It was too late now, though, and Dan
was drinking. Dan got down too, and hunted for a soft place. I thought I
heard Dan say, "That Arab's friends ought to keep him in alcohol or
else take him out and bury him somewhere." All the boys took a drink and
climbed down. It is not well to go into further particulars. Let us draw
the curtain upon this act.

..............................

Well, now, to think that after three changing years I should hear from
that curious old relic again, and see Dan advertising it for sale for
the benefit of a benevolent object. Dan is not treating that present
right. I gave that pipe to him for a keepsake. However, he probably
finds that it keeps away custom and interferes with business. It is the
most convincing inanimate object in all this part of the world, perhaps.
Dan and I were roommates in all that long "Quaker City" voyage, and
whenever I desired to have a little season of privacy I used to fire up
on that pipe and persuade Dan to go out; and he seldom waited to change
his clothes, either. In about a quarter, or from that to three-quarters
of a minute, he would be propping up the smoke-stack on the upper deck
and cursing. I wonder how the faithful old relic is going to sell?

A REMINISCENCE OF THE BACK SETTLEMENTS

"Now that corpse [said the undertaker, patting the folded hands of
the deceased approvingly] was a brick--every way you took him he was a
brick. He was so real accommodating, and so modest-like and simple in
his last moments. Friends wanted metallic burial case--nothing else
would do. I couldn't get it. There warn't going to be time anybody could
see that. Corpse said never mind, shake him up some kind of a box he
could stretch out in comfortable, he warn't particular 'bout the general
style of it. Said he went more on room than style, any way, in the
last final container. Friends wanted a silver door-plate on the coffin,
signifying who he was and wher' he was from. Now you know a fellow
couldn't roust out such a gaily thing as that in a little country town
like this. What did corpse say? Corpse said, whitewash his old canoe and
dob his address and general destination onto it with a blacking brush
and a stencil plate, long with a verse from some likely hymn or other,
and pint him for the tomb, and mark him C. O. D., and just let him skip
along. He warn't distressed any more than you be--on the contrary just
as carm and collected as a hearse-horse; s