ttered O'Shea, half aloud.

"No, sir. We Western men are little liable to insanity; our lives are
too much abroad and open-air lives for that. It's your thoughtful,
reflective, deep men, as wears a rut in their mind with thinkin'; them
's the fellows goes mad."

O'Shea's stare of astonishment at this speech scarcely seemed to convey
a concurrence in the assertion, and he made a step towards the door.

"If you're a-goin', I've nothing more to say, sir," said Quackinboss.

"I cannot see what there is to detain me here!" said the other, sternly.

"There ain't much, that's a fact," was the cool reply. "There's nothing
remarkable in them bottles; it's new brandy and British gin; and as
for myself, sir, I can only say I must give you a bill payable at
sight,--whenever we may meet again, I mean; for just now this young man
here can't spare me. I 'm his nurse, you see. I hope you understand me?"

"I believe I do."

"Well, that's all right, stranger, and here's my hand on 't" And even
before O'Shea was well aware, the other had taken his hand in his strong
grasp and was shaking it heartily. O'Shea found it very hard not to
laugh outright, but there was a meaning-like determination in the
American's manner that showed it was no moment for mirth.

It was, however, necessary to say something to relieve a very awkward
pause, and so he observed,--

"I hope Mr. Layton's illness is not a serious one. I saw him, as I
thought, perfectly well two days back."

"He's main bad, sir; very sick,--very sick, indeed."

"You have a doctor, I suppose?"

"No, sir. I have some experience myself, and I 'm just a-treatin' him
by what I picked up among people that have very few apothecaries,--the
Mandan Indians."

"Without being particular, I must own I 'd prefer a more civilized
course of physic," said O'Shea, with a faint smile.

"Very likely, stranger; and if you had a dispute, you 'd rather, mayhap,
throw it into a law court, and leave it to three noisy fellows to
quarrel over; while _I_'d look out for two plain fellows, with
horny hands and honest hearts, and say, 'What's the rights o' this,
gentlemen?'"

"I wish you every success, I'm sure," said O'Shea, bowing.

"The same to you, sir," said the other, in a sing-song tone. "Good-bye."

When O'Shea had reached the first landing, he stopped, and, leaning
against the wall, laughed heartily. "I hope I 'll be able to remember
all he said," muttered he, as he fancied himself amusing