293 UPLAND AND MEADOW. 



then jon find an old tree in bearing; but the vigor's 

 gone and the apples only have the look of old times." 



"But talking about the old barn," resumed Miles, 

 after a brief pause, " reminds me how diflEerent it is now 

 from what it used to be, as to the quails. When father 

 and I would be thrashin', in winter, the quails would 

 come down from the swamp every afternoon, about an 

 hour before sunset. They came just as regular as clock- 

 work, and we always calculated on just one more fioorin' 

 after the quails came. These quails stayed up in the 

 swamps all day, but had a notion of roostin' in the gully ; 

 to keep clearer of varmints I suppose ; for weasels and 

 such were common enough in those days. However, 

 come they did ; and your folks, when boys, used to have 

 a great old time in trappin' them. They hadn't a gun, 

 and couldn't shoot so near the building, any way ; so, 

 after thinking it over, your father planned a dead-fall 

 out of a little side-door of the barn. He and your un- 

 cles tied a long string to a figger-o'-four set of sticks, 

 and sprinkled a little grain out from the door, and a 

 deal more of it under the door. The string ran through 

 a knot-hole in the barn, and the boys scrouched down 

 and peeped through, waitin' for the quails. Tore long 

 a lot of 'era came, and began pickin' round like chickens, 

 and some ran under the door. The boys pulled the 

 string, and, by cracky ! they got seven or eight of 'em. 

 Well, now, it vt^as a sight to behold, to see how those 

 boys carried on. They didn't know which way to turn, 

 and kept up such a racket that it brought their father 

 down from the house, to see what was the matter. 

 Well, it sort of tickled him too, to see the quails ; for 



