Il8 LIBERTY AND A LIVING. 



point, still remains the ideal spot of this region 

 for oyster-dredging, and when the summer vis- 

 itor runs away frightened by the first Septem- 

 ber storm, the oysterman takes off the fancy 

 trimmings of his boat, stores away the awn- 

 ings, camp chairs, and cushions, and prepares 

 for hard work. In reality, the first two months 

 of oystering are what is to me the pleasantest 

 time of the year. Once the September gales 

 have abated, the weather settles down into glo- 

 rious days, and from early October until Christ- 

 mas the Blue Point oysterer has an existence 

 which might be envied by any one fond of out- 

 door exercise. On such days as these, the bay, 

 calm and peaceful, is given up to its rightful 

 owners. The summer visitors have disap- 

 peared. The smacks of the fishermen have 

 resumed their working appearance, the duck- 

 shooters have begun to sound the alarm along 

 the coast, and from sunrise to sunset, the air, 

 whether it comes from the ocean or from the 

 pine woods of the Long Island plains, is full of 

 a fragrance which cannot be found in the neigh- 

 borhood of great cities. People talk about the 

 sufferings of the oystermen, and we hear a 

 good deal about frozen hands, night work, and 



