The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-05
THE KnnPnR,s STORY.
From Londoa Society.


am the Squires head keeper. For two
hundred years and more, since the Ridstocks
of Ridstock in the West Riding sent into
Blankshire a younger son to inherit the pro-
perty of the Blankshire collateral branch, q
Falconer has always been head keeper The
Squire does say that when his far-away an
cestor Sir Pembroke Ridstock, was found
stark dead after the bloody fight of Flodden
Field, up in the north country, ms
foster-brother, Giles the Falconer, lay
dead on the young knights
BODY, clutching the broken banner
pole So tell my son Jack-as fine young
keeper as ever wore green velveteen-that
Ridstocks and Falconers have been too long
together ever to part; and though he does talk
wildly sometimes about going off to America
to try his rifle on buffalo, and send me home
a grisly bears skin, don't think he would
really care to go until am under the turf,
and then of course he will be head keeper in
my place. Our young Squire has some no.
tion of going off next summer for hunting
trip upon the prairies, and if he
does must persuade him to take Jack with
him and bring him back; and then, perhaps,
after a turn at adventure in that wild coun-
try, Jack will be content to settle down,
carry the young Squire's second gun, as l do
his fathers, on shooting days, and keep up
the head of feathered game for which the
estate is so famous.
of Norfolk, for partridges; and as he gives
me his annual fve-pound note, when we
have finished up the day at Grimstone Roughs,
Lord Blankton himself has many a time said
to me, why, Falconer, where do you get all
these pheasants from-do you steal them ?
In very truth, his lordship's little joke is be-
coming equally annual with his tip; for as he
always gets put into hot corner or two,
he brings down a good many to his own
gun, and certainly does see more than
anybody else but 1 NAV say, without
self f-fattery, that our covers are always really
well stocked. 1 am glad that have nothing
to boast of in the way of 'fur, though to my
mind there is no prettier shooting than fine
lively rabbit boiling and popping in and out
of fern brake; but the old Squire will not
have either rabbits or hares to stain the
ground If he or can help it. 1
remember when had been about
three years head keeper 1 had got
up an astonishing show of fur;' but one of
the best tenants took huff at this, gave notice
to leave, and nothing the Squire could do
would persuade him to remain unless it was
keeping down the rabbits and hares on his
farm. This the Squire would not do, for he
liked the shooting, and, besides, was obsti-
nate and would not stand what looked like
dictation. And so the tenant went to Canada;
but as soon as he was gone the Squire took it
a deal to heart and swore a strongish
again run the chance of losing good tenant
for any such vermin; and they were well
thinned down all over the estate, and we have
kept them so ever since. NOWADAYS there
is no grumbling; indeed that tenant is proud
man who can boast of having given the
Squire his best day, and as every one of
them looks upon himself as a voluntary under
keeper, we have scarcely any trouble with
poachers; but formerly l often used to 90
home with broken head after a tussle with
the vagabonds, and it is one of my great cap
lures that am about to relate.
There is not much honor among regular
poachers. The rascals are very often ready
to split upon one another though when they
are out in a gang they will stick together
and make desperate work with the keepers,
as everybody knows. But over and over
again, from information received, | have
been able to out-general and overpower
them.
Now that same cover, Grimstone
Roughs, has always been pet
cover of the Squires and mine. 1t is on
some rising ground not far from the Squire S
school, where all we youngsters were so well
taught; and from the time 1 began to go to
school l knew every inch of it well. My
father could trust me, and used to send me
to lay down corn for the pheasants, and tell
me to keep my eyes open for vermin and so
forth; and many half holiday have I spent
IN that wood watching the young pheasants
running about, and the squirrels a-nutting.
1t is pretty sight to see those little
fellows stripping hazel and if you
don't move you may even sit under the same
tree and see them do it. The ground below
is soon covered with cracked shells and un-
cracked nuts, but it is of no use picking up
these last, they are all bad Master Squirrel
does not gather nuts for anybody but himself
and his family. But am babbling in my old
7 m
The wood covers about twenty-five acres OF
ground, on gentle rise to the top. From
the top Of the wood stretches out for maay
miles an extensive moorland ant
half-cultivated country; at the bottom, anG
going round nearly two sides of the wood
opposite lower corner, with just strip o.
meadow land between, is an old bridge will
Roman foundations, they say, where foul
roads meet. One of these, on the cover side
of the river, goes over the moorland to a big
town about fifteen miles off; the other, t
the left, to some farms of the Squire's. Or
the opposite side one road goes past thu
school and my lodge to the hall and be
yond it, and the other to the neigh
boring town of w. The roaC
up the moorland had formerly gone ri OH
through the cover, but the Squire had man
aged to get it diverted alongside to the left
and the old road, through the strip of mea
dow, is now merely drive, but trespasser
occasionally will it, as the new road i
rough and steepish. Now it will be seel
that when poachers out of W hav
been in the wood they must max
for the bridge to get home, and whe
j happened to be out alone and hear