ide), and then, with
a blush, took his grandson's hand. Firm took off his hat to her very
politely, but allowed her to see perhaps by his manner that he was
particularly engaged just now; and the young lady, with a quick glance
at me, walked off to rejoin her party. But a garrulous old negro
servant, who seemed to be in attendance upon her, ran up and caught Firm
by his coat, and peered up curiously at his face.

"How young massa's poor nose dis long time? How him feel, spose now
again?" he inquired, with a deferential grin. "Young massa ebber able
take a pinch of good snuff? He! he! missy berry heavy den? Missy no
learn to dance de nose polka den?"

"What on earth does he mean?" I could not help asking, in spite of our
sorrowful farewell, as the negro went on with sundry other jokes and
cackles at his own facetiousness. And then Uncle Sam, to divert my
thoughts, while I waited for signal to say good-by, told me how Firm got
a slight twist to his nose.

Ephraim Gundry had been well taught, in all the common things a man
should learn, at a good quiet school at Frisco, which distinguished
itself from all other schools by not calling itself a college. And when
he was leaving to begin home life, with as much put into him as he could
manage--for his nature was not bookish--when he was just seventeen years
old, and tall and straight and upright, but not set into great bodily
strength, which could not yet be expected, a terrible fire broke out in
a great block of houses newly occupied, over against the school-house
front. Without waiting for master's leave or matron's, the boys, in the
Californian style, jumped over the fencing and went to help. And they
found a great crowd collected, and flames flaring out of the top of
the house. At the top of the house, according to a stupid and therefore
general practice, was the nursery, made of more nurses than children, as
often happens with rich people. The nurses had run away for their lives,
taking two of the children with them; but the third, a fine little girl
of ten, had been left behind, and now ran to the window with red
hot flames behind her. The window was open, and barbs of fire, like
serpents' tongues, played over it.

"Jump, child, jump! for God's sake, jump!" cried half a hundred people,
while the poor scared creature quivered on the ledge, and shrank from
the frightful depth below. At last, stung by a scorching volley, she
gathered her night-gown tight, and leaped, tr