Page:Tragical history of Jane Arnold (2).pdf/21



"Did you cverever [sic] hear of the scrape that I and Uncle Zekiel had duckin' on't on the Connecticut?" asked Jonathan Timbertoes, while amusing his old Dutch hostess, who had agreed to entertain him under the roof of her log cottage, for, and in consideration of, a bran new milk pan.

"No, I never did - do tell it," was the reply.

"Well - you must know that I and Uncle Zeke took it into our heads on Saturday afternoon to go a-gunning arter ducks in father's skiff: so in wowe [sic] got and skulled down the river; a proper sight of ducks flcwflew [sic] backwards and forwards, I tell ye-and bimeby a tew of 'em lit down by the marsh, and went to feeding on muscles. I catched up my pcauderpeauder [sic] horn to prime, and it slipped right out of my hand, and sunk to the bottom of the river. The water was amazingly clcarclear [sic], and I could secsee [sic] it on the bottom. Now I couldn't swim a jot, so I sez to Uncle Zeke-'You're a pretty clever fellow-jest let me take your peauder horn to prime,' and don't you think the stingy critter wouldn't. 'Well,' says I, you're a pretty good diver, an' if you dive an' get it, I'll give you a primin.' I thought he'd leave his peauder horn, but he didn't; but stuck it in his pocket, and down he went-and there he staid."

Here thcthe [sic] old lady opened her eycseyes [sic] with wonder and surprise, and a pause of some moments ensued, and Jonathan added-