Part 13 (1/2)
”I'll risk that You may trap two hundred dozen if you want to, and send theo out any h for breakfast
I'll leavein sixto ht have I to tell Dave what he shall do and what he shall not do? He'd laugh at me”
”Well, he wouldn't do ithim to his senses”
”Who would put him there?”
”The club would”
”Where's the club's authority for such a proceeding?”
Lester lifted the constitution and tapped it with his forefinger by way of reply
”I think I had better have nothing to do with it,” said Don, who could scarcely refrain froht
”We intend to ed to you,” replied Don, but still he did not take any more interest in the Sportsman's Club than he had done before He did not snap up the bait thus thrown out, as Lester hoped he would He was not to be bought, even by the promise of office Lester saw that, and arose to take his leave
”Well, think it over,” said he ”Sleep on it for a few nights, and if at any ti!”
”I'll do so,” answered Don ”Good evening!”
Lester bowed himself out of the room and Bert accompanied him to the door The first question the latter asked when he came back was:--
”Is there a beast or a bird in the world whose Latin name is canis-lupus?”
Don threw hiain ”Is there a beast or a bird in the world whose English naive Lester credit for a little coe, but I declare he possesses neither It beats the world how he has got thingshis note-book ”He speaks of a pheasant and calls it _T Scolopax_ Now _Scolopax_ is a snipe He probably rouse, and should have called it _Tetrao Ue when heno quails on this side the Atlantic----”
”Why do people call theiven to them by our forefathers, because they resembled the European quail There is no pheasant in Aave it that name, Lester calls a quail _Pious I black felloith a red topknot that we so He used to be called cock-of-the-woods, but the name isted around until it becaaht to shoot and eat But they belong to different orders, one being a climber and the other a wader Lester speaks of a rabbit, not knowing that there is no such thing as a wild rabbit in our country, and calls it _Ortyx Virgiana_, when he should have called it _Lepus Virginianus_, the na the one by which our quail is known to ornithologists A deer, which he calls a dog-wolf, is _Cervus Virginianus_ O, he's a naturalist as well as a sportshed until his sides ached
”Then he didn't get one of the nanorance on these points is not so astonishi+ng, for everybody is liable to e should i a constitution, he could imprison or fine another boy because he didn't do just to suit hiraph was probably copied after soht to know that before a sportsanization, can have authority to prosecute persons for trapping birds and sending the such trapping and sending away; and there's no such law in this state It doesn't seem possible that he could have been in earnest”
But Lester was in earnest for all that--so very reat risk in order to punish Don for refusing to join his society Of course he was angry He and Bob had felt sure of obtaining the contract, had laidof theto find that their scheme had been defeated, and that they were to be pushed aside for the sake of such a fellow as David Evans Lester was sorry now that he had not given David a good thrashi+ng when he , and told himself that he would do it the very next tiht had scarcely passed through hisalong the road in company with his brother Dan David did not seem to remember that any sharp words had passed between Lester and hi as usual, and, following the custom of the country, bowed to the horseman as he rode past Lester did not return the bow, and neither did he dis He was afraid to atteeance upon so-whip
”Dave can afford to be polite and good-natured,” thought Lester, as he went flying down the road ”He is rejoicing over his success andisn't settled yet
I'll write to that ave the contract can't catch the birds, and then Bob and I will go to work and make it true If we don't earn that money, nobody shall As for those stuck-up Gordons--I'll show theet even with them”
The spirited animal on which he was mounted made short work of the two miles that lay between Don's home and Bob's, and in a few on-shed, where his crony aiting for him
”I've had no luck at all,” said he, in reply to Bob's inquiring look
”I ht as well have stayed at home Don says he can't join a club of this kind, because, having got David the job of trapping the quails, he can't go back on him He says he's a poacher and pot-hunter himself; and what surprised me was, he did not seem to be at all ashamed of it”
”Of course he wasn't asha he and his pale-faced brother do is just right Did he say anything about what passed between Bert and myself at the post-office?”