Every girl has a hobby, everyone has to have a hobby. On Wednesday afternoons the sewing, crosspoint and embroidery club meets, the hockey teams play, the natural history group sticks pins into small animals, the chess group slowly moves pieces of wood... All terribly uninteresting!
And what about me?
“Oh, I can skin rabbits and snakes. Oh, and shoot 'em first.”
No, no, no! No one wanted to know that. Young girls don't do that sort of thing. What about the reading circle. Perhaps, or it was perhaps until I discovered what books were being read. No thanks!
What about hunting? Isn't there a hunting club? Please, no Schnitzeljagd!
I joined the Uffetton Hunting and Shooting Club in the village, though it was more the Uffetton Drinking, Target Shooting and some Hunting Club. I was the first girl at the school to join a club outside the school – there is something odd about me and I like it.
No, I wasn't allowed a rifle. Pity that I had to leave my rifle at home. No, target shooting with pistols. Funny, a pistol is heavy. Why did I think that, a rifle is heavy too. Yes, aiming a pistol is different – you use your wrist.
I sat in a class with the ladies from the village and learnt all about pistols. After several weeks we were allowed to actually hold a pistol and to use the indoor firing range. It was OK – better than embroidery – I passed the test and got a pistol licence, but I really wanted to go hunting with a rifle.
I took the chance – a young man was controlling the armoury – I checked out a rifle and went to the outdoor firing range. Great, just what I liked.
“Jennffer, I can see that you like doing that. I will teach you to get a rifle licence. I will teach you to get a hunting licence. Then you can do what you want.”
The President of the club did what he said he would do and I go hunting nights in the woods with him.