simply, "I have lost you; that is the sad fact,
and I accept it. Still, since you care for me some, I shall be a
little merry. Come to my ball--Gurdon promised me you would both come."

XIII

CAPTAIN LEEZUR RELATES HOW MIS' GARRISON ATE CROW

"It 's said," said Captain Leezur, who sat on the log fondly applying
his deer-bone toothpick, which had been restored to him for a season,
"'t ye keep yer mouth shet, and ye won't eat no crow."

His smile embraced the heavens, as the source of such philosophy, with
transcendent admiration.

"That 's figgeral language, ye know. Have a narvine lozenge. I all'as
enj'ys 'em with a friend more'n what I dew meltin' on 'em deown alone."

We sucked deliciously.

"Afore I got my dispersition moderated deown inter the shape she is
neow, I was dreadful kind o' sly and ongodly abeout cuttin' up tricks,"
he continued, his countenance now conveying only the tranquillity of
one restored and forgiven.

"Mis' Garrison, Notely's mother, she was all'as puttin' on airs tew the
Basins, 's if they was beneath her; and when they'd first begun to live
over there to the Neck, she sent a man deown t' me, 't said Mis'
Garrison had 'ordered' a pair o' partridge on me.

"'What?' says I to the man.

"'Mis' Garrison said t' order a couple o' partridge on ye,' says he,
'an' she wants 'em at tew o'clock.'

"'All right,' says I; 'yew go home an' tell her 't she shall have that
'ere order filled eout complete,' says I.

"So I went eout and gunned one partridge and one old crow, 't had been
ha'ntin' my corn patch ever senct I could remember, so 't he was jest
as familiar tew me as the repair on the slack o' my britches, and I
dressed 'em both, dreadful tasty an' slick--they was jest 'beout the
same size dressed--an' rigged 'em eout esthetiky with some strips o'
pink caliker; and 'long at the 'p'inted time the man he come deown
arter 'em.

"'Yew tell Mis' Garrison,' says I, ''t birds is so thick 'reound my
premmuses this year I couldn't think o' chargin' nothin' for 'em,
'specially to an old Basin like her!'

"For in them days, 'fore I got moderated, I didn't mind p'intin' hints
at nobody, or weoundin' their feelin's, 'specially ef it jibed along in
with playin' some ongodly trick on 'em."

The joy of a ransomed soul played across Captain Leezur's features.

"Wal, Notely was areound a day or tew arter-wards--Notely an' me was
great mates--'nd says I, 'Heow'd yer mother like them birds I