The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-12
GOOD OLD TIMES.


Now that October has set in with cold
weather, aud Bingo Perkins has lighted
the fire in the large, egg-shaped stove,
the contest for the champion Iiarshlp oil
Hayyille is again on. There are two nrst-
rate candidates in the field, and II is hard
TO say which is the better. In fact, the
only way to judge is to drop in some
evening when time hangs heavy, or the
baby is more than usually peevish.
OF course you know that in the country
the store fills the same position that the
club does in the CITY,. and all you have TO
do to beome member is to buy your
groceries there--an pay for them.
The other evening i dropped IN osten-
tatiously to buy a strip OF bacon and
dozen OF eggs, but the fact is my mother
in-law is visiting. found an empty naii
keg which had not been sprinkled with
tobacco for several days, and drew II up
10 the stove just in time to hear Eph
Tompkins begin:
"Speakin' OF duck huntin', 'taint what
il used TO be fore breech-loaders was
known. Take it at this time O. year,
when / was q boy, the old Mill Pond and
Hanson's Lake would be chuck full O.
winged an blue winged, black heads,
canvas back-all kinds OF 'em. Many a
mornin' used TO spend with my old
muzzle- loader. War'ent any trouble then
TO bag a dozen or two in a halt hour, but
YOU can't do il now. Seems TO me as
though breech-loading guns, an new
tangled huntin' suits an yallow leather
boots heve skeered the game away-no,
'taint what IL used TO be fore the war.
"Oncet, some 40 years ago, he'd the
greatest mornin's shootin' ever he'd in
INV life-thet Is duck shootin'. 1t he'd
come on cold an clear, an took my
gun an hurried .up to the old Mill Pond
| for try at 'em fore milkin' time. Down
| near the old sluceway, where it's V-shape,
-. ,-~l..a lilo an fpaa in n hoy they
wus SO thick. Well, crawled up, a-kind
| O, conQratulatin' myself on the shot
| would heve When l reached the big oak
| I let drive an was surprised TO see thel
they only moved q little but didn't'temp'
| to fy. didn't argy the point, but load.
ed up again, an after the smoke cleared
| away there was the same results KIND
| conyulsive fiutterin' in the flock, but nc
fyin'. was curious an no mistake, Sc
| I hurried over to see what was the matter
"Gentlemen, it's the gospel truth, then
duck were so wedged in thet siucewa!
they couldn't move, let alone fly. III
make a long story short, i knocked
gun an in this way got iour hunore'
an thirty-two."
"Thet was what call huntin"' he ad
| ded thoughtfully, never noticing IN
credulous looks OF the bystanders.
"Thet was a great day; remember
we'll, (" broke in the village blacksmith
"but II seems TO me that Eph disremen
bered the best part OF the story. he loi
got 10 add thet he went back FOR hors
an wagon to cart the ducks home in, an
before he got back the weather mad
one o. them sudden changes an lruz
hard, fruzzing them ducks in the sluc
way: then il moderated an showed 10
two days hand runnin' and to cap 10
climax, fruz again. Wei, tnem uuoh S
r keep ,em in 'frigrator rooms now, az
whenever any o. us wanted luck Tor DIR
: ner we simply took shovel, went owe
r TO the sluce an dug out one, TWO or
! many as we wanted.
"Yas, Eph, them wus good OLD timesl