J. COLE. 15

sleeves being much too short for the long
arms, of which he was so proud, allowed the
wristbands of a vivid blue flannel shirt to be
seen.

I was alone, so could put up with this droll
figure at my elbow; but the seriousness of
his face was such a contrast to the comicality
of the rest of him, that I found myself begin-
ning to smile every now and then, but directly
I saw the serious eyes on me, I felt obliged
to become grave at once.

The waiting at table I could not exactly
pronounce a success; for, although Joe’s quick
eyes detected in an instant if I wanted any-
thing, his anxiety to be “first in the field,”
and give Mary no chance of instructing him
in his duties, made him collide against her
more than once in‘his hasty rushes to the
sideboard and back to my elbow with the
dishes, which he generally handed to me long
before he reached me, his long arms enabling
him to reach me with his hands while he
was yet some distance from me, and often on
the wrong side. I also noticed when I wanted
water he lifted the water-bottle on high, and