"SUSAN."

"p.s. the piggs is quite livly but ther not so hansum heer as in
the owld country, don't forgit to rite to your susan."

No one can conceive the indignation that swelled the broad chest of
honest John Bumpus when he listened to the laughter with which some
parts of this letter were received.

"Now," said Dan, "could any man want better proof than this that John
Bumpus _is not_ a pirate?"

This question was answered by a perfect yell from the crowd.

"Set him free! cut his cords!" cried a voice.

"Stop, friends," cried a big, coarse-looking man, leaping on the table
and jostling Dan out of the way. "Not quite so fast. I don't pretend to
be a learned feller, and I can't make a speech with a buttery tongue
like Dan here. But wot I've got to say is--Justice forever!"

"Hurrah!" from some of the wild spirits of the crowd. "Go on, Burke,"
from others.

"Yes, wot I say is--Justice forever! Fair play an' no favor: _that's_
wot I say!"

Another cheer greeted the bold assertion of these noble sentiments.

"Now, here it is," continued Burke, becoming much excited, "wot's to
hinder that there letter bein' a forgery?--aye, that's the word, a
forgery? (Hear! hear!), got up apurpose to bamboozle us chaps that
ain't lawyers. D'ye see?"

Burke glanced at Dan, and smote his thigh triumphantly as he said this.

"It does not _look_ like a forgery," said Dan, holding up the letter and
pointing to the writing. "I leave it to yourselves to say if it _sounds_
like a forgery--"

"I don't care a farthin' dip for yer _looks_ and _sounds_," cried Burke,
interrupting the other. "No man is goin' for to tell me that anybody can
trust to _looks_ and _sounds_. Why, I've know'd the greatest villain
that ever chewed the end of a smuggled cigar _look_ as innocent as the
babe unborn. An' is there a man here wot'll tell me he hasn't often an'
over again mistook the crack of a big gun for a clap o' thunder?"

This was received with much approval by the crowd, which had evidently
more than half-forgotten the terrible purpose for which it had assembled
there, and was now much interested in what bade fair to be a keen
dispute. When the noise abated, Dan raised his voice and said:

"If Burke had not interrupted me, I was going to have said that another
thing which proves the letter to be no forgery is, that the postmark of
San Francisco is on the back of it, with the date all right."

This statement del