, where his little daughter
cried for him as if she'd break her heart. I asked the Yankee what we
should do, but he looked at me somewhat offended like, an' said he was a
relation o' the dead man's wife, and could manage the affairs o' the
family without help; so I bid him good mornin', and went my way. But I
believe in my heart he was tellin' a lie, and that he's no right to go
hawkin' the poor gal about the country in this fashion."

Larry was deeply interested in this narrative, and felt so strong a
disposition to make further inquiries, that he made up his mind to
question the sailor, and was about to address him when a small bell
tinkled, the music ceased, and three Ethiopian minstrels, banjo in hand,
advanced to the foot-lights, made their bow, and then seated themselves
on the three chairs, with that intensity of consummate, impudent, easy
familiarity peculiar to the ebony sons of song.

"Go it, darkies!" shouted an enthusiastic individual in the middle of
the room.

"Three cheers for the niggers!" roared a sailor, who had just returned
from a twelvemonth's cruise at the mines, and whose delight at the
prospect of once more hearing a good song was quite irrepressible.

The audience responded to the call with shouts of laughter, and a cheer
that would have done your heart good to listen to, while the niggers
shewed their teeth in acknowledgment of the compliment.

The first song was "Lilly Dale," and the men, who, we need scarcely say,
were fictitious negroes, sang it so well that the audience listened with
breathless attention and evident delight, and encored it vociferously.
The next song was "Oh! Massa, how he wopped me," a ditty of quite a
different stamp, but equally popular. It also was encored, as indeed
was every song sting that evening; but the performers had counted on
this. After the third song there was a hornpipe, in the performance of
which the dancer's chief aim seemed to be, to shew in what a variety of
complex ways he could shake himself to pieces if he chose. Then there
was another trio, and then a short pause, in order duly to prepare the
public mind for the reception of the great _cantatrice_ Mademoiselle
Nelina. When she was led to the foot-lights by the tallest of the three
negroes, there was a momentary pause, as if men caught their breath;
then there was a prolonged cheer of enthusiastic admiration. And little
wonder, for the creature that appeared before these rough miners seem