s clay-cold bed, and bury somebody
else on the top of him to-morrow; the minister will come, put on his
robe and read the service; the choir'll sing a hymn; earth to earth and
dust to gravel, and that'll be the last of Peter Knight."

The Higholdboy consulting with those members of the club who were still
awake, it was resolved forthwith to put Peter Knight down stairs. As he
went he remarked:

"Fare thee well, and if for ever, all the better.--That's Byron, revised
and corrected."

Johnny Cake was manifestly too far gone to think of taking him to a
hotel to sleep, and under these circumstances the club resolved itself
into a committee of the whole, to remain in sleepy session all night, to
take care of their prostrate fellow-member, Mr. Johnny Cake.

JOHNNY CAKE'S FIRST SPREE.

Whatever is, is.

WRIGHT.

[Illustration]

IN the last chapter of this veritable history is related the unexpected
and unusually thorough inebriation of Mr. John I. Cake, from the verdant
prairies of Illinois. The alcoholically-saturated condition of Johnny's
corporosity, on the occasion herein-before-mentioned, surprised the
thirsty brotherhood far more than would a similar state of facts in
which any other one of the fraternity should have been implicated,
because as Johnny had always perched himself upon the aqueous pinnacle
of misanthropic teetotalism, it was not reasonable to suppose that he
should, by one single dive, precipitate himself at once to the lowest
depth of inebriation--for his profession's sake, he should have come
down easier.

As his new-made friends had taken his moral culture under their especial
guardianship, he was duly required, the next evening, to give, for the
instruction and edification of the club, a full account of his night's
experience.

Having first premised that he only complied with this desire in
obedience to that imperative rule of the club, to which he had solemnly,
affixed his name, which, in the most awful language, pledges every
member who takes that terrible obligation to do exactly as he pleases,
unless his own pleasure shall influence him otherwise, or unless, upon
mature consideration, he shall decide that he had rather do something
else, he proceeded to enlighten the anxious Elephantine expectants.

"When I left you yesterday," said he, "I had no more idea that I should
so far overstep the bounds of my customary propriety, and make my next
appearance before you in a state of a