piration. Not that there was anything 'specially new
in his bein' took. He was subject to them seizures, Peter was, and every
time they broke out in a fresh place. The Old Home House itself was one
of his inspirations, so was the hirin' of college waiters, the openin'
of the two 'Annex' cottages, the South Shore Weather Bureau, and a whole
lot more. Sometimes, as in the weather-bureau foolishness, the disease
left him and t'other two patients--meanin' me and Cap'n Jonadab--pretty
weak in the courage, and wasted in the pocketbook; but gen'rally they
turned out good, and our systems and bank accounts was more healthy than
normal. One of Peter T.'s inspirations was consider'ble like typhoid
fever--if you did get over it, you felt better for havin' had it.

"This time the attack was in the shape of a 'supplementary season.'
'Twas Peter's idea that shuttin' up the Old Home the fust week in
September was altogether too soon.

"'What's the use of quittin',' says he, 'while there's bait left and the
fish are bitin'? Why not keep her goin' through September and October?
Two or three ads--MY ads--in the papers, hintin' that the ducks and wild
geese are beginnin' to keep the boarders awake by roostin' in the
back yard and hollerin' at night--two or three of them, and we'll have
gunners here by the regiment. Other summer hotels do it, the Wapatomac
House and the rest, so why not us? It hurts my conscience to see good
money gettin' past the door 'count of the "Not at Home" sign hung on the
knob. What d'you say, partners?' says he.

"Well, we had consider'ble to say, partic'lar Cap'n Jonadab. 'Twas
too risky and too expensive. Gunnin' was all right except for one
thing--that is, that there wa'n't none wuth mentionin'.

"'Ducks are scurser round here than Democrats in a Vermont
town-meetin',' growled the Cap'n. 'And as for geese! How long has it
been since you see a goose, Barzilla?'

"'Land knows!' says I. 'I can remember as fur back as the fust time
Washy Sparrow left off workin', but I can't--'

"Brown told us to shut up. Did we cal'late he didn't know what he was
talkin' about?

"'I can see two geese right now,' he snaps; 'but they're so old and
leather-headed you couldn't shoot an idea into their brains with a
cannon. Gunnin' ain't the whole thing. My makin' a noise like a duck is
only to get the would-be Teddy Roosevelts headed for this neck of the
woods. After they get here, it's up to us to keep 'em. And I can think
of