WARWICK WOODLANDS, 49 



* Conre, come, your supper's gittin' cold ; I never see such 

 men as you and Archer is ; you're wash, wash, wash all day. 

 It's little water enough that you use any other ways." 



" Why, is there any other use for water, Tom ?" I asked, 

 sknply enough, 



"It's lucky if there ahat, any how leastwise, where you and 

 Archer is else you'd leave none for the rest of us. It's a good 

 thing you han't thought of washing your darned stinking hides 

 in ruin you will be at it some of these odd days, I warrant 

 me why now, McTaggart, it's only yesterday I caught Archer 

 up stairs, a fiddling away up there at his teeth with a little ivory 

 brush ; brushing them with cold water cleaning them he calls 

 it. Cuss all such trash, says I." 



While I was listening in mute astonishment, wondering 

 whether in trutli the old savage never cleaned his teeth, Archer 

 made his appearance, and to a better supper never did I sit 

 down, than was spread at the old round table, in such profusion 

 as might have well sufficed to feed a troop of horse. 



" What have we got here, Tom 2" cried Harry, as he took the 

 head of the social board ; " quail-pie, by George are there any 

 peppers in it, Tom '?'' 



" Sartain there is," replied that worthy, " and a prime rump- 

 steak in the bottom, and some first-best salt pork, chopped fine, 

 and three small onions ; like little Wax-skin used to fix them, 

 when he was up here last fall." 



" Take some of this pie, Frank ;" said Archer, as he handed 

 me a huge plate of leafy reeking pie-crust, with a slice of fat 

 steak, and a plump hen quail, and gravy, and etceteras, that might 

 have made an alderman's mouth water ; " and if you don't say 

 it's the very best thing you ever tasted, you are not half so good 

 a judge as I used to hold you. It took little Johnny and my- 

 self three wet days to concoct it. Pie, Tom, or roast pig ?" he 

 continued ; " or broiled woodcock ? Here they are, all of 

 them ?" 



" Why, I reckon I'll take cock ; briled meat wants to be ate 

 right stret away as soon as it comes off the griddle ; and of all 

 darned nice ways of cooking, to brile a thing, quick now, over 

 hot hickory ashes, is the best for me !" 



" I believe you're right about eating the cock first, for they 

 will not be worth a farthing if they get cold. So you stick to 

 the pig, do you hey, McTaggart ? Well, there is no reckoning 



3 



