n't dat be scrumptuous?" interrupted Midas.

"S'posen," continued Lucy, "you had jest put your arm roun' my wai'
(dat's it), der wasn't nobody 'bout, you was a squeezin' me up, an'
was jest gwine to gimme de lubinest kind ob a kiss, an'--an'--an' de
biler would bust!"

"Oh, de debbil!" said the disappointed Midas.

"Now, Midas, I is s'posen dis case, an' I wants you to mind de words
what I am a speakin'. S'posen when dat biler busted we bof went up
in de air, come down in de ribber, an' when we arrive in de water we
found de only thing lef' of dat boat was one piece ob board dat wasn't
big enough to hole us bof, but we bof grab at it; now, Midas, wud
you let go dat board, or would you put me off an' took it all y'self?
Dat's de question what I'm s'posen."

"Luce, can you swim?" he asked, after hesitating a few moments.

"No, Midas, ob course not. You know I can't swim."

"Well den, Luce, my conchenshus 'pinion ob de whole matter am dat we
won't go on no scursions."

PAT AND THE FOX.

SAMUEL LOVER.

"Paddy," said the squire, "perhaps you would favor the gentleman with
that story you told me once about a fox?"

"Indeed and I will, plaze yer honor," said Paddy, "though I know full
well the divil a one word iv it you b'lieve, nor the gintlemen won't
either, though you're axin' me for it--but only want to laugh at me,
and call me a big liar when my back's turned."

"Maybe we wouldn't wait for your back being turned, Paddy, to honor
you with that title."

"Oh, indeed, I'm not sayin' that you wouldn't do it as soon foreninst
my face, yer honor, as you often did before, and will agin, plaze God,
and welkim."

"Well, Paddy, say no more about that, but let's have the story."

"Sure I'm losing no time, only telling the gintlemen beforehand that
it's what they'll be callin' it, a lie--and indeed it's ancommon, sure
enough; but you see, gintlemen, you must remimber that the fox is the
cunnin'est baste in the world, barrin' the wran----"

Here Paddy was questioned why he considered the wren as cunning a
_baste_ as the fox.

"Why, sir, bekase all the birds build their nest wid one hole to it
only, excep'n the wran; but the wran builds two holes to the nest, and
so that if any inimy comes to disturb it upon one door it can go out
an the other. But the fox is cute to that degree that there's many
mortial a fool to him--and, by dad, the fox could by and sell many a
Christian, as you'll soon see by-and-by, whe