The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-04-07
iIIips & Co. All rights reseryed)

few DAYS afterward q letter FROM
Mr.. Knox informed me that he Ead
squared the old lady. and il would r.
All right about the colt lie fuftE"F
told me that Mrs. Knox had been good
enough TO offer me, with him. a DAY ;
snipe shooting on the celebrated Atssolaa
joys. and he proposed to drive ne 1ht.e
the following Monday, II convenient.
Most people found il convenient 70 shoot
tEe AussoIas sn:pa bog when they got the
chance. Eight o'clock OF the following
Monday morning saw FURRY. myself eAd
81 groom packed into a dogcart, with port
manteaus, gun, cases and t"o ram
pant rcd settlers. 1t was a long drive,
twelve miles at least. and a very coid
one. We passed through long tracts Ct
pasture country, fraught, for FURRY, Wl1lt
memories OF runs, which We're recorded
for me. fence by fence. in every one Of
vslich the biggest dog-fox in the country
had gone to ground. with not two feet
measured accurately on the handle OF the
whip-between him and the leading
hound: through boys that imperceptiEly
melted into lakes, and finally down aud
( down into q valley, where the fir trees
Of Aussolas clustered darkly round g
clittering lake, and all but hid the gray
roofs and pointed gables of Aussolas
Castle.
There's a nice stretch of demesne for
you" remarked FURRY. pointing down
ward with the whip, land one little old
woman holding it all in the heel Of her
fist. Well able to hold it she is. too,
and always was, and she'll live twenty
years yet, if it's only to spite the whole
lot Of us. and when all's said and done,
goodness knows how she'll leave it,
1T strikes me you were lucky to keep
her up to her promise about the colt
/ said.
FURRY administered a composing kick
to the ceaseless strivings of the red set
ters under the seat.
Il used to be rather a pet with her he
said, after a pause: but mind you, |
haven't got him yet and if she gets any
notion I want to sell him III never get
him: so say nothing about the business
TO her"
The tall gates of Aussolas shrieked on
their hinges as they admitted US, and
shut with a clang behind us in the faces
Of an old mare and a couple of young
horses, who foiled in their break for the
excitements of the outer world, turned
ard g~allcped defiantly on either side of
US. Flurry's admirable cob on,
regardless of ali things save his duty.
He is the only one / nave that I'd
trust myself here WITH said his master,
Ticking him approyingly with the whip;
there are plenty of people afraid tC
come here at all, and when my grand
mother goes out driving she has a boy
On the box with a basket full of stones
to peg at them. Talk of the dickens
here she is herself!'
y short, upright old woman was ap-
preaching, preceded by a white, woolly
dog with sore eyes and a bark like a tir
trumpet; we both got out Of the traI
and advanced to meet the lady of the
manor.
l may summarize her attire by saying
that she looked as if she had robbed 9
scarecrow; her face was small and incon-
gruously refined, the skinny hand tina
she extended to ne had the grubby tar
that bespoke the professional gardener
and was decorated with a magniicen-
diamond ring. On her head was a mas.
sive purple velvet bonnet.
I am very glad to meet you. Majo.
Yeates,' she said, with an old-fashioneC
precision of utterance. Your grandfath
l CT was a dancing partner OF mine in oil,
days at the castle when he was a hand
| some young aide-de-camp there, and
was-you may judge for yourself what
was"
! She ended with a startling little hco
of laughter, and I was aware that sh,
= quite realized the worlds opinion of her
r and was Indifferent to it.
. Our way to the Dogs took up acroS
: Mrs. Knox's home farm, and through
a large field in which several young horse
We're grazing.
> There. now, that's my fellow sal
| FURRY, pointing to a fine-1ooking colt
e the chestnut with the white damon,
Il on his forehead. He'll run into thre
figures before he's done; but well 10
= tell that to the old lady"
The famous Aussclas boys were as full
n of snipe as usual. and a good deal fulle
: of water than any boys / had ever sho
! before. I was on my day. and FURRY wa
s not; and as he is ordinarily an lnfnitel
: better snlpe shot than I, / felt at peac
S with the world and all men as we wake,
" back, wet through, at 5 O'Clock.
( The sunset had Waned. and a big whit
moon was making the eastern tower G
I AusSolas look like a thing in a fairy tai
Or a play when we arrived at the hal
door. An individual. whom | recognizes
as the Robinson Crusoe coachnan. al
: mltted us to a hall the like of which on
n does not often see. The walls were pan
e eled with dark oak UP to the gallery tina
e ran around three side of it, the baluster
y On the wide staircase We're heavily cary
ed, and blackened portraits of Furry
5 ancestors on the spindle side stared sour
5 ly down on their descendant as he tram
ped upstairs with the bog mold on hi
V ~'hobnailed boots.
e We had just changed into dry clothe
When Robinson Crusoe showed his re
" beard round the corner of the door wit
Il the that the mistress sal
Il we were to stay for dinner. My hear
sank. 1t was then barely half-past five
L said something about having no even
a ing clothes and having to get home early
Sure, the dinner'll be in in anothe
half-hour,' said Robinson Crusoe. ioinin
If hospitality in the conversation: and a
Ter evening c~lothes-God bless vet"
y The door closed behind him.
Never mind" said FURRY. Il dare sa
g you'll be glad enough to eat anothe
} dinner by the time you get home" H
laughed. Poor Slirper,' he added incon
scquently, and only laughed again who