"Chazy Junction, seh," said the colored porter, entering in haste to seize their bags.

"Every complete community has a fat man, seh!"

Why, you ought to have seen me, seh, before I came to this valley!" "A living skeleton?" "No, seh!

Why, you ought to have seen me, seh, before I came to this valley!" "A living skeleton?" "No, seh!

Being as it's a fat man's pleasure to cheer people up, I dropped in to bring you a few peonies and to say that, considering the few well-selected words you spoke to Pete Leddy on this town's behalf, I'm prepared to vote for you for anything from coroner to president, seh!" Later, after Bob had gone, a small girl brought a spray of gladiolus, their slender stems down to her toe-tips and the opening blossoms half hiding her face.

"It's time we cleaned out Pedro's place, seh!"

"That will be a good deal worse, for when I get going I lose my temper and I tell you, seh, I've got a lot to lose!

"I guess the same idea has struck you that strikes everybody at sight of that, seh!" said Bob.

What the deuce is the mystery?" "Whatwhy, of course you're the most interested party and the only Little Riversite that don't know about it, seh!"

" "Yes, ready to fight at the drop of the hat, seh, or to sit still on our doorsteps with our tongues in our cheeks and doing the wives' mending, as you say!" declared Bob Worther.

Not feeling sick or anything?" "No, Misteh Stuhk; no, seh.

"Yes, seh, I's had champagne, and it's a nice kind of lickeh sho enough; but, Misteh Stuhk, seh, I don' want any of them high-tone drinks to-night, an' ef yo' don' mind, I'd rather amble off 'lone, or mebbe eat that po'k-chop with some otheh cullud man, ef I kin fin' one that ain' one of them no-'count Carolina niggers.

"Yes, seh, I's had champagne, and it's a nice kind of lickeh sho enough; but, Misteh Stuhk, seh, I don' want any of them high-tone drinks to-night, an' ef yo' don' mind, I'd rather amble off 'lone, or mebbe eat that po'k-chop with some otheh cullud man, ef I kin fin' one that ain' one of them no-'count Carolina niggers.

"Yaas, seh," said Gideon; "that's me.

" "Do' say that, Mist' Dunkin, do' say hit, seh," he replied, in a tone of deep mortification.

Bro' 'Dolphus Beam, he sees ahta heh: you see, seh, she's I-o-n-g way 'moved f'om Asba'y class; 'twont admit none but fus'-class 'speience-givvahs in Asba'y, an' my wife she wa'n't nevvah no han' to talk; haint got de gif' of de tongue which Saul, suhname Paul, speaks of in de Scripchehdon't possess hit, seh.

"Well, y-e-es, seh," replied Thomas, after reflecting awhile.

Mist' Dunkin, you put hit kehrec', seh.

Can you play?can any of your family play?" "Well, naw, seh," scratching his head reflectively.

I didn't mean, seh, I didn't 'tend thethe instrument fu' househol' puhpassesII 'tended hit as a off'in' to ouh Sabbath-school.

" "Naw, seh; naw, seh; Mist' Dunkin; as' less, an' sell mo'that's my motteh.

" "What was she doing?" "Talkin', seh; jiss talkin' and prayin'.

"Well, naw, seh," a little shamefacedly.

So I was stealing away toward the door, when he opened his eyes and murmured, drowsily: "De tex', oh yes, seh.

"On their part, they would sit in deep attention, shielding their faces from the fire, and responding to enunciations directly contrary to their convictions with an occasional 'yes-seh,' or 'ceddenly,' or 'of coze,' or,prettier affirmation still,a solemn drooping of the eyelids".