ach
and every particle of the frozen moisture being a miniature prism, which
reflects the sun's rays in a manner once seen never to be forgotten.--By
CAL. STEWART, formerly Overland Messenger for the Wells-Fargo Express
Company.

Uncle Josh Weathersby's Trip to Boston

FER a long time I had my mind made up to go down to Boston, so a short
time ago, as I had all my crops and produce mostly sold, I alowed it
would be a good time to go down thar, and I sed to mother, "I'll start
early in the mornin' and take a load of produce with me, and that will
sort of pay expenses of the trip."

Wall, I got into Boston next mornin' bright and early, 'bout time they
had their breakfast, and I looked 'round fer a spell; then finally I
picked out a right likely lookin' store, and jist conclooded I'd sell
my load of produce thar. Wall, I went in and I met a feller 'nd I sed,
"Good mornin', be you the storekeeper?" And he sed, "No, sir, I'm only
one of the clerks." So I sed, "Wall, be the storekeeper to hum?" And
he sed, "Yes, sir, would you like to see him?" And I told him as how I
would, and he turned 'round and commenced to hollerin' "FRONT," and a
boy cum up what had more brass buttins on him than a whole regiment of
soljers. I thought that wuz a durned funny name fer a boy--front--and
that clerk feller he wuz about the most importent thing I'd seen in
Boston so far, less maybe it wuz the Bunker Hill monument that I druv
past cummin' to town. He had on a biled collar that sort of put me in
mind of the whitewashed fence 'round the fair grounds down hum. I'll bet
if he'd ever sneeze it would cut his ears off.

Wall, anyhow, he sed to that front boy, "Show the gentleman to the
proprietor's offis." Wall, I went along with that boy, and presently we
cum to a place in one corner of that store; it wuz made out of iron and
had bars in front of the winders, and looked like the county jale. The
front boy p'inted to a man and sed, "Go in," and I sed, "I gessed I
wouldn't go in thar, cos I hadn't done anything to be locked up fer."
And that front boy commenced to laffin' tho' durned if I could see what
he wuz a-laffin' about, and the storekeeper he opened the door and cum
out, and he sed, "Good mornin', what can I do fer you?" I sed, "Be you
the storekeeper?" and he sed he wuz. So I sed, "Do you want to buy any
pertaters?" And he sed, "No, sir, we don't buy pertaters here; this a
dry goods store." So I sed, "Wall, don't want any cabbage,