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54 UNCLE TOMS CABIN; OR;

of a treat in this here parlour. So, now, old coon,” said he to
the man at the bar, “ get us hot water, and sugar, and cigars, and
plenty of the real stuff, and we'll have a blow-out.”

Behold, then, the candles lighted, the fire stimulated to the
burning-point in the grate, and our three worthies seated round a
table, well spread with all the accessories to good fellowship
enumerated before.

Haley began @ pathetic recital of his peculiar troubles. Loker
shut up his mouth, and listened to him with gruff and surly
attention. Marks, who was anxiously and with much fidgetting
compounding a tumbler of punch to his own peculiar taste, occa-
sionally looked up from his employment, and, poking his sharp
nose and chin almost into Haley's face, gave the most earnest
heed to the whole narrative. The conclusion of it appeared to
amuse him extremely, for he shook his shoulders and sides in
silence, and perked up his thin lips with an air of great internal
enjoyment.

«Qo, then, ye'r fairly sewed up, arn't ye ” he said, “he! he!
he! It’s neatly done, too.”

«This yer young-un business makes lots of trouble in the
trade,” said Haley dolefully.

“Tf we could get & breed of gals that didn’t care, Now, for
their young ‘uns,’ said Marks, “ tell ye, I think 't would be
‘hout the greatest mod'rn improvement i knows on”—and Marks
patronised his joke by a quiet introductory sniggle.

« Jes so,” said Haley; * I never couldn't see snto it. Young
uns is heaps. of trouble to ‘em—one would think, now, they'd be
glad to get clar on ‘em; but they arn't. And the more trouble
a young un is, and the more good for nothing, as & geur'l thing,
the tighter they sticks to ’em.” |

“Wal, Mr. Haley,” said Marks, “jest pass the hot water. Yes,
sir; you say jest what 1 feel and all’us have. Now, bought a
gal once, when I was in the trade—a tight, likely wench she was,
too, and quite considerable smart—and she had a young un that
was mis’able sickly; it ad a crooked back or something or other,
and I jest gin't away to a man that thought he’d take his chance
raisin on’t, being it didn’t cost nothin’—never thought, yer know,
of the gal’s takin’ on about it—but, Lord, yer oughter see how
she went on! Why, relly, she did seem to me to valley the
child more ‘cause ‘twas sickly and cross, and plagued her; and
she warn't making b'lieve, neither—cried about it, she did, and
lopped round, as if she'd lost every friend she had. It re'lly was
droll to think on't. Lord, there an't no end to women’s notions.”

«“ Wal, jest 50 with me,” said Haley. ‘ Last summer, down
on Red River, I got a gal traded off on me, with @ likely-lookin’
child enough, and his eyes looked as bright as yourn ; but, come
to look, I found him stone blind. Fact he was stone blind.
Wal, ye see, I thought there warn't no harm in my jest passing