t."

"Nonsense!" said I, "The fact is, I went to bed very late, and am
scarcely awake yet. Go on, old boy, I'm all right. Well, what does she
say?"

"I'll be hanged if you know what you're talking about," said Jack,
pettishly.

"Nonsense! I'm all right now; go on."

"You don't know who this letter is from."

"Yes, I do."

"Who is it?" said Jack, watching me with jealous scrutiny.

"Why," said I, "it's that other one--the--hang it! I don't know her
name, so I'll call her Number Three, or Number Four, whichever you
like."

"You're a cool hand, any way," said Jack, sulkily. "Is this the way you
take a matter of life and death?"

"Life and death?" I repeated.

"Life and death!" said Jack. "Yes, life and death. Why, see here,
Macrorie, I'll be hanged if I don't believe that you've forgotten every
word I told you about my scrape. If that's the case, all I can say is,
that I'm not the man to force my confidences where they are so very
unimportant." And Jack made a move toward the door.

"Stop, Jack," said I. "The fact is, I've been queer for a couple of
days. I had a beastly time on the river. Talk about life and death!
Why, man, it was the narrowest scratch with me you ever saw. I didn't
go to Point Levi at all."

"The deuce you didn't!"

"No; I pulled up at Montmorency."

"The deuce you did! How's that?"

"Oh, never mind; I'll tell you some other time. At any rate, if I seem
dazed or confused, don't notice it. I'm coming round. I'll only say
this, that I've lost a little of my memory, and am glad I didn't lose
my life. But go on. I'm up to it now, Jack. You wrote to Number Three,
proposing to elope, and were staking your existence on her answer. You
wished me to order a head-stone for you at Anderson's, Four feet by
eighteen inches, with nothing on it but the name and date, and not a
word about the virtues, et cetera. There, you see, my memory is all
right at last. And now, old boy, what does she say? When did you get it?"

"I got it this morning," said Jack. "It was a long delay. She is always
prompt. Something must have happened to delay her. I was getting quite
wild, and would have put an end to myself if it hadn't been for Louie.
And then, you know, the widow's getting to be a bit of a bore. Look
here--what do you think of my selling out, buying a farm in Minnesota,
and taking little Louie there?"

"What!" I cried. "Look here, Jack, whatever you do, don't, for Heaven's
sake, get poor little Louie