32 A SUMMER BOATING TRIP 



to the East Branch, and he had been up to Trout 

 Brook. He took a pecuniary interest in me. What did 

 my pole cost? What my rubber coat, and what my 

 revolver ? The latter he must take in his hand ; he had 

 never seen such a thing to shoot with before in his life, 

 etc. He thought I might make the trip cheaper and 

 easier by stage and by the cars. He went to school : there 

 were six scholars in summer, one or two more in winter. 

 The population is not crowded in the town of Hancock, 

 certainly, and never will be. The people live close to 

 the bone, as Thoreau would say, or rather close to the 

 stump. Many years ago the young men there resolved 

 upon having a ball. They concluded not to go to a 

 hotel, on account of the expense, and so chose a private 

 house. There was a man in the neighborhood who 

 could play the fife; he offered to furnish the music for 

 seventy-five cents. But this was deemed too much, so 

 one of the party agreed to whistle. History does not 

 tell how many beaux there were bent upon this reck- 

 less enterprise, but there were three girls. For refresh- 

 ments they bought a couple of gallons of whiskey and 

 a few pounds of sugar. When the spree was over, and 

 the expenses were reckoned up, there was a shilling 

 a York shilling apiece to pay. Some of the revelers 

 were dissatisfied with this charge, and intimated that 

 the managers had not counted themselves in, but taxed 

 the whole expense upon the rest of the party. 



As I moved on I saw Henry's sister and the school- 

 mistress picking their way along the muddy road near 

 the river's bank. One of them saw me, and, dropping 

 her skirts, said to the other (I could read the motions), 

 "See that man!" The other lowered her flounces, 

 and looked up and down the road, then glanced over 



