ON THE ST. AUGUSTINE ROAD. 161 



woman said to another, as they passed me. 

 She was a conservative. I did not join the 

 procession, but on other days I talked, first 

 and last, with a good many of the people ; 

 from the preacher, who carried a handsome 

 cane and made me a still handsomer bow, 

 down to a serious little fellow of six or seven 

 years, whom I found standing at the foot of 

 the hill, beside a bundle of dead wood. He 

 was carrying it home for the family stove, 

 and had set it down for a minute's rest. I 

 said something about his burden, and as I 

 went on he called after me : " What kind of 

 birds are you hunting for? Ricebirds? " I 

 answered that I was looking for birds of all 

 sorts. Had he seen any ricebirds lately? 

 Yes, he said ; he started a flock the other day 

 up on l the hill. " How did they look ? " said 

 I. " They is red blackbirds," he returned. 

 This was not the first time I had heard the 

 redwing called the ricebird. But how did 

 the boy know me for a bird-gazer? That 

 was a mystery. It came over me all at once 

 that possibly I had become better known in 

 the community than I had in the least sus- 



1 He did not say "upon" any more than Northern 

 white boys do. 



