most jovial creature living.

Into such an assembly of the free and easy our traveller entered. He was
a short, thick-set man, carefully dressed, with a round, good-natured
countenance, and something rather fussy and particular in his
appearance. He was very careful of his valise and umbrella, bringing
them in with his own hands, and resisting, pertinaciously, all offers
from the various servants to relieve him of them. He looked round the
barroom with rather an anxious air, and, retreating with his valuables
to the warmest corner, disposed them under his chair, sat down, and
looked rather apprehensively up at the worthy whose heels illustrated
the end of the mantel-piece, who was spitting from right to left, with
a courage and energy rather alarming to gentlemen of weak nerves and
particular habits.

"I say, stranger, how are ye?" said the aforesaid gentleman, firing an
honorary salute of tobacco-juice in the direction of the new arrival.

"Well, I reckon," was the reply of the other, as he dodged, with some
alarm, the threatening honor.

"Any news?" said the respondent, taking out a strip of tobacco and a
large hunting-knife from his pocket.

"Not that I know of," said the man.

"Chaw?" said the first speaker, handing the old gentleman a bit of his
tobacco, with a decidedly brotherly air.

"No, thank ye--it don't agree with me," said the little man, edging off.

"Don't, eh?" said the other, easily, and stowing away the morsel in
his own mouth, in order to keep up the supply of tobacco-juice, for the
general benefit of society.

The old gentleman uniformly gave a little start whenever his long-sided
brother fired in his direction; and this being observed by his
companion, he very good-naturedly turned his artillery to another
quarter, and proceeded to storm one of the fire-irons with a degree of
military talent fully sufficient to take a city.

"What's that?" said the old gentleman, observing some of the company
formed in a group around a large handbill.

"Nigger advertised!" said one of the company, briefly.

Mr. Wilson, for that was the old gentleman's name, rose up, and, after
carefully adjusting his valise and umbrella, proceeded deliberately to
take out his spectacles and fix them on his nose; and, this operation
being performed, read as follows:

"Ran away from the subscriber, my mulatto boy, George. Said
George six feet in height, a very light mulatto, brown curly
hair; is very int