el, do you notice anythin'?' says William. Well, to tell
the truth, I hadn't; yet it might only been fancy, so I says,
'Seems to me I _do_, William--nothin' vi'lent, nor musical, nor
humorous--but a kind of a tranquil, preliminary,
what-you-might-call-indication of somethin' to follow.'

"'Huh,' says William, 'let's try another.

"We was careful to load to the brim this time. After five minutes
I says, 'Are you sure you don't notice nothin,' William?' I
observed a risin' color in his face.

"'U-m-m--y-a-as,' says he most sarcastical; 'I notice somethin',
Ezekiel--a strong smell of peppermint--not escaped you, perhaps?
Well, there's just one more swig of green paint goin' to force
itself into the midst of William Pemberton, and if there ain't more
to show for it than the present odor and a sensation 'sif I'd been
turned inside out and exposed to the wintry blasts you'll hear from
me, Ezekiel. I've stood,' says William, 'about all I'm prepared to
stand. The next act will be for me to proceed to get a move on.'

"Knowin' what a powerful disposition he had I most sincerely hoped
our next glass would bring about satisfactory conclusions. I
downed her, but it had got to be all I could do, I felt a freezin'
cold in my vitals, like William had complained of, instead of the
warmth and comfort for which I looked. Y-a-as, I swallered that
glass by main strength, like a snake would a hop-toad--kinder
lengthened myself until I was outside of it.

"'Tick-tick-tick,' remarks William's clock on the wall. When it
had arranged its hands before its mild countenance in such a way as
to inform me that twenty minutes, mountain time, had done all the
elapsin' possible, I slid my anxious gaze on William. He held to
his chair with both hands, and white spots showed in his cheeks,
the way he chawed his teeth together.

"'Ahem,' says I, clearin' my throat, 'Hum--ah, do you--er--do you
no--'

"I got no farther. William leant over and bent his finger double
agin my chest. 'Full well,' says he in a tone of v'ice not loud
but so loaded with meanin' it bumped on his teeth--'full well,
Ezekiel George Washington Scraggs, do I assimerlate what the
results of such a course will be, but if you should persume to ast
me any more if I notice anything I shall at once arise and bat you
in the eye--I am beyond carin' for conserquences.'

"'Now, now, now! What is the use of gettin' so excited? Take a
drink of water--you'll bust your b'iler