234 



The Auicrican AiiHvr. 



manded my attention, and was about 

 saying that it was impossible for me to 

 go, when Nellie broke in : 



''Now! Tom, you are jiist killing 

 yourself ; you've been at it day and 

 night for so long that I hardly have 

 time to see you. You leave in the 

 morning at eight o'clock, you get home 

 in time for a seven o'clock dinner, then, 

 when your cigar is finished, afterward, 

 out of your pocket comes a bundle of 

 papers, and I see or hear no more of 

 you until midnight. Fred, you are 

 right; lug him off ; don't let him say 

 no." 



Between the two my good resolutions 

 vanished, and I consented to go. Up 

 jumped Fred from the lounge, where 

 he had been sitting, and, chirruping 

 to the dogs, soon had them in a yell. 

 He said good night to Nellie, and as I 

 walked out to the gate wnth him, the 

 dogs romped along, barking joyfully, 

 as if they knew of the morrow as well 

 as me. With a good night he added, 

 "Old man, four o'clock to-morrow 

 morning — sharp it is, no\y. " He walked 

 quickly down the avenue, and was soon 

 lost to view. Then came the loading 

 of the shells. This was a small matter. 

 Twenty-five was a plenty, and with 

 Nellie's assistance the job was soon 

 over. Hal and ]\Ieg received a late 

 supper that night, for there would be 

 no time for breakfast in the morning. 

 Ah ! What a blessing an alarm clock is 

 to a man. One winds it up, sets the 

 time to be called, and then goes to 

 sleep serenely. That little mechanism 

 works all night. When the hour is 

 reached, w-h-i-r-r, w-h-i-r-r, and there 

 you are. This time the hands denoted 

 half -past three. Nellie was just as in- 

 tent as myself. Slipping on a dressing 

 gown and slippers, she was in the 

 dining room almost before I had begun 



to dress. Before I was down stairs, 

 there was the chafing dish, with its 

 contents, greeting in most pleasant 

 fashion my olfactory nerves. The 

 metal coffee pot was all aglow with its 

 boiling contents. The day was just 

 breaking when I sat down to a meal 

 of cold meat, scrambled eggs and cafe 

 au lait. Before I had finished, the 

 clatter of a horse's feet and the rum- 

 bling of a wagon was heard. In a 

 second Fred was in front of the house, 

 w^histling a hurried call to get me out 

 quickly. I swallowed that last mouth- 

 ful of coffee, although it was most hot 

 enough to blister my throat ; indeed, it 

 " furred " my tongue for an hour after- 

 ward. I put on a light overcoat, for 

 the air of early morning was a bit 

 chill. Nellie called the dogs. I 

 grabbed gun and cartridges, and but 

 few moments saw us started for Pine 

 Brook. Now, Fred is one of the lucky 

 fellows of this world. Sharp and 

 shrewd in business matters, he, al- 

 though not yet thirty ' years of age, 

 has added quite a fortune to the sum 

 he inherited from his father. He keeps 

 a trotter or two, which, he says, he has 

 no time to use, has a pretty steam 

 launch, and is a really most desirable 

 friend, for he has not a particle of the 

 noitvcau richc about him, and is withal 

 as generous a man and as keen a sports- 

 man as ever drew breath. As yet he 

 has no dogs, and depends upon mine in 

 his shooting expeditions. Thus, it is 

 when the open season is on we are 

 much together. This acquaintanceship 

 has been running now for at least ten 

 years, and as yet we have never had 

 even the slightest of controversies. To 

 tell of the beauties of that morning ride 

 woidd require more space than can ^be 

 given by The American Angler. Suf- 

 fice it to say that it was a delightful one. 



