360 MEN I HAVE FISHED WITH. 



"They took the two geese up to Mrs. Parsons, who 

 had just discovered her loss, and told her where she 

 would find the rest of the stolen geese, and then found 

 Gordonier, who by this time had absorbed so many ante- 

 breakfast nips that he stuttered very little. 



"The old man, long and lank, was leaning against 

 the bar as they entered, and said: 'It's too bad, but I 

 dunno who done it.' 



' 'You're sure you didn't get any of 'em?" asked Pop. 



" 'Sure? How c'u'd I when I was in S-s-s-schenec- 

 tady all night? Just came in on the train.' 



" 'All right, but we found the geese under your bed, 

 and you've got to go down with us to Squire Hoge- 

 boom's until Mrs. Parsons makes a complaint; come 

 along!' 



"He begged and protested, said that some of the boys 

 had put the geese under his bed, if there were any geese 

 there, and the excitement loosened his stuttering valve, 

 which the nips had cemented down, and away they went 

 to the Squire's; but on reaching the corner he broke 

 away, and ran to the dock and jumped off, with a crowd 

 at his heels. John Stranahan jumped into a boat and 

 fished him out. Mrs. Parsons refused to make a charge, 

 but the old fellow picked and returned to her thirty-nine 

 geese. When Pop Huyler met him and asked: 'When 

 have you been over to S-s-s-schenectady?' the old man 

 replied: 'I on'y w-w-wish I'd a d-d-died the day I 

 j-j -jumped the d-d-dock off.' 



"There was a time, not over a dozen years ago, when 

 if Bate Hayden's troughs for feeding horses were all 

 found on top the little schoolhouse there was a suspicion 

 that our guest had a hand in it, but, as he has been absent 

 a number of years, he can prove an alibi, like old Gor- 

 donier, and say he was in S-s-s-schenectady." 



