bible. Who
can doubt, that the commandments had a Divine origin? Short, simple and
yet comprehensive; the first four point to our duty to our Maker, the
last six, towards our social duties. In this respect there is a great
similarity of structure, to that excellent prayer given us--"

"Oh, Minister," said Mr. Slick, "I beg your pardon, I do, indeed, I
don't mean that at all; and I do declare and vow now, I wasn't a playin'
possum with you, nother. I won't do it no more, I won't, indeed."

"Well, what did you mean then?"

"Why I meant her ten fingers, to be sure. When a woman clapper claws her
husband, we have a cant tarm with us boys of Slickville, savin' she gave
him her ten commandments."

"And a very improper expression too, Sir," said Mr. Hopewell; "a very
irreverent, indecent, and I may say profane expression; I am quite
shocked. But as you say you didn't mean it, are sorry for it, and will
not repeat it again, I accept your apology, and rely on your promise. Go
on, Sir."

"Well, as I was a savin', the moment she found herself a coasting of it
that way, flounder fashion, she hung on by her ten com--I mean her ten
fingers, and her ten toes, like grim death to a dead nigger, and it
brought her up jist in time. But how to get back was the question? To
let go the hold of any one hand was sartain death, and there was nobody
to help her, and yet to hold on long that way, she couldn't, no how she
could fix it.

"So what does she do, (for nothin' equals a woman for contrivances), but
move one finger at a time, and then one toe at a time, till she gets
a new hold, and then crawls backward, like a span-worm, an inch at a
hitch. Well, she works her passage this way, wrong eend foremost, by
backin' of her paddles for the matter of half an hour or so, till she
gets to where it was roughish, and somethin' like standin' ground, when
who should come by but a tall handsome man, with a sort of a half coat,
half cloak-like coverin' on, fastened round the waist with a belt, and
havin' a hood up, to ambush the head.

"The moment she clapt eyes on him, she called to him for help. 'Oh,'
sais she, 'for heaven's sake, good man, help me up! Jist take hold of my
leg and draw me back, will you, that's a good soul?' And then she
held up fust one leg for him, and then the other, most beseechin', but
nothin' would move him. He jist stopt, looked back for a moment and then
progressed agin.

"Well, it ryled her considerable. Her eyes act