18-2 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



asked A , in a low voice. "I did not know Forester 



shot like that." 



"Sometimes he does. When he's cool. He is not cer- 

 tain; that is his only fault. One day he is the coolest 

 man I ever saw in a field, and the next the most impetu- 

 ous; but when he is cool, he shoots splendidly. As you 



say, A , I never saw anything better done in my life. 



It was the perfection of coolness and quickness com- 

 bined." 



"I cannot conceive how it was done at all. How he 

 brought up and fired that first barrel with a cap between 

 his thumb and forefinger! Why, I could not fire a gun 

 so, in cold blood!" 



"Nor could he, probably. Deliberate promptitude is 

 the thing! Well, Tom, what do you think of that? Wasn't 

 that pretty shooting?" 



"It was so, pretty shootin'," responded the fat man, 

 quite delighted out of his crusty mood. "I guess the 

 darned little critter's got three barrels to his gun some- 

 how; leastwise it seems to me, I swon, 'at he fired her 

 off three times without loadin'! I guess I'll quit tryin' 

 to shoot agin Frank, to-day." 



"I told you so!" said Harry to the Commodore, with a 

 low laugh, and then added aloud — "I think you may as 

 well, Tom — for I don't believe the fellow will miss an- 

 other bird to-day." 



And in truth, strange to say, it fell out, in reality, near- 

 ly as Archer had spoken in jest. The whole party shot ex- 

 ceedingly well. The four birds, which Tom and the Com- 

 modore had missed at the first start, were found again in 

 an old ragwort field, and brought to bay; and of the 

 twenty-three quail which Forester had marked down into 

 the bog meadow, not one bird escaped, and of that bevy 

 not one bird did Frank miss, killing twelve, all of them 

 double shots, to his own share, and beating Archer in a 

 canter. 



But that sterling sportsman cared not a stiver; too 

 many times by far had he had the field, too sure was he 

 of doing the same many a time again, to dislike being 

 1 en ton once. Besides this, he was always the least jealous 

 shot in the world, for a very quick one; and, in this in- 

 stance, he wa« perhaps be! tor pleased to see his friend "go 



i 



