tting along all right, William." As I noted his anxiety, and the
hungry expression of his face, I answered with a glibness which I was
far from feeling, that things were getting along swimmingly. I was now
beginning to feel such a weight of responsibility in the success of
the dinner that I sincerely wished I had not taken such an active
interest in the appointment of the cook.

About an hour later, when we ceased our game, I noticed the odor of
roast turkey was no longer prevalent; so with apprehensive heart,
though nonchalant air, I made my way over to the kitchen again, and
was just in time to see Ovide snatch the turkey--which now looked cold
and forlorn enough--from the shelf and shove it into the still fervent
oven, and to hear him mutter, "Dat's too bad I'm forgot to put you
back for so long."

He did not see me until he had closed the oven door, and then he said,
joyously, pointing to the kettle: "De puddin' she's in dare, and she's
nearly all done now, and in fifteen or twenty minute more de dinner
she's all be ready."

I suppose if I had not seen the bird's entrance into the oven for the
second time, the announcement of the early approach of the festivities
would have allayed some of my apprehensions, and perhaps have afforded
me a little of the satisfaction Fielding and the conductor
experienced when they heard the news. The effect of the tidings upon
old Robbins, however, was tantalizing in the extreme. He threw his
paper to one side, rested his elbows on his knees, and holding up his
grizzly chin with his hands, began softly to whistle a monotonous,
soul-disturbing air.

Ovide was true to his word, for scarcely had the twenty minutes
elapsed, when in he bustled, pulled the table into the centre of the
car, set it fairly well, after a number of amusing blunders, and then
drawing up the chairs, said, with great gusto: "Now, Messieurs, I'm go
and get de dinner."

As we seated ourselves, Fielding said, with a satisfaction that comes
back to me vividly as I pen these words: "Well, William, I am glad it
is ready; I never remember being so hungry." The kindly look which he
bestowed on Ovide as he came in with the smoking turkey will also
never be difficult to conjure up. But the moment my eyes fell upon
that unfortunate bird, my heart began to beat with renewed
apprehensions. Never before had I seen such an ill-favored,
uninviting-looking fowl placed upon a table; its naturally white,
smooth skin was now as