GREEN FROGS AND A BOTTLE OF BEER 37 
‘“*Now, friend,’ says I in my most conciliating man- 
ner, ‘I’m as dry as dry can be, but tell us right out loud 
what happened. It surely is coming to me to know 
where my own bottle of beer went to.’ 
‘“*Tt was like this,’ says Blue Eyes. ‘I was enjoying 
myself first class but only had seven birds down and was 
shooting real poorly. All of a sudden I heard some 
geese honking. I can call in a teal now and then, 
though they would probably come to the decoys any- 
way. With geese in sight I knew enough to keep down 
and keep still. 
‘“““There were three of them—big Canadas. They 
came over me sixty yards high and I gave them both 
barrels and down came one. He was wounded but I 
finally caught him. 
‘“““Then I had the great idea—make a decoy out of 
him and let him call other geese. No sooner thought 
than I set to work. I found a few yards of twine in my 
shooting coat but there was nothing to tie him to—-no 
stick, stone, orlog. Then my eye lighted on those two 
bottles of beer. 
‘“““T tied a bottle to each leg, carried the goose out 
about twenty-five yards, and carefully sunk and buried 
both bottles in the mud as deep as I could. There was 
the goose standing up looking fit and hearty. He was 
a glorious sight to look at as I sat in the sink box.’ 
‘“““He must have been,’ says I, kind of sour-like. 
“““Never mind,’ says Blue Eyes, ‘wait,for the finish. 
‘“““Pretty soon five more geese came in sight, honking 
and talking among themselves as geese will. My goose 
begins calling with all of his might. 
» 1 felt sure of a shot, 
“““The geese came in within a couple of gunshots, 
when all of a sudden my decoy raises himself and makes 
