76 The Partridge Family 



nothin' but shootin'. But he could call quail. 

 I've seen him call 'em right to him." 



" What came of him ? " asked Doc. 



" I reckon he died about ten year ago. He was 

 a consumptive, anyhow, and no good on earth," 

 added the old man ; " but he could call quail bet- 

 ter 'n any man livin'." 



" What was his name ? " persisted Doc. 



*' Wa-al, I sorter forget his actool name, but 

 you ought to know it. His dad was parson to 

 the brick church in town, nigh on to fifty year, I 

 reckon." 



Doc was choking with laughter when I turned 

 on our friend and said : " See here, you old snoozer, 

 what do you mean by calling me a consumptive 

 loafer? I'll take a fall out of you first thing you 

 know ! " 



He boggled his eyes and gasped like a freshly 

 landed bass ; then he dived for me, and we had 

 fun. " Durn you," he said, " what a whalin' big 

 cuss you've growed. But I'm mighty glad to see 

 you, loafer or no loafer," and the old cock laughed 

 till his gills turned blue. Before we got away he 

 begged us to see his neighbor. He said, " Why, 

 we were talkin' 'bout you only last week, when 

 we scart up some birds, and if you'll only fool old 

 Tom like you fooled me, I'll kill a fat chicken 

 agin supper time." 



The cat found a chicken's head in the yard 

 that afternoon. 



