mash," observed Mrs. Younker; "and its my opine, Ben, you'd better sell
right straight out immediately, afore the news gits about any further,
for fear o' accidents and them things."

"I suppose in reality the present war with England does not trouble you
here?" said the stranger, interrogatively.

"Why not in reality," answered Younker, "only so far as the Britishers
and thar accursed renegade agents set on the Injens agin us."

"To what renegade agents do you allude?" inquired the other, with a
degree of interest he had not before exhibited.

"Why, to the Girtys, McKee, and Elliot--and perticularly to that thar
scoundrel, Simon Girty the worst o' all on 'em."

"Ha! Simon Girty," said the other, with a slight start and change of
countenance; "what know you of him?"

"Nothing that's good, you may be sartin, and every thing that's evil.
He's leagued with the Injens, purposely to excite 'em agin his own white
brethren--to have them murder women and children, that he may feast his
eyes on thar innocent blood. I'm not given to be o' a revengeful speret,
Mr. Williams; but I never think o' that thar renegade, Simon Girty, but
I inwardly pray for the curse o' an avenging God to light upon him; and
come it will, ayther soon or late, you may depend on't!"

"Amen to that thar sentiment!" responded the dame; while the stranger
became very much agitated, on account, as he said, of a violent pain in
his side, to which he was subject.

Mrs. Younker was on the point of bringing down her invectives on the
head of the renegade in a speech of some considerable length, when,
perceiving the distressful look of the other, the kind-hearted woman
suddenly forgot her animosity in sympathy for her suffering guest; and
forthwith proceeded, with all the eloquence of which she was master, to
recommend a certain essence that chanced to be in the house, as a never
failing remedy for all griping and other pains with which unfortunate
humanity was oftentimes afflicted.

"It's one o' the bestest things as ever war invented," continued the
good woman, in her eulogy of the article in question; "and has did more
good in it's time, nor all the doctors on the univarsal yarth put
together could do, in the way of curing sprains, and bruises, and
stomach-pains, and them things; and ef you don't believe it, Mr.
Williams, you can see it all in print, ef you can read, and I spect you
can, on the bottle itself, jest as plain as any thing; and besides, I'v