Squire ^Forester anb tloin /Il^oo^l^ '51 



sterling qualities, and much liberty was allowed to a 

 bachelor in those days. Occasionally some of these 

 ladies would create a little scandal by either quarrelling 

 among themselves or making things hot for the squire. 

 There was a Miss Phoebe Higgs, renowned all round 

 that country side for her daring feats in the saddle, who 

 twice threatened to shoot Squire Forester unless he 

 raised her allowance to an equality with that of a rival 

 whom she thought to be too highly favoured. This 

 determined Amazon actually on one occasion clapped 

 a loaded pistol to the squire's head and refused to 

 withdraw it until he had written and signed the 

 document she desired. But for the most part the 

 squire contrived to live at peace with all the world — 

 both men and women. 



As a sportsman, Squire Forester was in every way 

 admirable, and during his long tenure of Willey Hall 

 it was as famous for its good sport as its good cheer. 

 They were a hardy race those great-grandfathers of ours. 

 The day before a big meet, the guests would arrive at 

 Willey Hall, all ready, booted and spurred, sit down to 

 a grand old English dinner at 4 P.M., and never leave 

 the table till they mounted their horses soon after day- 

 break for the day's sport. The squire always breakfasted 

 on hunting mornings at 4 A.M. The meal consisted of 

 underdone beef, washed down with eggs beaten up in 

 brandy, and, thus fortified, he was prepared for a fifty- 

 mile ride if need be. It was no unusual thing to see 

 Tom Moody, his famous whipper-in, taking the hounds 

 to covert before daylight, and they would often stick to 

 the sport till it was too dark to see the hounds. The 

 squire was a madcap, devil-may-care rider when the 

 handsome Phcebe Higgs was out. She would ^^^ him 



