heese,
butter, biscuits, sherry, champagne, lemons and sugar for punch, and
abundance of ice. It was a delicious meal; and, as they were most
anxious that I should be pleased, I warmed myself into a state of
surpassing jollity; proposed toasts from the coach-box (which was the
chair); ate and drank with the best; and made, I believe, an excellent
companion to a very friendly companionable party. In an hour or so we
packed up, and drove back to the inn at Lebanon. While supper was
preparing, I took a pleasant walk with my Unitarian friend; and when it
was over (we drank nothing with it but tea and coffee) we went to bed.
The clergyman and I had an exquisitely clean little chamber of our own;
and the rest of the party were quartered overhead. . . .

"We got back to St. Louis soon after twelve at noon; and I rested during
the remainder of the day. The soiree came off at night, in a very good
ball-room at our inn,--the Planter's House. The whole of the guests were
introduced to us, singly. We were glad enough, you may believe, to come
away at midnight; and were very tired. Yesterday, I wore a blouse.
To-day, a fur coat. Trying changes!

"IN THE SAME BOAT,
"_Sunday, Sixteenth April, 1842._

"The inns in these outlandish corners of the world would astonish you by
their goodness. The Planter's House is as large as the Middlesex
Hospital, and built very much on our hospital plan, with long wards
abundantly ventilated, and plain whitewashed walls. They had a famous
notion of sending up at breakfast-time large glasses of new milk with
blocks of ice in them as clear as crystal. Our table was abundantly
supplied indeed at every meal. One day when Kate and I were dining alone
together, in our own room, we counted sixteen dishes on the table at the
same time.

"The society is pretty rough, and intolerably conceited. All the
inhabitants are young. _I didn't see one gray head in St. Louis._ There
is an island close by, called Bloody Island. It is the dueling-ground of
St. Louis; and is so called from the last fatal duel which was fought
there. It was a pistol duel, breast to breast, and both parties fell
dead at the same time. One of our prairie party (a young man) had acted
as second there, in several encounters. The last occasion was a duel
with rifles, at forty paces; and coming home he told us how he had
bought his man a coat of green linen to fi