nterminable narrative there ran a vein
of impressive earnestness and sincerity which showed me plainly that, so
far from his imagining that there was anything ridiculous or funny about
his story, he regarded it as a really important matter, and admired its
two heroes as men of transcendent genius in _finesse_. I let him go on
in his own way, and never interrupted him once.

Reverend Leonidas W. H'm, Reverend Le--well, there was a feller here
once by the name of _Jim_ Smiley, in the winter of '49--or maybe it was
the spring of '50--I don't recollect exactly, somehow, though what makes
me think it was one or the other is because I remember the big flume
warn't finished when he first come to the camp; but anyway, he was the
curiosest man about always betting on anything that turned up you ever
see, if he could get anybody to bet on the other side; and if he
couldn't he'd change sides. Any way that suited the other man would suit
_him_--any way just so's he got a bet, _he_ was satisfied. But still he
was lucky, uncommon lucky; he most always come out winner. He was always
ready and laying for a chance; there couldn't be no solit'ry thing
mentioned but that feller'd offer to bet on it, and take ary side you
please, as I was just telling you. If there was a horse-race, you'd find
him flush or you'd find him busted at the end of it; if there was a
dog-fight, he'd bet on it; if there was a cat-fight, he'd bet on it; if
there was a chicken-fight, he'd bet on it; why, if there was two birds
setting on a fence, he would bet you which one would fly first; or if
there was a camp-meeting he would be there reg'lar to bet on Parson
Walker, which he judged to be the best exhorter about here, and so he
was too, and a good man. If he even see a straddle-bug start to go
anywhere, he would bet how long it would take him to get to--to wherever
he was going to, and if you took him up, he would foller that
straddle-bug to Mexico but what he would find out where he was bound for
and how long he was on the road. Lots of the boys here has seen that
Smiley and can tell you about him. Why, it never made no difference to
_him_--he'd bet on _any_thing--the dangdest feller. Parson Walker's wife
laid very sick once, for a good while, and it seemed as if they warn't
going to save her; but one morning he come in, and Smiley up and asked
him how she was, and he said she was considable better--thank the Lord
for His inf'nite mercy--and coming on so smart th