TOD SLOAN 



any gun to the majority of those present. When the 

 accident happened Lord Wilham said kindly to me, 

 " It can't be helped," and I felt that he and some of 

 the others were pitying me, perhaps even laughing at 

 me ! 



Anyhow I asked the loan of another gun but Lord 

 William answered in a sort of fatherly manner : " Oh, 

 surely you don't want to shoot again to-day, do you ? " 

 I insisted however and ultimately I got a gun that 

 didn't fit me a bit, but I went in to do my best with it. 

 Then I heard someone say, " We'd better stop before 

 Sloan shoots somebody ! " — and when soon after 

 someone else called " woodcock," everyone's idea was 

 to get out of my neighbourhood. 



I missed my first shot or two and I felt pretty sore 

 when I heard another remark : " Sloan hasn't shot 

 anyone yet." It made me mad. But all the same I 

 got in a pretty right and left, which made me feel a 

 little better, and the day finished up with my having 

 done my share at all events. 



There had been an amusing incident at luncheon 

 that day. It was a large party but it seemed waste 

 of time with such good sport awaiting us that an hour 

 should be taken for the meal — and in those days I 

 was never an eater midday. Lord William was kind 

 enough to press me to take something but I told him 

 that I " wanted to shoot," and I couldn't if I was 

 helped to a lot of good things. But when he again 

 suggested that I should eat a bit I said I would have 

 some butter with the bread I had just broken. Then 

 it was discovered that there was none on the table, a 

 thing which struck me as rather odd considering that 

 butter is always put on in America for meals. I 

 noticed then that butter in any quantity does not make 

 its appearance in English homes until the cheese is 



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