This administration is rather
easy on foreigners, especially French, for Jefferson has Frenchy
notions. President Adams was rough on emigrants--maybe too rough; he
wanted to sock it to them hard by acts of Congress. What is your
opinion of the Alien and Sedition laws? I favor them; I'm a Federalist
to the marrow-bones. I don't reckon you're a United Irishman, Mr.
Blanner--"

"Blenner, if you please--Blennerhassett. I belong to the order of
United Irishmen, but I presume your errand here is not to discuss
politics. Your looks denote that you affiliate with--shall I say, the
common people, the humbler class? What is your business here, my good
man?"

"Rattlesnakes and brimstone! _Me_ your good man! _Me_ of the humbler
class! Why, Squire B., we have no humbler class on our side of the
Ohio. But you needn't apologize; I'm not huffy. You're new to the
country and your blunders are excusable. I happened along this way--"

"My time is valuable, I must ask you to be brief. What do you want?"

"You're a bigger man than I calculated to see; you're a large-sized
citizen, full six foot, I should guess, and you stoop consider'bl in
the shoulders, like myself. The Byles are all built that way. But your
feet are smaller than mine, and I should think you'd feel awk'ard in
such toggery as them red breeches and shoe buckles."

"You are impertinent," snapped Blennerhassett, turning from his rude
critic. "If you have nothing to tell or to ask that is of any
importance, make off, for I can be detained no longer."

"Hold on, neighbor; I've heaps yet to tell, and lots more to ask. The
first thing I noticed particularly when I landed was that puddle up
there, with the hunk of raw meat soaking, and I would like dangnation
well to know why you put that meat in that puddle?"

Annoyed beyond endurance, the lord of the island would have hurried
away, but he was diverted from his intention by the unexpected conduct
of his guest, who, suddenly dropping on all fours, fell to examining
with the liveliest interest a wild plant which had forced its stem up
through the sod.

"Do you know what that is?" asked Plutarch of the two boys who stood
near their father, perplexed by the dialogue to which they had
listened. They shook their heads, when, glancing up at Scipio, the
questioner repeated, "Do you know?" and not waiting for a reply,
"That's snakeroot; smell it!" He plucked a portion of the herb, rubbed
it between his thumb and forefinger and th