INTRODUCTION I9 



" Ye ain't a-goin' to eat them, air ye ?" he asks, anx- 

 iously, by way of introduction. 



" I am, most certainly," I respond ; " that is, if I 



can get my good farmer's wife to cook them without 



corning them and inundating them in 



Rustic lemon-juice." 



discrimination " Waal, then, I'll say good-bye to ye," 



he responds, with emphasis. " Why, 



don't ye know them's tudstools, 'n' they'll kill ye as 



sartin as pizen? I wonder they ain't fetched ye afore 



this. You never larned tew tell mushrooms. My 



father et 'em all his life, and so hev I, 'n' I know 



'em. Come up into my garden yender 'n' I'll show 



ye haow to tell the reel mushroom. There's a lot 



of 'em thar in the hot-bed naow. Come along. I'll 



give ye a mess on 'em if ye'll only throw them pizen 



things away." 



" And how do you know that those in your garden 

 are real mushrooms .''" I inquire. 



" Why, they ain't anything like them o' yourn. 

 They're pink and black underneath, and peel up from 

 the edge." 



" How many kinds of mushrooms are there, do you 

 suppose .''" I ask. 



" They's only the one kind ; all the others is tud- 

 stools and pizen. It's easy to tell the reel mushroom. 

 Come up and I'll show ye. Don't eat them things, I 

 beg on ye ! I vaow they'll kill ye !" 



At this point he catches a glimpse of a Shaggy- 

 mane mushroom, which comes to light as I tenderly 

 fondle the specimens, and which is evidently recog- 

 nized as an acquaintance. 



