56 The Partridge Family 



is necessary for the consummation of this satisfac- 

 tory relationship is the exercise of or'dinary common 

 sense on the part of the man from town. Because a 

 man may happen to wear rough clothes, and to be 

 slow and quaint of speech, are no signs that he also 

 is a fool. In point of fact, he usually is a shrewder 

 judge of human nature than is theaverage city man ; 

 and the young " town feller " who thinks to " jolly " 

 him, or in any way to overreach him, is liable to 

 fall into woful error. The " Rube " of the comic 

 papers is a very far-fetched individual. The city 

 may be strange to him ; but in the country he is 

 all there, and in his own quiet way is frequently 

 almost sorry for the greenness of his friend from 

 town. He has his rights, he knows what they 

 comprise, and, as a rule, all he asks of a stranger 

 is a proper observance of them. This point he 

 rightly insists upon. 



The sportsman, therefore, being a gentleman, 

 and realizing that he enters upon a man's land 

 only by courtesy of the owner, will not forget the 

 proprieties. He will carefully replace bars should 

 he have let them down, he will close all gates be- 

 hind him, he will keep his dog under proper con- 

 trol, and allow no scaring of stock or poultry ; 

 should he snap a fence-rail in crossing, he will 

 promptly repair the damage, and he will not fire 

 his gun where either the report or the charge can 

 cause the least bit of trouble or damage. If he 



