nd throw
the skins at his _hundred_ comrades, half of them coming in my front
door. Another, dressed in ragged _jean_, his face covered with _soot_,
played the _jew's-harp_ hour after hour, with as much pride in his
ability as _Paganini_ at his violin. Another, a tall, _jaundice_
visaged youth with an _embryo_ beard of about a dozen hairs, covered
nearly to his heels with his great-grandfather's _surtout_, in the
_lapel_ of which was pinned a death's-head, danced upon the iron
cellar door till it roared like distant artillery.

Then there were many other "_partners_" bearing such _sobriquets_ as
"Sore Snoot," "Pig Eye," "Limpy," etc., _improvising irrational_
songs, boxing, _wrestling_, indulging in _raillery_ and _ribald_
jests, pitching _quoits_, _meawing_ like cats, howling at my _patrons_
and driving reputable _patronage_ away. Every now and then they would
send in little, _saucy_, _precocious_ urchins, who offered to
_patronize_ me by asking for two cents' worth of _jujube_ paste,
_tolu_ or _licorice_, or some _Samaritan_ _salve_ for Jim Biles' sore
nose. At last, when the sun had reached the _horizon_, as a _finale_
of the day's _progress_, one of the young villains hurled a bowlder
through my French plate-glass, which, after its flight through a lot
of _citrate_ of magnesia, _cochineal_ and _quinine_, finally spilled a
large bottle of red ink all over my new _pharmacop[oe]ia_. Springing
over the _debris_, I rushed to the door with _implacable_ anger
flashing from my eyes. But one glance at that _imperturbable_ crowd
showed me how _impotent_ I was. One of them with _placid_ countenance
and _stolid_ indifference simply accosted me with, "Say, Mister, are
you going to see the '_Naiad_ Queen' to-night?"

I left that store in less than a _fortnight_.

* * * * *

The _comptroller_ was appointed by the _government_ upon the
supposition that he was _conversant_ with the details of _finance_;
but he was only a _mediocre financier_ and was not aware of the
_deficit_ in the _finances_, until the conscience-stricken
_defalcating_ officer acknowledged his _defalcation_.

* * * * *

The emigrants to the _frontier_ chose a beautiful spot for their
settlement; but they found that the wells dug there and on the
_contiguous prairies_ had a _saline_ taste; so they were obliged to
bring water from the _mountainous_ region beyond, by means of a
_conduit_.