Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1879 — A Story About Ducks. [ARTICLE]

A Story About Ducks.

When Admiral Horatio Binnacle, the venerable retired sea-serpent, who lives on West Seventy-seventh street, saw roast duck on tho bill of fare last night, his always pleasant face took on an added ray of cheerfulness, but those who sat near him observed that after he had eaten his portion his brow was corrugated. Later, as he stood bofore the parlor fire, the Admiral said: “Ilived onoe, gentleman, in a house which the boarders left in a body. We had one night for dinner roast duck. It was served in rough, jagged pieces, but we. thought nothing of that; perhaps the carving-ax was dull. It was tough. That was to bo expected. Tasteless. Of course. But when wo had nearly finished it, old Commodore Zelotes Finnerty held up a piece on the end of his fork, and said: “ ‘Admiral P’ _ 1.. “ ‘ Commodore.’ * “‘Nails!’ ‘ ‘ And sure enough, gentlemen, as the Commodore turned that piece of duok on his fork l saw sticking through it the points of three nails. It was a wooden deooy duck that we had eaten, verved by the landlady because it was cheaper than tho "ducks that are sold in -the poultry market. She was safe in

hcr assumption that wo would not discover in tho taste any differenoo'botwoen that and many othbr ducks wo had oaten from the same table, but unfortunately sho forgot to pull out tho nails. “It was too much for tho old Commodore. He went to his rqom, got out the old-fashionod alligator-mouthed carpet-bag that ho always carriod, and began to stow his dunnage. His example was infoetious. Within half an hour every bit of baggage, from, trunk to grip-sack, was out of the house, and the boarders wero seeking feeding grounds. “Now, I don’t mean to say, gentlomon, that tho duck we had Mr dinner to-night was a wooden duek; understand mo, I saw no nails; but !” N. Y. Sun.