of my debts frightened me out
of that, and so I put it off. I half wish now I hadn't been so
confoundedly prudent. Perhaps it is best, though. Still I don't know.
Better be the wife of a poor devil, than have one's heart broken by a
mean devil. Heigho!"

H E I G H O are the letters which are usually employed to represent a
sigh. I use them in accordance with the customs of the literary world.

"Well," resumed Jack, "after my return I called on her, and repeated my
call several times. She was all that could be desired, but her father
was different. I found him rather chilly, and not at all inclined to
receive me with that joyous hospitality which my various merits
deserved. The young lady herself seemed sad. I found out, at last, that
the old gentleman amused himself with badgering her about me; and
finally she told me, with tears, that her father requested me to visit
that house no more. Well, at that I was somewhat taken aback; but,
nevertheless, I determined to wait till the old gentleman himself
should speak. You know my peculiar coolness, old chap, that which you
and the rest call my happy audacity; and you may believe that it was
all needed under such circumstances as these. I went to the house twice
after that. Each time my little girl was half laughing with joy, half
crying with fear at seeing me; and each time she urged me to keep away.
She said we could write to one another. But letter-writing wasn't in my
line. So after trying in vain to obey her, I went once more in
desperation to explain matters.

"Instead of seeing her, I found the old fellow himself. He was simply
white, hot with rage--not at all noisy, or declamatory, or vulgar--but
cool, cutting, and altogether terrific. He alluded to my gentlemanly
conduct in forcing myself where I had been ordered off; and informed me
that if I came again he would be under the unpleasant necessity of
using a horsewhip. That, of course, made me savage. I pitched into him
pretty well, and gave it to him hot and heavy, but, hang it! I'm no
match for fellows of that sort; he kept so cool, you know, while I was
furious--and the long and the short of it is, that I had to retire in
disorder, rowing on him some mysterious vengeance or other, which I
have never been able to carry out.

"The next day I got a letter from her. It was awfully sad, blotted with
tears, and all that. She implored me to write her, told me she couldn't
see me, spoke about her father's cruelty and pe