revented me from telling you," said Mr. Ashton, "that Mr. Carrington
has died since I left there. But you will hardly win this fair, haughty
lady, unless you can plank about a million. But there are other faces
quite as pretty, I think. There is a Julia Middleton, who is attending
school. She is a great beauty, but, if report speaks truly, she would keep
you busily employed in curbing her high temper."

"No matter about the temper--has she got the dimes?" said Raymond.

"About one hundred thousand dollars, I think," answered Ashton; "but one
would need to be paid that much for having such a fury as she is, and such
a queer old rat as her father."

He then proceeded to enumerate some of Mr. Middleton's oddities, at all of
which his auditors laughed heartily, and expressed their determination to
make the old man's acquaintance as soon as possible. When the young men
reached Cincinnati, they concluded to take the stage route to Lexington
and Versailles, and to pay Mr. Middleton a visit before they proceeded to
Frankfort. Accordingly on Thursday afternoon, just as the sun was setting,
they entered Mr. Middleton's yard, where they were received by the dogs,
with just such a demonstration of anger as had greeted Mr. Wilmot more
than a year before.

The master of the house was this time at home, and soon appearing at the
door, he called out to the negroes who were in the yard, "Ho, thar, boys!
Stuff your woolly heads down them tarnal dogs' throats and make them stop
their yellin'! Glad to see you--walk in. Moses and Aaron! If this ain't
Ashton from Frankfort. How d'ye do? How d'ye do?"

Mr. Ashton shook hands with him, and then introduced his companions,
saying they were from New York. The word New York seemed to thrill Mr.
Middleton's nerves like an electric shock. He seized both hands of the
young men and exclaimed, "From New York, hey? Then thrice welcome to my
old cabin and hominy; old Josh's door is allus wide open to folks from New
York." Then leading the way to the sitting room, he continued, "Yes, my
own noble boy was from New York, but he died (this is my old woman Nancy,
gentlemen). I don't see why in the old Harry he couldn't of lived. But he
died and they kivered him up while I was gone, and I never seen him no
more. Ho! Here, Tilda, fetch some hot water and make a little sling for
these chaps. It'll do 'em good, as it's mighty cold and raw like out o'
door."

The sling was made, and Ashton and Raymond drank r