IS. 



AN OLD 



" CRANK'" 



131 



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we'll have some of those geese yet — lots of them — 

 every man jack of them ! " 



I almost commenced to think that continued dis- 

 appointment had so preyed upon his mind as to make 

 him " luney " ; notwithstanding, I begged him to 

 explain himself. His answer was brief and to the 

 point. 



" Don't you see ? — the very finest decoys in the 

 world ; nothing to beat them — nothing. I'll just 

 jump down and buy them off the reel,' and he 

 ali<^hted. My legs being rather cramped, I did the 

 same. 



A deal of hammering brought a garrulous old 

 joker to the door, who, to his discredit, did not appear 

 especially overjoyed to see us, for his salutation was 

 too abrupt and terse to admit of any other construc- 

 tion. 



" Now, be gone with you. Til have none of you 

 fellows dangling about here ; my daughter is off to 

 Cairo, so is the old woman, and I guess that she 

 was hitched to Elisha Kent yesterday ! Now take 

 your hook." 



" Now, my good man, just listen for a moment ; do 

 now. It is not your estimable daughter that we 

 desire to see — nothing of the kind, I assure you — " 



" Then what is it, by thunder } " 



" To buy your beautiful geese, the wild ones before 

 the door." 



And the aged parent immediately cooled down, 

 and ceased to present a formidable appearance. But 

 he would not sell his geese, although ten dollars was 

 offered for them, for, as he explained, he made a 

 living by them. And a very poor living it must have 

 been, judging by appearances. 



However, the old man used the birds as decoys, so 

 if we could hire them, and him with them, our object 

 would be attained. 



The veteran knew how to make a bargain, but as 



K 2 





