FUN AND FINANCE OF BOYHOOD 19 



pared for the following Sabbath, the outer door 

 was opened to the mischief-maker. That made 

 little difference for, like the cat, the creature 

 came back. 



The family in the woodshed grew, and I was 

 making almost daily additions to it when an in- 

 cident occurred that broke up the whole business. 

 I visited my trap earlier than usual one morning, 

 when it was too dark to tell with certainty what 

 kind of creature it contained. I could see that 

 it was too large for a squirrel and, assuming it 

 to be a rabbit, I opened the door of the trap and 

 seized the animal by its legs. I started hastily 

 for home, where I found myself persona non 

 grata, although those may not have been the 

 exact words used at the time to describe my con- 

 dition. I believe my clothing was buried, and 

 I think there was a general feeling of regret that 

 the same treatment could not be extended to me. 

 I do remember that my father hitched up the 

 horse and took the rest of the family to visit a 

 parishioner at the other end of the town. 



It was in childhood that finance also began to 



