30 ON BOSTON COMMON. 



a stone which had just whizzed by his ear. 

 Everybody that came along stopped for a few 

 minutes to witness the sport, and Beacon Street 

 filled up with carriages till it looked as if some 

 holiday procession were halted in front of the 

 State House. I left the crowd still at their 

 work, and must do them the justice to say that 

 some of them were excellent marksmen. An 

 old negro, who stood near me, was bewailing 

 the law against shooting ; else, he said, he 

 would go home and get his gun. He described, 

 with appropriate gestures, how very easily he 

 could fetch the bird down. Perhaps he after- 

 wards plucked up courage to violate the stat- 

 ute. At any rate the next morning's newspa- 

 pers reported that an owl had been shot, the 

 day before, on the Common. Poor bird of wis- 

 dom ! His sudden popularity proved to be the 

 death of him. Like many of loftier name he 

 found it true, 



" The path of glory leads but to the grave." 



