of a country community. Old black Ebenezer--but whose
name had also been cut down for convenience sake to _Sam_, by the old
Captain--did the orchestral duties upon his fiddle, which, aided by a
youngster on the triangle and another on the tambourine, formed quite "a
full band" for the occasion, and dancing was done up in style!

As a sort of "change of scene" or divertisement in the programme,
somebody proposed games of this and games of that, and while old Capt.
Figgles was as busy as "a flea in a tar bucket"--to use the old
gentleman's simile--fulminating and fabricating a rousing bowl of egg
flip for the entire party, Capt. Tiller and Dr. Mutandis were sort of
paired off with a party of eight, in which were the two Miss Figgleses,
to get up their own game.

"Good!" says Capt. Tiller, "pair off with Miss Betsy, Doctor, and I'll
pair off with Miss Sally (the older daughter of Capt. F.), and now what
say you? Let's make up a wedding-party--_let's jump the broomstick!_"

"Agreed!" cries the Doctor. "Who'll be the parson?"

"I'll be parson," says Capt. T.

"Well, get your book."

"Here it is!" cries another, poking a specimen of current Scripture into
the _pseudo_ parson's hands.

"Miss Betsy and Dr. Mutandis, stand up," says Capt. Tiller, assuming
quite the air and grace of the parson.

Bridesmaids, grooms, &c., were soon arranged in due order, and the
interesting ceremony of joining hands and hearts in one happy bond of
mutual and indissoluble (slightly, sometimes!) love and obedience was
progressing.

"Cap'n Figgles, you're wanted," says one, interrupting the old man, now
busy concocting his grog for all hands.

"Go to blazes, you son of a sea cook!" cries the old gentleman; "haven't
you common decency to see when a man's engaged in a _calculation_ he
oughtn't to be disturbed, eh?"

"But Betsy's going to be married!" insists the disturber, who, in fact,
was half-seas over in infatuation with Miss Betsy, and had had a slight
inkling of a fact that by the law of the State anybody could marry a
couple, and the marriage would be as obligatory upon the parties as
though performed by the identical legal authorities to whom young folks
"in a bad way" are in the habit of appealing for relief.

"Let 'em heave ahead, you marine!" cries Capt. Figgles.

"Are you really willing to allow it?" continues the swain.

"Me willing? It's Betsy's affair; let her keep the lookout," said the
old gent.

"But don't you know,