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cross that sort of country。〃
¨I wasnˇt saying I could have ridden him； papa；〃 Andrew said。
¨You better not；〃 David said。 Then； ¨Oh hell； you probably could have。 Sure you could have。 But honestly； Andy； you donˇt know how he used to be going before I would spook。 I was spooked of the saddle horn。 Oh the hell with it。 I was spooked。〃
¨Papa； do we actually have to go goggle…fishing？〃 Andrew asked。
¨Not if itˇs too rough。〃
¨Who decides if itˇs too rough？〃
¨I decide。〃
¨Good；〃 Andy said。 ¨It certainly looks too rough to me。〃
¨Papa； have you still got Old Paint out at the ranch？〃 Andy asked。
¨I believe so；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨I rented the ranch； you know。〃
¨Really？〃
¨Yes。 The end of last year。〃
¨But we can still go there； canˇt we？〃 David asked quickly。
¨Oh sure。 We have the big cabin on the beach down by the river。〃
¨The ranch is the best place I was ever at；〃 Andy said。 ¨Outside of here； of course。〃
¨I thought you used to like Rochester best；〃 David teased him。 That was where he used to be left with his nurse when she stayed with her family in the summer months when the other boys went west。
¨I did； too。 Rochester was a wonderful place。〃
¨Do you remember when we came home that fall the time we killed the three grizzlies and you tried to tell him about it； Dave； and what he said？〃 Thomas Hudson asked。
¨No； papa。 I canˇt remember exactly that far back。〃
¨It was in the butlerˇs pantry where you guys ate and you were having childrenˇs supper and telling him about it and Anna was saying； ˉOh my gracious； David； that must have been exciting。 And what did you do then？ˇ and this wicked old man； he must have been about five or six then； spoke up and said； ˉWell thatˇs probably very interesting； David； to people who are interested in that sort of thing。 But we donˇt have grizzlies in Rochester。ˇ 〃
¨See； horseman？〃 David said。 ¨How you were then？〃
¨All right； papa；〃 Andrew said。 ¨Tell him about when he would read nothing but the funny papers and read funny papers on the trip through the Everglades and wouldnˇt look at anything after he went to that school the fall we were in New York and got to be a heel。〃
¨I remember it；〃 David said。 ¨Papa doesnˇt have to tell it。〃
¨You came out of it all right；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨I had to； I guess。 It certainly would have been something pretty bad to have stayed in。〃
¨Tell them about when I was little；〃 young Tom said； rolling over and taking hold of Davidˇs ankle。 ¨Iˇll never get to be as good in real life as the stories about me when I was little。〃
¨I knew you when you were little；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨You were quite a strange character then。〃
¨He was just strange because he lived in strange places；〃 the smallest boy said。 ¨I could have been strange in Paris and Spain and Austria。〃
¨Heˇs strange now； horseman；〃 David said。 ¨He doesnˇt need any exotic backgrounds。〃
¨Whatˇs exotic backgrounds？〃
¨What you havenˇt got。〃
¨Iˇll bet Iˇll have them； then。〃
¨Shut up and let papa tell；〃 young Tom said。 ¨Tell them about when you and I used to go around together in Paris。〃
¨You werenˇt so strange then；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨As a baby you were an awfully sound character。 Mother and I used to leave you in the crib that was made out of a clothes basket in that flat where we lived over the sawmill and F。 Puss the big cat would curl up in the foot of the basket and wouldnˇt let anybody come near you。 You said your name was GˇNing GˇNing and we used to call you GˇNing GˇNing the Terrible。〃
¨Where did I get a name like that？〃
¨Off a street car or an autobus I think。 The sound the conductor made。〃
¨Couldnˇt I speak French？〃
¨Not too well then。〃
¨Tell me about a little later by the time I could speak French。〃
¨Later on I used to wheel you in the carriage； it was a cheap； very light； folding carriage； down the street to the Closerie des Lilas where weˇd have breakfast and Iˇd read the paper and youˇd watch everything that went past on the boulevard。 Then weˇd finish breakfast〃
¨What would we have？〃
¨Brioche and caf？ au lait。〃
¨Me too？〃
¨Youˇd just have a taste of coffee in the milk。〃
¨I can remember。 Where would we go then？〃
¨Iˇd wheel you across the street from the Closerie des Lilas and past the fountain with the bronze horses and the fish and the mermaids and down between the long all？es of chestnut trees with the French children playing and their nurses on the benches beside the gravel paths〃
¨And the ？cole Alsacienne on the left；〃 young Tom said。
¨And apartment buildings on the right〃
¨And apartment buildings and apartments with glass roofs for studios all along the street that goes down to the left and quite triste from the darkness of the stone because that was the shady side；〃 young Tom said。
¨Is it fall or spring or winter？〃 Thomas Hudson asked。
¨Late fall。〃
¨Then you were cold in the face； and your cheeks and your nose were red and we would go into the Luxembourg through the iron gate at the upper end and down toward the lake and around the lake once and then turn to the right toward the Medici Fountain and the statues and out of the gate in front of the Od？on and down a couple of side streets to the Boulevard Saint…Michel〃
¨The Boulˇ Michˇ〃
¨And down the Boulˇ Michˇ past the Cluny〃
¨On our right〃
¨That was very dark and gloomy looking and across the Boulevard Saint…Germain〃
¨That was the most exciting street with the most traffic。 Itˇs strange how exciting and dangerous seeming it was there。 And down by the Rue de Rennes it always seemed perfectly safebetween the Deux Magots and Lippˇs crossing I mean。 Why was that； Papa？〃
¨I donˇt know； Schatz。〃
¨I wish something would happen beside the names of streets；〃 Andrew said。 ¨I get tired of the names of streets in a place Iˇve never been。〃
¨Make something happen； then； papa；〃 young Tom said。 ¨We can talk about streets when weˇre alone。〃
¨Nothing much happened then；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨We would go on down to the Place Saint…Michel and we would sit on the terrace of the caf？ and Papa would sketch with a caf？ cr？me on the table and youˇd have a beer。〃
¨Did I like beer then？〃
¨You were a big beer man。 But you liked water with a little red wine in it at meals。〃
¨I remember。 Lˇeau rougie。〃
¨Exactement；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨You were a very strong lˇeau rougie man but you liked an occasional bock。〃
¨I can remember in Austria going on a luge and our dog Schnautz and snow。〃
¨Can you remember Christmas there？〃
¨No。 Just you and snow and our dog Schnautz and my nurse。 She was beautiful。 And I remember mother on skis and how beautiful she was。 I can remember seeing you and mother coming down skiing through an orchard。 I donˇt know where it was。 But I can remember the Jardin du Luxembourg well。 I can remember afternoons with the boats on the lake by the fountain in the big garden with the trees。 The paths through the trees were all gravelled and men played bowling game