th your two youngest boys?" said
Mr. Slick to me to-day, as we were walking in the Park.

"I design them," I said, "for professions. One I shall educate for a
lawyer, and the other for a clergyman."

"Where?"

"In Nova Scotia."

"Exactly," says he. "It shews your sense; it's the very place for 'em.
It's a fine field for a young man; I don't know no better one no where
in the whole univarsal world. When I was a boy larnin' to shoot, sais
father to me, one day, 'Sam,' sais he, 'I'll give you a lesson in
gunnin' that's worth knowin'. "_Aim high_," my boy; your gun naterally
settles down a little takin' sight, cause your arm gets tired, and
wabbles, and the ball settles a little while it's a travellin',
accordin' to a law of natur, called Franklin's law; and I obsarve you
always hit below the mark. Now, make allowances for these things in
gunnin', and "aim high," for your life, always. And, Sam,' sais he,
'I've seed a great deal of the world, all mili_tary_ men do. 'I was to
Bunker's Hill durin' the engagement, and I saw Washington the day he was
made President, and in course must know more nor most men of my age;
and I'll give you another bit of advice, "Aim high" in life, and if you
don't hit the bull's eye, you'll hit the "fust circles," and that ain't
a bad shot nother.'

"'Father,' sais I, 'I guess I've seed more of the world than you have,
arter all.'

"'How so, Sam?' sais he.

"'Why,' sais I, 'father, you've only been to Bunker's Hill, and that's
nothin'; no part of it ain't too steep to plough; it's only a sizeable
hillock, arter all. But I've been to the Notch on the White Mountain,
so high up, that the snow don't melt there, and seed five States all to
once, and half way over to England, and then I've seed Jim Crow dance.
So there now?' He jist up with the flat of his hand, and gave me a wipe
with it on the side of my face, that knocked me over; and as I fell, he
lent me a kick on my musn't-mention-it, that sent me a rod or so afore I
took ground on all fours.

"'Take that, you young scoundrel!' said he, 'and larn to speak
respectful next time to an old man, a mili_tary_ man, and your father,
too.'

"It hurt me properly, you may depend. 'Why,' sais I, as I picked myself
up, 'didn't you tell me to "aim high," father? So I thought I'd do it,
and beat your brag, that's all.'

"Truth is, Squire, I never could let a joke pass all my life, without
havin' a lark with it. I was fond of one, ever since I was