A STRANGE PREFERENCE. 247 



" The only thing that kin hold agin a ' painter ' for an 

 ugly screech," said Jake, " is a b'ar at the matin' season. 

 I guess I've heerd some rumpus in my time, but them 

 varmints beat all creation." 



" I like to hear the voices of wild nature," said 

 Pierre. " The screams of that cougar now are more to 

 my mind than the squalls of a woman at a piano, with 

 a lot of fellows about her who have no more eye for a 

 rifle or a trail than a turkey buzzard." 



" Wai," said Jake, " I don't know much o' peeanies, 

 seein' as thur ain't sich things in the woods or perairas ; 

 but I hold wi' yer about the idee o' the thing all the 

 same. This child wur born free as air, he has lived 

 free as air, an' he'll die free as air, whur thur ain't a 

 sight o' men's houses nor laws. I kin hear that back 

 in the States a man can't kill a deer when he likes, nor 

 even yet a peraira chicken. I kin hardly give in to 

 that, though." 



" It is quite true, Jake," said Gaultier. " I was once 

 fined myself for shooting a deer ' out of season,' as they 

 call it." 



"Well," said Pierre, "where people are numerous, 

 unless some law is made to preserve the game, there 

 wouldn't be a deer or a chick to shoot in a few years." 



" I guess," said Jake, " I'd rather pass laws to keep 

 down the number of the settlers. Half-a-dozen o' them 

 varmints is enuff for a county ; an' I'd sooner meet a 

 b'ar any day than one o' them. That's a fact." 



The moon now ascended above the forest, and threw 



