SERGEANT FRANK NEAVILLE. 253 



even one. He is the oldest, and there are several little 

 fellows growing up, and if I'm not as brilliant as Henry 

 I can't help it; but I hope some of the little fellows may 

 come near his high standard. I don't want to go if I'm 

 not wanted." And he turned off, and went into the 

 house. 



This was the first time that I had seen Frank resent 

 Henry's good-natured chaff, and I hurried after him and 

 brought him back. Said I: "Henry, I want Frank to 

 go with us, and, confound you, you want him to go, but 

 your temptation to roast him over that upset is fun for 

 you; but Frank doesn't like it. As a student of Shakes- 

 peare, you will remember that somewhere he says that a 

 joke requires a good listener, or something of the kind, 

 to make it go. Frank thinks you are bearing too hard 

 on him for his mistake, and it's time to let up." 



Henry laughed and said: "Frank never knows a joke 

 when he hears it; he wouldn't know one if he found it in 

 his soup. What Shakespeare said was: 'A jest's pros- 

 perity lies in the ear of him who hears it, never in the 

 tongue of him that makes it,' but if Frank wants to go 

 fishing with us, all right; I've no objection, and in fact 

 would like to have him go; but since the time when we 

 slept out on the island I have gone fishing a dozen times, 

 and he has never asked to go. I think he likes your 

 company. Come along, Frank; I only wanted to knock 

 a little fun out of you, and you go off mad." Frank 

 winked at me; he was not angry the least bit, but this was 

 his joke on his brother. 



In the morning we walked behind the wagon which 

 carried the boat to the river, for it had a load of lead. I 

 took my rifle along, because I wanted some meat, either 

 of duck or hog, or both. As related in my sketch of 

 Henry, there were hogs on the islands, and I had bought 



