ling no better or more satisfactory in our
mind, and no reason to, for night was now closing in, and we were going
through our performances by the slight illumination of the stars,
without any positive certainty as to where the Captain kept his tinder
box and candle, that we might furnish some sort of light upon the
lugubrious state of affairs.

"Do you keep this store?"

"No, we do not," we answered, watching the man as he put his bundle down
upon the counter.

"Who does?" was the next question.

"The gentleman who keeps it," we replied, "is away to-day."

"Ah, gone to see a poor human being put out of the world, eh?"

We said "yes," or something of the kind, and thought to ourself, no
doubt you know all that's going on of that sort of business like a book,
and a host of other ideas flashed across our mind, while all the evil
deeds of note transacted in that region for the past ten years, seemed
awakened in our mind's eye, working up our nervous system, until the
coon skin cap upon our excited head stood upon about fifteen hairs, with
the strange and overwhelming impression that our time had come! We would
have given the State of Missouri--if it were in our possession, to have
heard Captain V----'s voice, or even have had a fair chance to dash out
at the door, and give the fellow before us a specimen of tall
walking--lame as we were!

"Ain't you got a _light_? I'd think you'd be a little timid (a _little_
timid!) about laying around here, alone, in the dark, too?" said the
fellow, sticking one hand into his coat pocket, and gazing sharply
around the store. Mock heroically says we--

"Afraid? Afraid of what?" our valor, like Bob Acres', oozing out at our
fingers.

"These outlaws you've got around here," said he. "They say the man they
hanged to-day was a decent fellow to what some are, who prowl around in
this country!"

We very modestly said, "that such fellows never bothered us."

"Do you sleep in this store--live here?"

"No, sir, we don't," was our answer.

"Where do you lodge and get your eating?"

"First house up the road."

"How far is it?" says he.

"Half a mile or less."

"Well, close up your shop, and come along with me!" says the fellow.

Now we were coming to the _tableaux!_ He wanted us to step outside in
order that the business could be done for us, with more haste and
certainty, and we really felt as good as assassinated and hid in the
bushes! It was quite astonishing how our visua