Redruff 



of. His life was made up of a very little work 

 and a great deal of play, with as much out-door 

 life as he chose. He considered himself a true 

 sportsman because he was ' fond o' huntin',' and 

 ' took a sight o' comfort out of seein' the critters 

 hit the mud' when his gun was fired. The 

 neighbors called him a squatter, and looked on 

 him merely as an anchored tramp. He shot 

 and trapped the year round, and varied his 

 game somewhat with the season perforce, but 

 had been heard to remark he could tell the 

 month by the 'taste o' the patridges,' if he 

 didn't happen to know by the almanac. Thi?, 

 no doubt, showed keen observation, but was ak * 

 unfortunate proof of something not so credi 

 able. The lawful season for murdering par« 

 tridges began September 15th, but there was 

 nothing surprising in Cuddy's being out a fort- 

 night ahead of time. Yet he managed to es- 

 cape punishment year after year, and even con- 

 trived to pose in a newspaper interview as an 

 interesting character. 



He rarely shot on the wing, preferring to po 

 his birds, which was not easy to do when the 

 leaves were on, and accounted for the brood in 



324 



