SOME HUNTING STORIES 208 



lying not far away from one of the chain of hills 

 which cuts across our flat country made matters 

 very hot for the keeper of that portion of the 

 country. He was a wise man and knew that he 

 was being cheated, but against this Mrs. Cassidy's 

 farm was just by the covert, she threatened poison 

 and it was a delicate matter. 



She was a very stout old lady, with a fiery 

 complexion and a determined mouth. 



Claims which commenced mildly with one or 

 two hens, leaped to hugeness. Geese, goslings, 

 and then worse still. Apparently she commenced 

 to keep prize fowl and her demands became 

 enormous and impossible to cope with. 



It came to this as the harassed man said, 

 "if I go on paying the old villain, everyone else 

 wiU want as much and the hunt may as well shut 

 up shop." 



At this point up rolled Mrs. Cassidy in a jennet's 

 trap and her Sunday bonnet, demanding' one 

 pound for a Rolling Red cock purchased by her 

 for one pound five, but she was letting the hunt 

 down aisy. 



His corpse was inside in the trap. 



For once the payee stood firm. He would not 

 do it, not even for this free translation of a Rhode 

 Island Red. " Why if I did," he almost wailed 

 coming in to get away from her, " every woman 

 in the place would be keeping Rolling Reds and 

 Howdangs an' Orpinntons, buying the eggs and 



