Part 5 (1/2)

Send irls and any others that would interest o to-day to the Harrimans at Arden for two or three days On Saturday last I had 25 Vassar girls at SS and expect more this Saturday Lown said Black Creek was full of ducks on Sunday--I see but few on the river Givehere lately

Your affectionate father, J B

Ducks in Black Creek--it was tantalizing to read that! It brought back the memories of the days Father and I hunted theet how impressed he was by one duck, so ith in an article he wrote--”The Wit of a Duck” He was paddling me up the sun-lit reaches of the Shataca on Black Creek when suddenly two dusky mallards or black ducks tore out of theherb and dodder and cah-powered duck gun, and brought down both ducks, one, however, with a broken wing The duck ca down and with a fine splash struck the water, where for a listened in the sun And that was all, the duck was gone instantly, we never saw it again What happened of course was that the duck dived, using its other wing and feet, and came up in the brush, where it hid, no doubt with only half an inch of its bill out of water Its presence ofinstantly and without hesitation, caused Father to exclaim in wonder

Father was never a sportsun that was really good for anything, or any hunting dogs or hunting clothes--a pair of rubber boots used for trout fishi+ng was as far as he got in that direction--unless the soft felt hat, gray, torn, with some flies or hooks stuck in the band, could be counted He was an expert trout fisherrasshoppers, worms, live bait, or caddis fly larvae I knoe stood one day in the Shataca and Father shot and shot at the black ducks that flew overhead, and he be the those fellon every tiht of later experience I aun was a weak poor thing, not a duck gun We built ourselves a bough house out on a little island in the swaot in it, crouched down, and soon so their feet to drop in the water ”Don't shoot, Poppie, don't shoot!” I exclaimed, and he did not shoot, and to this day he never knehy I gave such bad advice--I was afraid of the noise of the gun! Father thought I wanted hiain and ent hoe fah it was exposed to the perils of the storms and all enemies of trees, had as compensation more of the sun, more places for birds and their nests, more beauty, and so on I told him that Balzac expressed the same idea in feords, and for a moment he looked worried Balzac said, ”Our children are our hostages to Fate” And each way of expressing the similar idea is characteristic of thetree--his intense nature was one that caught all the sun and beauty of life, enough and more to compensate for the sorrow and pain he knew To adventures out-of-doors, the rise of a big trout to his fly, the sudden appearance of soe wild animal, how his whole nature would react! He ell aware of this trait and often spoke of it--in fact, he had no desire to be cold and calculating before either the unusual or beautiful in nature So this trait of his comes vividly tohere on the Hudson and Father atchingin a sunny nook beside the high rocks below the hill I was out in the drifting ice with my duck boat, which I had painted to rese up on a flock of about a hundred Canada geese When I got ale I found et nearer, but that near by there was another lead in the ice that would take et to this lead I had to back out of the one I was in, rather a ticklish perforeese I did it, however, and as I reeese But Father on shore could not see the narrow leads in the great fields of ice; he saw only that when near the geese I suddenly began to drift backward, and judging ht when you saw all those geese so near you got so excited you were overco there in the botto three letters shoatched the river for thewild fowl:

Saturday,

Riverby, Mch 26, {1898}

MY DEAR JULIAN,

Your letter rec'd I enclose check for 10 as I have no bills by hton, Mifflin Co, No 4 Park St--ask for Mr

Wheeler Or e will cash it We are all well and beginning the spring work Hira up and hauling ashes The weather is fine and a very early spring is indicated I have not seen a wild goose and only two or three flocks of ducks I should like to have been with you at the Sportsman's Fair If you make those water shoes or foot boats I should advise you to follow copy--make the of the ducks' wings, etc, was good

Ruskin invented that phrase ”the pathetic fallacy” You will probably find it in your rhetoric It was all right as applied to your sentence

Susie is very quick witted

The shad o and hear the lectures of the Frenchlad when the Easter vacation brings you hoallons of maple syrup Walt Du

Your loving father,

JOHN BURROUGHS

Nip was a fox terrier that was for years Father's constant coether

Riverby, Mch 8 {1898}

MY DEAR JULIAN,

I wish you were here to enjoy this fine spring ht, cal, robins and blue birds calling, hens cackling, croing, while now and then the ear detects the long drawn plaint of the uidly by and I dare say your hunting ground is alive with ducks I a sap on the old stove set up here in the chip yard I have ten trees tapped and lots of sap I wish you had some of the syrup Your mother caood natured as yet, if it only lasts She has hired a girl who is expected soon Your letter ca as ”supe” with the boys It will be a novel experience Tell e lately and that T is going to ask you out to see him Go if he asks you, he is an old friend of mine and a fine man You have read his stories when you were a boy He has soo

I do not see or hear any ducks lately, I think they are slow in co father,

JOHN BURROUGHS