"Ongodly! Why, dodrabbit ye, Leezur!" said this native Artichoke, "ye
never done an ongodly thing in yer life--'cept, maybe," he added, "to
cuss a little when ye was fishin' for the bucket."

"'Specially," said Captain Leezur intelligently, "when the women folks
has been thar afore ye, r'ilin' the water and jabbin' of her furder
deown."

Uncle Coffin gave me an irresistible but a loving and true, not a
malicious, wink.

"Speakin' o' women folks, Leezur," said he, "is there any news from
Lot's wife?"

Captain Leezur cleared the mellow symphonies of those organs through
which he intoned his speech; and was about to reply, fully and sweetly,
when Captain Pharo made his appearance at the door.

Uncle Coffin sprang from his chair, and with a grave face, which only
later broke out into those beams of affection which were storming his
bosom, shook him violently by the collar, dragged him across the floor,
and set him in a chair by the fireplace with a loud, conclusive thump.

"Dodrabbit ye, man!" said he, "I hain't heered your voice since I was a
baby."

Captain Pharo, with a countenance full of delight and sympathy, pulled
his ruffled jacket down nearer to the waist line, and lit his pipe.

"Dodrabbit ye, Pharo!" continued Uncle Coffin, and turned from his pet
to me with another wink, "what are yer days like now? They ain't like
the grass, are they? I b'lieve they are, jest like the same old grass,
or like the morning flower, the blighting wind sweeps o'er. She
withers in an'--why don't ye never finish on 'er out, Pharo? Why don't
ye never ring the last note on 'er--eh?"

"Because, Coffin," said Captain Pharo, with a smile of deep meaning,
"because thar's so many things that when they're onct finished they 're
completely done for in this world; eat a meal o' vittles and thar 's
the end on't; smoke a pipe an' she runs dead; I like t' have one thing
left over. I like to feel, Coffin, by clam! 't thar's somethin' 't
thar ain't go'n' to be no end on!"

Uncle Coffin had been studying him attentively, with his hands on his
knees.

"Kobbe," said he, "you're a philosoffarer."

Captain Pharo wiggled uneasily.

"I don't say hippopotamar nor rhinosossarer," said Uncle Coffin; "I say
philosoffarer."

Captain Pharo drew a strange breath of relief.

"Mebbe we're a little alike in that respec'," Captain Leezur assured
him deliciously; "'cept 't he ain't nigh so ongodly as I use' ter be."

"I don' know," said Capta