140 THE BEST OF THE FUN 



grouse-rifle usiuilly lay. Phil rushed in the other direction 

 fn search of his ivory-handled law-defier, nearly ran against 

 the buck, and then tumbled into the fire. The next 

 moment the deer had vanished, and the boys stood gazing 

 blankly into each other's faces. What they said when 

 they recovered speech shall not be written here. It was 

 not long, but deep and strong. 



CHAPTER XX 



LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK 



I DELIGHT in a new scene, and welcome heartily a new 

 experience. Of a truth I found them both on Friday, 

 October 7 — tb.e eve of my sailing for the hunting-grounds 

 of the Old Country. Hear me out, and believe me, gentle- 

 men of England and of Ireland who may read these notes. 

 You will shake your heads, I warn you ; and you will 

 scatter many a needless grain of salt upon the story, 

 as is your manner of dealing with travellers' tales from 

 across the Atlantic. Take my plain record and impres- 

 sions as you may, here they are, as set down shortly 

 after the day's occurrence. 



Know, then, that in immediate proximity to the city 

 of New York is the flat narrow strip of land known as 

 Long Island, stretching some hundred and fifty miles or 

 so eastward. The greater part of its interior is farming 

 land and grassy plain, the former divided everywhere 

 into fields of ten to twenty acres, or thereabouts, by means 

 of strong timber fences ; the latter dotted here and there 

 with villas, or boxes (as we might term them in the Old 

 Country), belonging to the opulent citizens of New York, 

 who thus in their leisure hours attain country air and 

 some country pursuits. For, as you may or may not 

 know, almost every man in America is in business ; every 

 man continues to make money if he can ; few of them, 

 in contrast to the custom so freely in vogue on our side 

 of the water, being wholly employed in spending it. Per- 

 haps it is due to this fact that so many among the upper 



