he chart, that this was not the
Island wot of by the good and aged Devonshire divine--and so we eased
our consciences of accounting for the treasure to him. We then sailed
away, arriving after many years' absence at the Port of Bristol in
Merrie England, where I took leave of the "Jolly Roger," that being the
name of my ship; it was a strange conceit of seamen in after years ever
to call the device of my FLAG--to wit, a skull and bones made in the
sign of a Cross--by the NAME my ship bore, and if I have only corrected
the misuse of history by lying knaves, I shall be content with this
writing. But alas! such are the uncertainties of time; I found my good
Lord of Southampton dead and most of his friends beheaded, and the
blessed King James of Scotland--if I mistake not, for these also be the
uncertainties of time--on the throne. In due time I married Mistress
Marian Straitways. I might have told more of trifling, and how she
fared, poor wench! in mine absence, even to the following of me in
another ship, in a shipboy's disguise, and how I rescued her from a
scheming Pagan villain; but, as a plain, blunt man, I am no hand at the
weaving of puling love tales and such trifling diversions for lovesick
mayds and their puny gallants--having only consideration for men and
their deeds, which I have here set down bluntly and even at mine
advanced years am ready to maintain with the hand that set it down.

DAN'L BOREM

BY E. N---S W--T---T

I

Dan'l Borem poured half of his second cup of tea abstractedly into his
lap.

"Guess you've got suthin' on yer mind, Dan'l," said his sister.

"Mor'n likely I've got suthin' on my pants," returned Dan'l with that
exquisitely dry, though somewhat protracted humor which at once
thrilled and bored his acquaintances. "But--speakin' o' that hoss
trade"--

"For goodness' sake, don't!" interrupted his sister wearily; "yer allus
doin' it. Jest tell me about that young man--the new clerk ye think o'
gettin'."

"Well, I telegraphed him to come over, arter I got this letter from
him," he returned, handing her a letter. "Read it out loud."

But his sister, having an experienced horror of prolixity, glanced over
it. "Far as I kin see he takes mor'n two hundred words to say you've
got to take him on trust, and sez it suthin' in a style betwixt a
business circular and them Polite Letter Writers. I thought you
allowed he was a tony feller."

"Ef he does not brag much, ye see, I k