The Greatest Sporting Goods 
Store in the World 
Madison Avenue and 45tli Street 
Marsh or 
Mountain 
The coming of September is the 
“get ready” signal to the hunter. 
Here are all the good American 
shot-guns, for the early shore birds 
and the upland shooting which 
quickly follows. 
And here also are scores of foreign 
guns which one sees only at intervals, 
from all the famous gun-makers of 
England and the continent. 
Sporting rifles for Canadian and Far 
Western big game—altogether, the 
largest and most important selection of 
sporting arms in the world. 
Clothes, footwear and all personal 
equipment—for every type of hunting— 
for men and women. 
Decoys, game calls, ammunition— 
full camp equipment for the Big Woods. 
Write for Booklet on 
Guns and Ammunition 
Abercrombie 
& Fitch Co- 
EZRA H. FITCH, President 
Madison Avenue and 45th Street 
New York 
“Where the Blazed Trail Crosses 
the Boulevard” 
favorite tree where the ground was 
covered with beautiful golden “Long 
Island Sweets,” and with my remaining 
pockets filled with these, I hurried on. 
Why is it, that the apples of today, 
lack the quality of those of by-gone 
years. Near the now vacant site of 
Uncle William’s orchard the sloping- 
hillsides are covered with luxuriant 
orchards of my own, in which all the 
noted apples of the present day are 
represented, the royal Delicious, Stay- 
man, Grimes, Golden, and many others, 
but none of them can compare in juicy 
piquant, flavor, with those old favorites 
of my youthful days. 
On reaching home, I spread out on 
the kitchen table for Mother’s inspec¬ 
tion, twelve fine squirrels and then sat 
down to enjoy the belated breakfast 
that her loving hands had prepared for 
me, and a very hungry boy did ample 
justice to that toothsome respast. Then 
I repaired to the wood-shed to skin the 
squirrels, and as with sharp knife and 
practised hand I deftly removed the 
skins, old Gunner seated on end gravely 
watched every move, and as I looked 
his way, eloquently thumped his old 
tail on the ground, and the look of 
dumb devotion in his honest eyes 
showed he had forgiven me his deep 
disappointment of the morning, and 
as the pile of plump pink bodies in the 
dishpan steadily grew, I was filled with 
delightful anticipation of the delectable 
“Fricasees” and roasts those squirrels 
would make, when prepared for the 
table by dear Mother’s capable hands. 
Years passed and I became a Bene¬ 
dict, and began what should be the aim 
of every true American, the making of 
a home. With the aid of a devoted 
helpmate, I was endeavoring to wrest 
from a somewhat reluctant soil, my 
meager portion, of that great wealth, 
our city cousins in their vivid imagina¬ 
tions, think is so easily acquired in 
farming. 
Old Gunner faithful to the end, had 
gone to the happy hunting grounds, 
and the treasured little Manton, after 
earnest deliberation, had been laid aside 
for a breech loader, one of the eleven 
pound, ten bore “demi cannons” that 
were the “vogue” of that day. Again 
it was late September, the hickory nuts 
were ripening, and the lure of the wood¬ 
lands drew me strongly. At night my 
sleep was troubled by dreams of falling- 
nuts, and leaping squirrels, and at last 
I could resist no longer, so one ideal 
day, I placed the truck loaded with 
produce ready for shipment, in the 
shade of the old apple tree, and after 
a hurried dinner, seized the big gun, 
and placing seventeen reloadable brass 
shells (that were the fashion in those 
days) in my pocket, I hurried for the 
woods. Again I crossed the pasture 
fields, and in due time reached Uncle 
Williams lane. As I neared the Marl 
bank I passed down the defile, with a 
rising bank on the right, with scatter¬ 
ing trees and on the left, a sloping 
bank falling away to a brook which ran 
murmuring at the bottom, which was 
in places covered with a tall growth 
of water grasses, the steep decent 
covered with trees and dead leaves. A 
rolling stone from my boot caused a 
slight noise, and at once there was a 
great rustling in the dead leaves, and 
something rushed down the bank, and 
out in the grasses of the little swale 
and stopped. With gun at ready, I 
waited, and then above the grass ap¬ 
peared a small black shiny head, the 
big gun “boomed” and there was a 
great commotion in the grass that pres¬ 
ently subsided and on inspection I 
found the body of an enormous black 
snake. I had heard that these snakes 
could raise their bodies from the 
ground, and this big fellow had raised 
his head at least two feet to peer above 
the grass, and his curiosity had proved 
his doom. About a foot or so down 
his shining body was a suspicious 
“bunch” and the sharp blade of my 
pocket knife, quickly disclosed the body 
of a huge bull frog, this explained the 
whole matter. His snakeship having 
swallowed the frog, had crawled up the 
bank and coiled in the sun was enjoy¬ 
ing his “siesta,” which the rolling stone 
had so rudely broken. 
Crossing the little brook, I was fol¬ 
lowing a cattle path through the Stout 
woods, when I came to a little clearing, 
where some cordwood had been cut, 
and stood on end in piles to dry, when 
there was a great crashing in the weeds 
and underbrush, as some quite large 
animal rushed to one of the cordwood 
piles, again I stood with gun at ready, 
and at last a head was cautiously 
thrust from the top of the wood pile, 
this time a greyish brown one, and 
much larger. Again the gun spoke and 
I found I had killed a three-quarter 
grown wood-chuck in prime condition. 
I carefully disemboweled the “chuck” 
and wrapping the body in a newspaper 
from my shooting-coat pocket, I laid 
it in the deep shade beside the cool 
brook to await my return, for be it 
known, that a fat young chuck proper¬ 
ly prepared is very good eating. 
Again I passed on my way, and soon 
neared “Crawford’s” woods at its 
southern side, here it bordered an old 
apple orchard with stake and rider 
fence between, and here ran an old 
wood road bordered on either side by a 
fine grove of hickories, and a noted spot 
for grey squirrels. As I neared the 
bars that closed the road, I heard plain¬ 
ly the thud of falling nuts, and the 
rain-like dropping of the chippings. 
Very cautiously I crawled between the 
bars, and made my way down the old 
road and soon saw the tree they were 
if 
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