d:

"Jedge I knoes I'se a hard cityzen, and I've done gone and sinned purty
nigh all the sins wot I know'd of. Steelin' fouls, hookin' nickles outer
the contrybushun box, 'propriatin' millyuns wot I'd no legal rite and
titel to, gettin' converted at camp meetin' so as I culd mash wun of.
them purty sistern, and other offenses too numer-ickel to menshun, but
if this yere cort'U giv this nigger a sho, I'll try to leed a dif-frent
life."

"Prisner, did you ever tak a noose-paper?" sed the Prosercutin' Turney.

"Yes, sar; I'se skribed for the _Christshun Advercate_ for 'bout six
yares, and I've payed it up in advanse for most a yare to cum."

"Bobby, my boy," sed the cort to his rite hand man, "go order the cook,
to kill the fatted ram, and prepare a bang up lay out, cos this here
cullurd brother is a man, molded after my own hart. Shake, my man,"
sed he, shovin his rite boney hand to the cullured feller's, "and after
we've feested, and viserted my privat opra house, and taken in the
new skellyton bailey at-trackshuns, I'll driv yer thru my subteranean
domminyuns, fore you tak the xpress for Skie stashun, and you bet you'll
say this here devil aint as bad as he's painted, cos he knoes how to
onher a distingushed guest."

Then the seen vanished from my vishun, and I woke up, hollerin with
a pane in my programme, and ma had ter get me a dose of brandie and
ginger, outer the flask, wot pa carries, when he goes a fishin.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

AT THE STOCK EXCHANGE.--THE ENGAGEMENT.--FIRE IN THE
SHECARGO UNIYUN DEPOT.--A OFFER FROM JAY GOULD.

This mornin noose was sorter dull, so the city edittur sent me down to
the Stock Exchange for to write up the anticks of the Bulls and Bares.
Wen I got down there I guess the annymiles hadn't got round, but there
keepers was purty numerous, and made a good deel more noise than they
would theirselves. I was showd up to the visters gallary, so as I
culd get a good vue of the fite wot was goin on tween the grangers and
coalers. The way they do there fitin puts me in mind of wen we use-ter
go to skule, cos they chew up a lot of paper, and make spit balls outer
it, and then paste each other on the eyes with them. Jay Gould is the
name of a littel bit of a feller, he aint much in size, but he's hale
columby wen it comes rite down to spit ball fites, cos he pasted old
Russel Sage and Vandybilt outer ther boots, hittin fare in the eyes
every time.

Wen they was gettin purty