SHOOTING MALLARDS IN A SNOW STORM JJ 



sadly neglected, necessarily so, on account of want of 

 opportunity 



I had promised to take him out after ducks, and took 

 pleasure in living up to that promise. To be sure, he 

 was inexperienced, and knew little or nothing of what 

 was expected of him. But his want of knowledge was 

 more than overbalanced by his eagerness and willing- 

 ness to do his share of hard work, and to make the best 

 of a very disagreeable and nasty day. Promptly on 

 time, 6.50 A. M., we met by appointment at the depot,- 

 destined for the river, thirty miles away. A change of 

 clothing had made a complete change in the appearance 

 of my friend. On this occasion I was his tailor ; at 

 least, supplied him with ready-made clothing; pants, 

 hat and coat of heavy ducking, dirty and begrimed 

 with the natural consequences of many hunts. How 

 different he looked from the day before ; — then a gen- 

 teel person in business suit, — ^now the very picture of 

 indifference and neglect, as if he could whack a bull 

 or drive the foraging cattle from the corn-field at a 

 moment's notice. Underneath his arm he held, seem- 

 ingly a box; from its size, I thought it contained bed- 

 clothing, but since we intended returning the same 

 night, I asked him what it was. With a broad open 

 smile, his lips parted, he simply replied, "grub." 



" Grub ? " said I in astonishment. 



" Yes," said he, " grub. I thought we might get 

 hungry, and had a lunch put up." 



" Well," said I, " no danger of us starving to-day 

 with that amount of eatables with us." 



" Didn't intend we should," replied he, as he tried 

 to scratch a hole through his borrowed pants, event- 

 ually lighting a match. 



