e yet," said the colonel.
"Always lived in the city, and thought it the greatest piece of audacity
in the world when I informed her I was going to stop at the residence of
a private gentleman with whom I was not in the least acquainted, to bait
my mules and get dinner. Not a bit acquainted with the Texan elephant,
you see, madam."

"Heaven save me, Samuel! do people in this country associate with
elephants?" exclaimed the bride, with the prettiest display of horrified
surprise.

"To be sure; I had one for a bed-fellow six or eight months when I first
came out here," returned the husband, with perfect serenity.

"O, my soul, I hope I shall never see one!" said the young wife,
nestling closer to her husband's side.

The colonel laughed heartily, and all joined in his merriment.

"You should not alarm new-comers by such bug-bear tales," remarked Mrs.
Camford, at length. "This young gentleman, Mr. Milder, is just from the
north."

"Indeed! well, he looks as if he might soon learn how to grapple with
elephants and tigers both," said the colonel, glancing on the young
man's countenance.

"Tigers!" exclaimed Mrs. Edmunds, taking fresh alarm; "do those
ferocious creatures grow here too?"

"Yes, everything grows here, Mary, about five times as large as anywhere
else," answered the bluff colonel. "But what say, young man, to going up
on the frontier with me, and seeing a bit of soldier life? You'd get to
see the whole elephant there, teeth, trunk and all."

"Why will you keep talking about that dreadful monster?" said the young
wife, who had brought a few nerves along with her. "You'll terrify me to
death, Samuel."

"You must get used to the critters, Mary, and the quicker the better, is
all I have to say," returned the husband, patting her cheek.

Esquire Camford now entered, dinner was served, and the conversation
took a higher tone. Esquire C. spoke of the country, its fertility,
rapid improvement, and exhaustless resources. Fred. Milder began to feel
an interest in a land with prospects so brilliant, and accepted with
pleasure Col. Edmunds' invitation to travel on westward in company with
him. The travellers were persuaded to pass the night; and during the
visit Mrs. Camford came to know that Mrs. Edmunds was a sister of the
Mr. Lester who had purchased her former sumptuous residence from the
hands of the creditors, at the time of their failure in New Orleans.
Still the knowledge did not waken regretful feelings