60 The Partridge Family 



twenty birds concealed about my person, as it 

 were, and with a brace ostentatiously held by the 

 legs, I passed out within plain view. In response 

 to the expected hail of, " Git any ? " I held up the 

 two, and then smiled resignedly as the farmer 

 roared after me: "Ye'd best put more stuff in 

 them shells o' yourn. Ye was lucky to git airy 

 one ! " Later, the farmer chaffed the grain man 

 about his poor showing, and — would you believe 

 it ? — that grain man actually had the nerve to 

 try and lie out of it, and swore he had never gone 

 back for a second trial. It is possible, too, to cir- 

 cumvent an overmean farmer by quietly beating 

 his ground, and, without any shooting, driving the 

 birds on to the next farm, and there " giving them 

 beans." 



It has been whispered that some men have a 

 nasty habit of calling, gun in hand, on a farmer, 

 and pretending that they are interested in the 

 purchase of grain, or stock, or fruit — any of which 

 is to be delivered later on to some well-known 

 firm. The presence of the gun is explained in 

 some simple way, — " Am no hunter, you know, 

 but thought I might see a hawk, or crow, or 

 squirrel, or mebbe might get a pretty bird for the 

 wife's hat," and so on. This, occasionally, draws 

 the coveted invitation, and the quail catch it. It's 

 no bad wrinkle, for it is a simple matter to make 

 a gauzy arrangement with some reputable firm, 



