as about bottom, an'
this here telegraph wouldn't 'a' ben sent if the feller that sent it
didn't think so too, an' I've had some other cor'spondence with him."
Mr. Harum paused and laughed a little.

"I was jest thinkin'," he continued, "of what the Irishman said about
Stofford. Never ben there, have ye? Wa'al, it's a place eight nine mile
f'm here, an' the hills 'round are so steep that when you're goin' up
you c'n look right back under the buggy by jest leanin' over the edge
of the dash. I was drivin' 'round there once, an' I met an Irishman with
a big drove o' hogs.

"'Hello, Pat!' I says, 'where 'd all them hogs come from?'

"'Stofford,' he says.

"'Wa'al,' I says, 'I wouldn't 'a' thought the' was so many hogs _in_
Stofford.'

"'Oh, be gobs!' he says, 'sure they're _all_ hogs in Stofford;' an',"
declared David, "the bears ben sellin' that pork up in Chicago as if the
hull everlastin' West was _all_ hogs."

"It's very tempting," said John thoughtfully.

"Wa'al," said David, "I don't want to tempt ye exac'ly, an' certain I
don't want to urge ye. The' ain't no sure things but death an' taxes, as
the sayin' is, but buyin' pork at these prices is buyin' somethin'
that's got value, an' you can't wipe it out. In other words, it's buyin'
a warranted article at a price consid'ably lower 'n it c'n be produced
for, an' though it may go lower, if a man c'n _stick_, it's bound to
level up in the long run."

Our friend sat for some minutes apparently looking into the fire, but he
was not conscious of seeing anything at all. Finally he rose, went over
to Mr. Harum's desk, figured the interest on the certificates up to the
first of January, indorsed them, and filling up a check for the balance
of the amount in question, handed the check and certificate to David.

"Think you'll go it, eh?" said the latter.

"Yes," said John; "but if I take the quantity you suggest, I shall have
nothing to remargin the trade in case the market goes below a certain
point."

"I've thought of that," replied David, "an' was goin' to say to you that
I'd carry the trade down as fur as your money would go, in case more
margins had to be called."

"Very well," said John. "And will you look after the whole matter for
me?"

"All right," said David.

John thanked him and returned to the front room.

* * * * *

There were times in the months which followed when our friend had reason
to wish that all swine had