ate, on paper, which might
not have been left over for their interview? His mind was troubled, and,
pushing the crowd away from immediately about him, he tore open the
envelope and began the perusal--proceeding with a measured gait, the
result as well of the "damned cramp hand" as of the still foggy
intellect and unsettled vision of the reader. But as the characters and
their signification became more clear and obvious to his gaze, his
features grew more and more sobered and intelligent--a blankness
overspread his face--his hands trembled, and finally, his apprehensions,
whatever they might have been, having seemingly undergone full
confirmation, he crumpled the villanous scrawl in his hands, and dashing
it to the floor in a rage, roared out in quick succession volley after
volley of invective and denunciation upon the thrice-blasted head of the
pedler. The provocation must have been great, no doubt, to impart such
animation at such a time to the man of law; and the curiosity of one of
the revellers getting the better of his scruples in such matters--if,
indeed, scruples of any kind abode in such a section--prompting him to
seize upon the epistle thus pregnant with mortal matter, in this way the
whole secret became public property. As, therefore, we shall violate no
confidence, and shock no decorum, we proceed to read it aloud for the
benefit of all:--

"DEAR LAWYER: I guess I am pretty safe now from the _regilators_,
and, saving my trouble of mind, well enough, and nothing to complain
about. Your animal goes as slick as grease, and carried me in no
time out of reach of rifle-shot--so you see it's only right to thank
God, and you, lawyer, for if you hadn't lent me the nag, I guess it
would have been a sore chance for me in the hands of them savages
and beasts of prey.

"I've been thinking, lawyer, as I driv along, about what you said to
me, and I guess it's no more than right and reasonable I should take
the law on 'em; and so I put the case in your hands, to make the
most on it; and seeing that the damages, as you say, may be over
five hundred dollars, why, I don't see but the money is jest as good
in my hands as theirs, for so it ought to be. The bill of
particulars I will send you by post. In the meanwhile, you may say,
having something to go upon, that the whole comes to five hundred
and fifty dollars or thereabouts, for, with a little calculation and