SWANS, HERONS, AND HAWKS, 81 



Three days after quitting St. Genevieve, we found 

 ourselves on the hanks of the Ohio, and a hundred 

 paces before us a light smoke, issuing from the 

 roof of a little house, promised us a dinner and a 

 bed. A good woman, the mistress of the house, 

 received us very cordially, whilst tlie two sons ex- 

 amined our guns with delight, and as we dried 

 our garments at the fire, a handsome young 

 lassie served up the cooked venison steaks, eggs, 

 coffee, and milk. A glass of whisky completed the 

 hospitable repast. We slept beneath this friendly 

 roof, and the next day resumed our journey, after 

 sharing in an excellent breakfast. As the good 

 woman refused to aceept payment, my friend pre- 

 sented the sons with a horn of powder, — a precious 

 gift in the backwoods of the West ; and I, for my 

 part, offered the young lady a new red silk handker- 

 chief, which I had kept in the bottom of my wallet, 

 and she seemed highly pleased with the present. 

 In the course of the afternoon, we hailed a steamer 

 which was going up the Ohio, and that evening 

 we arrived at the house of my friend's father, where 

 we were received like prodigal sons, not even omit- 

 ting the ceremony of killing the fatted calf. 



