After lunch, Bernard and Katie said their goodbyes.“I’d invite you to play cards,” Everett said, “but then we’d be bored of games by winter, and we’d have nothing to do...”
“I’ll take you up on that invitation in late September,” Bernard replied as they walked back toward their home.
When they were gone, Everett looked at Belle.“Want to do some hunting?Or fishing?”
“Hunting,” Belle said firmly.“I really don’t like fish very much.”
“You’ll be eating them this winter whether you like them or not.”
“Depends on my hunting skills, doesn’t it?”Belle took his words as a challenge.She was going to prepare them for a winter full of meat, whether he liked it or not.
To her surprise, Everett opened a trunk and removed both a crossbow and a longbow.“Preference?”he asked.
“I’ve never used a crossbow!Would you mind giving me a lesson, and then I have more options while you’re at work?”
“I’d be happy to.I never thought I’d hear you say you didn’t know how to do something...”
She nudged him with her shoulder, laughing.
They spent an enjoyable afternoon hunting.Her lesson was short, and she caught on quickly.
The ducks didn’t try to fly away, so they were able to get a great deal more than they would have otherwise.Everett explained that ducks couldn’t fly while molting.
Belle tried her best to shoot only mallards as she’d tried other ducks and hadn’t liked the taste nearly as much.
When they got home with their prey, Belle asked Everett if he would help her pluck and clean them.He agreed readily, and they made short work of it.They’d brought home twenty birds in all, seventeen mallards and three pintails.
“I’ll cook and can these tomorrow and then do some strawberry preserves on Tuesday.We’ll have duck for the winter.”She looked proud of their haul.
Everett nodded.“I usually rely on bacon and salt pork in the winters.I don’t have a lot of time to hunt.”
“I have all the time in the world,” she told him.“We’ll have more than bacon and salt pork.I promise you that.”
Before they went to bed that night, Belle thanked Everett for hunting with her and teaching her to shoot a crossbow.“Now I have another skill that will help us with food throughout the winter.I only wish I’d gotten here in time to grow a kitchen garden.”
“Mrs.Johnson knew you were coming.She put in an extra-large garden so she could share.”
“Perhaps she’ll let me trade ducks for real potatoes.I’m not sure I can live on the Eskimo kind...”
“Oh, you can.I have for years.But yes, a russet potato sounds glorious.”
“Baked, with plenty of butter!”
“Can you eat them any other way?”he asked.
