240 EAMBLES AETER SPORT. 



what old Widow Hiram has got to grub, and over we 

 went; when we got there we found the old gal clean 

 run out of everything, and we had to pan it out on slap- 

 jack and molasses — tarnation dry food after a feller's 

 been out in the sun all day. Waal, we was cussing our 

 luck, when who should come around but young Joash 

 Bunker, a kicking up an all-fired row. ^Anything to 

 eat, widder ? ^ says Joash. ^ No,' says the widow, ' not 

 a sprat there aint.' ''That's bad, tew,' says Joash; 

 ' say, why not have one of them geese ? ' — pointing to a 

 flock of geese that were quietly feeding up a siding. 

 ' Cos I guess I'm a-fattening on 'em up for Christmas,' 

 says the widow. 'Say,' says Joash again, 'I tell you, 

 I'll give you a dollar a head for one shot at 'em, and I 

 takes all I shutes.' ' No, young man, nor yet two dollars ; 

 why, with that yere gun of yours, why there, you'd kill 

 four sure-ly, and there's only ten altogether, and them 

 geese air worth 3^ dollars a piece. No, sir, not much.' 

 This yere Joash was a loafing sort of a cuss, that was 

 always a-prowling about after ducks, and picking up a 

 living anyhow. He had a gun ; my ! I guess that 

 was a gun. Joash said as how his great-great- 

 great grandfather had fought with that implement 

 at Bunker's Hill, and he guessed that it had plugged 

 some few Britishers on that occasion, and it was the 

 heftiest, all-firest gun as was. Nothing riled Joash like 

 speaking against his gun ; he couldn't abear to hear the 

 article run down. ' Nonsense,' says Pike, giving me a 

 nudge, ' I'll be dorgorned, if I had them geese I'd let 

 yer fire at 'em all day long with that air gun ; darned if 

 I don't go you two dollars you don't touch a feather.' 

 • What ! not with this yere gun ! why I tell yer, sir, 

 there's nary gun out of Bosting can touch her,' says 



