8 4 4 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Oct. 22, 1904. 
A Winter Vacation, 
It had not occurred to me, nor have events fully proven 
that it was the entangling theories or ideas regarding held 
companions that caused a gentleman who for many years 
has been a devoted hunter and angler to begin early last 
year to send to his suburban home barrels of clay targets, 
some hand traps and shells, and was seen from time to 
time carrying from the city various bores and weights ot 
shotguns. These circumstances indicated that he was 
simply furthering for himself a higher idealism of the 
fitness of things pertaining to outdoor life. In other 
words, with a forethought that is second m nature to 
genuine sportsmen, he was six months in advance pre- 
paring for a winter's vacation. _ 
To some men a winter's vacation afield is an easy mat- 
ter: they just pack up and go. To others it may be dif- 
ferent even difficult. Some homes seem to be deprived 
of the principal reason of their existence when the master 
is afield, and in many cases that same master sacrifices 
his better self to lonesome hours at home, while he in- 
dulges himself in hours equally barren while away. 1 hose 
hours, perhaps, that are spent in his pursuit of game, may 
Vic excepted £ 
A great many homes are conducted by a combination of 
tastes that eventually find, or should find, one channel of 
thought This sort of a combination of interests generally 
insures success in life's best endeavors, and solves, for 
those so fortunately situated, the problem of field com- 
panions as well as chums at home on)it ; fll11v 
Pursuant to this thought, I recall meeting a beautifully 
gowned woman one afternoon while I was exercising a 
fine pair of young setters, and witnessing her terror -lest 
one or both of them should touch her gown. Hei hus- 
band was a sportsman, I had shot with him, and . he 
owned a pair of dogs quite equal to my own. In oui con- 
versation she informed me that "she thought her husband 
ltd a pair of dogs of some kind, but she didn't even know 
their names." Dogs didn't separate _ that man and wife 
out they are living* apart. Meanwhile my dogs showed 
great judgment and dropped at a safe distance Biute 
instinct sometimes approaches very close to psychological 
^BuT'to ' return to affairs in our lives that are more 
pleasant to dwell upon. I was glad, indeed, to accept an 
invitation to visit my friend in the country one afternoon 
early in the fall, and was greatly interested when with 
him Madame appeared in boots and short skirt and with 
a 20-bore shotgun in her hand. A short walk from their 
home brought us to a pretty clearing m the woods Here 
he arranged his hand target trap and began throwing 
targets, while Madame did the shooting. Well, it did that 
man more good to see her break a flying target than it 
would to win a silver cup for himself at a State shoot 
Upon our return to the house for dinner, Madame went 
to the kennel and let loose a beautiful pair of setters, and 
pointing with much pride to the whiter one of the .two, 
said with much feeling: "She, the white one, is mine- 
all mine. Isn't she a beauty? The trainer says she is a 
very promising one." , . 
I quite agreed with the trainer, for inside of three min- 
utes the white one arrived home with one of a neighbor s 
chickens which, when dressed, weighed 4/2. pounds 
Two months later, the owner of that chicken and his 
entire family dined on quail killed over that white pup. 
It is quite unnecessary to state that, inside of a week 
after the chicken episode, the trainer was sent tor, and 
the white pup went to school. 
I think it was December 9, last year, that I met my 
friends in Jersey City and bade them adieu ; not, however, 
until I had visited their section in the sleeping car and 
ascertained that their destination was Barnwell county, 
S C. Madame was very enthusiastic, indeed, explaining 
the absence of the dogs by saying they were s ill with 
the trainer near Reidsville; that the tram would reach 
there at six in the morning; that Mr. Lewis would be 
there to meet the train and put Peggy and Nancy on the 
same train with them. The seat in the sleeper which 
faces the rear end of the train I noticed contained much 
hand luggage; as a matter of fact, I counted three very 
smart looking gun cases among other things, and 1 asked 
Madame about them. "Why, you .see," replied she, that 
short one contains my field gun, just a dear little 6-pound 
affair that will not tire me. The black case contains my 
husband's field gun, six and a half pounds m weight 
12-bore, 28-inch barrels and 14-inch drop of stock. At 
this remark, my friend looked at me and winked, and was 
caught in the act. Madame's color rose nicely with the 
occasion, as she continued. "The other case contains his 
duck gun; its dimensions are the same as the field gun, 
but it's much heavier." . ,„._' ; 
As I passed from the car, I heard Madame saying. 
"Well I don't care ; length and drop of stock are contus- 
ing, and you hadn't any business winking. _ He would 
never have noticed the difference." In this she was. 
wrong; and yet who couldn't and who wouldnt forgive 
and forget an error that was so helplessly overwhelmed 
by such high and lofty enthusiasm. _ . 
After leaving Washington some time after nine o clock 
the same night, a new conductor appeared, and then it 
appears that some confusion occurred. My friends 
had transportation reading through to Barnwell county, 
S C but they wanted, above all things, to be called at 
s':3o'in the morning, a half hour before reaching Reids- 
ville "Well," declared the conductor, "I'll mark your 
tickets off at Reidsville." "But," replied the gentkman, 
with some warmth, "we don't want to get off at Reids- 
ville We want to go straight through to Barnwell 
county S C" "Well," said the conductor— but here 
Madame interposed by saying: "You see, Mr. Conductor, 
our trainer is to meet this tram at Reidsville and put our 
dogs on there, and I am so anxious to see whether Peggy 
wifl know me or not. Do. you think she will ? With 
the remark, "She ought to, Madame— I'll send the. porter 
to you," he' disappeared down the aisle. _ 
It was about the middle of a beautiful afternoon the 
next day that a heavy train pulled into a small town 111 
Barnwell county, S. C, and came to a stop. The engine 
driver leaned far out of his cab window and remarked 
to his fireman that "this stop won't ...save any coal. Yet 
as he continued to look back and counted -two dog crates, 
two trunks, two -sole leather cases^tlffte "gun oases, some 
hand-bags, a sprightly little woman, a proud looking man, 
and heard the "All aboard!" from the conductor, he 
further remarked: "Say, Tom, I guess this train will 
move easier and quieter, too, from now on." 
Peggy and her mistress had met, and Peggy was pro- 
claiming her joy as only a joyful pup can. 
It has never occurred to me that one could j udge of the 
number of inhabitants a town contained by the number 
of people at the station when a big train pulls in; but 
I have often thought that one can gather somewhat of an 
idea of the town's industries by these semi-daily events, 
and this is particularly true of some of the towns in the 
South. Judging from the attention shown my friends on 
their arrival on this occasion, the principal industries 
must have had their limitations, with a slight suspicion 
that even the post-office was closed. 
As the train went puffing over a slight rise on its mis- 
sion south, there appeared from behind the little station 
a tobacco wagon, to which was hitched a diminutive pair 
of tan-colored mules, while from a safer distance down 
the road a real smart looking but ill-matched pair of 
horses came_ pulling a canopy-top surrey. Now it ap- 
pears that this was my friends' first visit to this section of 
the country, and they patiently stood by the noisy crates 
waiting for someone to claim them. The claim was soon 
made by the two drivers of these two teams by their salu- 
tation of, "Here I is, boss," one of them going so far 
as to offer as evidence of his good faith a note written 
by the "Major" regretting his inability to be present at 
the station to greet them, but assuring them of the cor- 
dial welcome that would be extended them at the planta- 
tion by him and his good wife. It occurs to me to say 
here that different occasions nearly always produce dif- 
ferent effects on the same people. And this, it seems to 
me, in a way or to a limited degree really explodes the 
theory that the people of the South do things slowly; ' 
that in some instances they lack push — are not quick 
and alert; situations are seen, but not grasped. Never 
was a tobacco wagon loaded with keener interest or more 
timely alacrity than that one was. Even Peggy became 
quiet in the whirl of excitement. Everybody helped, and 
all helped , at once, at the two sides of the surrey. Will- 
ing and "wide open" hands tucked in the robes. Even the 
nuts to the axles were examined, lest disaster should 
occur. Undoubtedly trade looked up in that town that 
night. 
Two small mules of uncertain age hitched to a tobacco 
wagon were never known to- make good time, owing 
partly, perhaps, to the fact that there is so little road 
down hill in the country where they are used ; conse- 
quently the surrey drawn by the Major's best team 
reached the plantation long ahead of the less prized, but 
equally valuable mule team. Under ordinary circumstances 
it would seem needless to mention this fact, but in this 
instance there was so much genuine unhappiness manifest 
that is of interest, that to tell of this winter vacation and 
omit this instance, one of the morals of this outing is 
lost. Madame was behind the horses, while Peggy was 
back of the mules. Madame's husband became convinced 
long before Duncannon plantation was reached that he 
was the most thoughtless and cruel man in the world, 
and secretly wished in his heart that Peggy had never 
been born. 
The gloom that sometimes enters the soul under the 
pressure of events for which we are in no way responsible, 
however, is like the -chill of a room — soon dispelled by a 
light wood fire and the cheerful greetings of friends. The 
welcome at Duncannon plantation was of the old style — ■ 
warm, cordial, and hearty — and for the time being mule 
locomotion was lost sight of. There is, however, some- 
thing exhilarating — if a mule can exhilarate — about a 
mule pointed toward home, and a winter sunset. In time, 
and nearly together, the sun went down and the mules 
arrived. So did Peggy, also' Nancy — dear, patient Nancy 
■ — dear, patient Master. 
I have already referred to my friend as an old sports- 
man. Earlier experience had taught him that a newly 
broken pup is something like a college graduate — they 
both have plenty of learning, but both are in the primer 
class of experience. With this in mind, he suggested to 
his field companion the advisability of going out the first 
morning with the Major alone and try the dogs. Nancy 
he was sure of, but Peggy was in a way an unknown 
quantity, except in a vocal way. To this Madame heartily 
agreed, she being, it is presumed, no great exception to 
women as a rule, who like to get their trunks unpacked 
and "put to> rights" before visiting can really commence. 
As the Major and his guest turned into a lane bor- 
dered on each side by water oaks, and the horses struck 
into a gallop, Nancy and Peggy, with heads and tails 
well up, bounded away across an adjoining field, while 
Madame stood on the wide porch in front of the house 
waving an adieu. It is quite needless to relate many, if 
indeed any, of the experiences of these two gentlemen 
afield on this day, it being but a side show to the main 
circus. It is sufficient to relate that Nancy hunted her 
ground over in splendid style, avoiding the pup by her 
long, graceful sweeps of outlying territory, while Peggy 
covered and recovered the inner circle. Both found birds, 
and both pointed well. Peggy backed handsomely, while 
Nancy showed a very marked disrespect for her younger 
companion by refusing to believe her at all. This fault, 
however, was soon overcome, and when night came this 
delighted hunter believed they had the best pair of dogs 
in the world, and said so. 
In a world that is so full of interesting incidents as the 
world is in which we live, memory, like a broncho, _ at 
times becomes freakish, so that days and mile-posts alike 
are at times lost. However, with my friends at Dun- 
cannon plantation, it was like elsewhere among well regu- 
lated people. Near the end of the week when they got 
there, and outside of the one day mentioned, I do not 
know what occurred until Monday, morning came, when 
it seems that a long and sweetly cherished theory that 
had been born long before, attempted to walk. 
When Madame appeared in front, of the house on this 
memorable morning (memorable at least at Duncannon 
plantation) in smart looking hunting boots, short covert- 
cloth skirt, red cardigan jacket, and khaki hat jauntily 
tilted well back on her head, and a. small shotgun under 
her arm, the husband looked happy,, and no doubt felt, 
much like the proud father who sits in his easy chair and 
watches baby make his first journey' afoot. from a near-by 
chair to his trembling knees, full of hope, overwhelmed 
with pride, but just a bit anxious. 
Down through the lane of water oaks they passed, on 
across the watermelon barren to the woods beyond, 
Nancy — dear, patient Nancy — close at heel, Peggy — 
frolicksome, happy Peggy— making the sand burrs fly, re- 
turning now and again to greet her mistress with loud 
and thrilling yelps. 
During the tramp across a long patch of country where 
no quail would likely stop, a dog argument occurred as 
to the relative merits of Nancy and Peggy, and Peggy 
won, yet it produced a dogged silence on the part of 
Nancy's master, which, however, did not last very long 
on account of the near approach to a more promising zone 
of bird territory, where the word was quickly given to 
Nancy to "Get away !" while another sentence was added 
for Madame's benefit, "There goes my argument." 
It was fully an hour and a half later before those 
• speedy and seemingly tireless dogs found a covey of birds, 
and then in an unfortunate position for Madame. They 
lay in a patch of thick scrub-oaks near a road through 
this former woods. Nancy was pointing while Peggy 
was backing. Madame was told to load her gun and walk 
quietly ahead about thirty yards, while our theoretical 
friend back-tracked to a safe distance, then took to the 
brush to get around the birds and drive them her way. 
This he succeeded in doing, but only secured one long- 
range shot for himself — missing, of course. Through the 
scrub he broke, and came out into the road by Madame's 
side, red in the face and full of excitement, exclaiming, 
"Why didn't you shoot?" To which she replied, "Why, 
they went by me so fast I simply couldn't." 
"Well, did you mark them down?" 
"What do yon mean?" 
"Why, note the course they took." 
"Course they took? Why, they just went everywhere. 
Some, however, went over that hill." 
So toward that hill our friends traveled, he breaking 
the way, she following at heel. Just over the rise, Nancy 
swung in front of them, going at fine speed, stopped sud- 
denly and crouched, indicating a close bird. Madame was 
brought up in position, her gun cleared for action, when 
a quail arose within ten feet of her gun barrels, and made 
straight away from her. "Shoot !" yelled her companion, 
and getting no response, he butted in and killed the bird. 
As the bird fell, he looked at her in blank amazement, 
while she looked at him with as sweet a smile as the sight 
of heaven can produce, and said : "My dear, that was 
beautifully done. I am so proud of you. I am sure most 
men would have missed that bird. I wouldn't have 
missed seeing you make that shot for the world. And 
Nancy — wasn't she glorious? But where is Peggy?" 
Sure enough, where was Peggy? Twenty yards further 
ahead was Peggy, pointing another bird, while Nancy 
was backing with a dead bird in her mouth. 
Again was Madame forced to the front. Away went 
another bird. Still a silent battery was manned by 
Madame. Again the sharp crack of her husband's gun. 
Another bird falls, another retrieve is made, and then that 
heavenly smile is born again ; and once again by that 
praise is the gathering storm averted ; again they push 
on. If cyclones of great force and of widespread 
destructiveness could thus be sidetracked, Kansas would 
be a lovely State to reside in. 
Three more points and backs, two more kills at long 
range and a miss at still longer range, marked the hour 
of noon. With a three hundred acre watermelon patch to 
cross lengthwise in order to eat, the baby had taken three 
steps and fallen down five times. 
That midday march, under a southern sun that creates 
such peculiar shadows excites the admiration one 
moment and produces, sympathy the next. This man of 
theory was seen trudging along with a shotgun under 
each arm, and a very tired little woman with a firm grasp 
on his shoulder marching alongside of him. At Madame's 
side, with distended tongue and drooping tail, walked 
Peggy. By her master's side came patient Nancy — dear, 
patient, silent Nancy. Not a word was spoken, not a 
sound heard, except the panting of the dogs and the 
occasional crush of a dried watermelon rind as a heavy 
boot plunged through its tender sides. 
When despair gets the saddle well strapped astride of 
hope and begins its ride to destruction in the mortal soul 
of man, he should avoid the photographer. He isn't apt 
to make a pretty picture; likewise his presence is likely to 
chill warm soup and spoil a good dinner. He had best 
take to the woods and pull himself together; and this is 
what my friend did on the afternoon of that memorable 
day, while Madame and Peggy rested. 
It is a most difficult thing for us to realize just how 
other persons feel when their lofty ambitions come to 
nought, because we cannot put ourselves in their places; 
nor at the stage of collapse assume our brothers' burdens. 
It is a fair venture, however, to assume that my friend, 
when he departed alone from the house at noon, suspected 
how the man felt who built the first flying machine when 
he struck the earth. 
It is, however, only the gloom of ended years thai can 
dampen to the extent of moulding the spirits of some 
men, and many happy days were spent at Duncannon 
plantation. A buckboard was brought into service, and a 
small horse called Buckskin was daily hitched to it, and a 
small negro by the name of Alexander was secured as a 
driver, and with this rig Madame spent many days afield, 
made many pots of coffee, and shared her hunter-hus- 
band's luck by a camp-fire, dividing always with Peggy 
and Nancy, too, while the husband coached both dogs to ■ 
a higher state of perfection in their field work, even to 
the extent of having them take turns retrieving. Their 
winter vacation was a success, but on the lid of the'ehest 
that holds the sacred records of those days afield can be 
read : "Bird shooting,; except in rare cases, is not a 
woman's game," to which are affixed two signatures. 
. T. E. Batten. 
Quail Take to Trees. 
A North Carolina correspondent writes : I notice in 
my hunting trips for five or six years past that partridges 
are getting more and more in the habit, when flushed, of 
taking to trees. I find this is the case to a considerable 
extent in Virginia also. Farmers tell me it is because the 
birds have learned more sense. That is their way of 
putting it. Fred! A. Olds, . , : 
