162 MEN I HAVE FISHED WITH. 



and he will look out for each other. I will take a vaca- 

 tion if I know that you two boys are together taking one. 

 Will you go?" 



"I will find out. Like Billy, I must consult others. 

 To-morrow night you will know, but it might be well to 

 have the invitation from Billy. Surely, he cannot expect 

 me to go with him without a direct invitation ; I was with 

 him last night and he did not mention it." 



"Not to you, but he first consulted me as one whose 

 approval of a companion for a week seemed to him to be 

 necessary. No matter how much Billy might think of 

 you he would want his father to know the kind of com- 

 pany he was in and have my approval. His business as- 

 sociates are not always his social ones, and like the wise 

 boy that he is he separates them. He doesn't care to ask 

 your companion, Pete, to go because he overheard him 

 say something about his kissing me. Billy was brought 

 up that way, and doesn't like any comment on his kiss- 

 ing his father. We are all there is left of the family, and 

 our customs are our own." 



A ten-gauge gun was hired, and we went down some 

 fifty miles south of Chicago to the great ducking grounds 

 of the Kankakee, of which I had heard so much. Even 

 the preparation for the start was a revelation to one 

 whose idea of duck shooting about Albany had been that 

 it was a large day if he got ten shots and four ducks. 

 Then one pound of powder and four pounds of shot was 

 a great allowance, and more than half of it was lugged 

 home at night unless it was expended on blackbirds, rail 

 or other small game. Therefore, when we talked over 

 the trip and came to the detail of ammunition I was 

 astounded when Billy said : "Let's see, six days ; well, say 

 twelve pounds of powder, fifty pounds of shot ounce 

 and a quarter to each load that's fifteen ounces of shot 



