looking for live criminals.”
“Why, sure,” Uncle Sagamore says. “That’s what makes taxes so damn high now, everybody unloadin’ his troubles on the Gov’ment and runnin’ to the shurf with every two-bit thing that comes up. People just ain’t got no consideration.”
“Now, that’s it exactly,” Dr Severance says. “You’ve put your finger right on it. What if we are taxpayers? Why should we start throwing our weight around, and raise a big stink and demand that the sheriff drop everything he’s doing just to come running out here because a couple of criminals has had an accident while they was deliberately trying to kill a poor rabbit out of season? Especially after I caught ‘em right in the act. It
He stopped and looked at Dr Severance, and then he says, “But don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean they’re all like that. Once in a while you run across one that’s just hell on wheels with a gun, and I wouldn’t want you to think I was lumpin’ all city fellers together that way. No offense, mind you.” “No,” Dr Severance says. “No. Of course not.” “But that ain’t neither here nor there,” Uncle Sagamore went on. “I reckon what we got to do now is notify the shurf and explain to him how these poor fellers killed theirselves, and ask him to haul ‘em away, it bein’ warm weather and all.”
Dr Severance nodded. “Sure. I guess that’s the least we can do.”
Then all of a sudden he stopped and rubbed his chin with his hand, his face screwed up kind of thoughtful. “Hmmmmm,” he says. “Gentlemen, I just remembered something.”
He reached back and got his wallet out of his hip pocket and held it in his lap while he started taking stuff out of it like he was looking for something. I watched him through the leaves, trying to figure out what he was doing. He slid out a thick bundle of money that would have choked a horse, and just dropped it across his legs as careless as if it’d been a bunch of old socks, while he went on poking around in the wallet.
Pop and Uncle Sagamore looked at all the bills.
“What is it you’re looking for?” Pop asked.
“Oh,” Dr Severance says. “Why, my copy of the game laws.” He held the empty wallet up spreading it open so he could look inside. “I could have sworn I had it with me, but I must have left it in my other suit.”
“The game laws?” Uncle Sagamore asked.
“That’s right,” Dr Severance says, putting the stuff back in the wallet, the money last. He had to shuffle it around a little to get it all packed in. “However, it don’t matter that I haven’t got it with me. I remember the laws perfectly, because I just looked them up yesterday. And, gentlemen, do you know what?”
“What’s that?” Uncle Sagamore asked.
“Mind you,” Dr Severance says, “I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t know I was right. But the rabbit season closed two weeks ago.”
“No!” Uncle Sagamore says, his mouth falling open. “Is that a fact?” He thought for a minute, and then he clapped his hands together, and says, “Yes, by hell, I believe you’re right. I recollect now, I looked it up just the other day myself.”
“Why,” Pop says, looking at the two rabbit hunters, “they ought to of been ashamed of theirselves, a-huntin’ rabbits out of season that way. They’re no better than common criminals.”
“It’s people like that,” Uncle Sagamore says, “that destroy the natural resources of a country. It’s just disheartenin’, that’s what it is. Out here, sneakin’ around and breakin’ the laws behind people’s backs.”
Dr Severance nodded. “That’s right. And as for me, I wouldn’t have the guts to go bothering a poor overworked sheriff with ‘em. He’s got enough on his mind now, protecting the citizens, and looking for live criminals.”
“Why, sure,” Uncle Sagamore says. “That’s what makes taxes so damn high now, everybody unloadin’ his troubles on the Gov’ment and runnin’ to the shurf with every two-bit thing that comes up. People just ain’t got no consideration.”
“Now, that’s it exactly,” Dr Severance says. “You’ve put your finger right on it. What if we are taxpayers? Why should we start throwing our weight around, and raise a big stink and demand that the sheriff drop everything he’s doing just to come running out here because a couple of criminals has had an accident while they was deliberately trying to kill a poor rabbit out of season? Especially after I caught ‘em right in the act. It
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