"A little, once in a while, when I have the time."

"Well, you don't go away from here without having a good hunt. You
just wait a day or so until my dogs get rested up."

"Thank you, Colonel, but I am afraid I can't stay. You see, I am down
here on a matter of business."

"Business, eh?"--Well, a man that'll let business interfere with a
b'ah hunt has got something wrong about him."

"Well, you see, a railroad man can't always choose," said his guest.

"Railroad man?" said Colonel Blount. A sudden gloom fell on his ruddy
face. "Railroad man, eh? Well, I wish you was something else. Now, I
helped get that railroad through this country--if it hadn't been for
me, they never could have laid a mile of track through here. But now,
do you know what they done did to me the other day, with their damned
old railroad?"

"No, sir, I haven't heard."

"Well, I'll tell you--Bill! Oh, _Bill!_ Go into the house and
get me some ice; and go pick some mint and bring it here to this
gentleman and me--Say, do you know what that railroad did? Why, it
just killed the best filly on my plantation, my best running stock,
too. Now, I was the man to help get that railroad through the Delta,
and I--"

"Well, now, Colonel Blount," said the other, "the road isn't a bad