of
ankles that put my modesty to its severest test, gave a spring, and was
on the ground beside me.

"Well, you ain't so bad looking as I thought for," Maria continued,
flashing a wicked glance at me, with her large eyes, that stirred my
blood, in defiance of her forwardness and vulgarity. "We shall be
cronies, I know. Only let me have my own way, and make love to me, and
we shall get along quite pleasantly."

"But you forget your husband," I insinuated, seeing that that worthy
individual began to look rather black at the idea of having a rival in
his wife's affections.

"O Lord! what's the use of mentioning Barney? He's a poor coot, and will
soon get used to my ways; won't you, deary?"

The husband didn't make an audible reply, but I understood him to say
"Damn," quite distinctly.

"What have you got for supper!" our female visitor asked. "I'm hungry
enough to eat a two-year-old baby. Let me have something, that's a good
feller, and then we'll talk about other matters."

I didn't admire her impudence, but as Fred was inclined to keep in the
background, and Smith wouldn't respond, I had to do the honors of the
house with as much dignity as possible. I seated her at our rough table,
and helped her liberally, and was pleased to see that absence from her
haunts in London had not diminished her appetite, or caused a regretful
feeling in her heart.

"I'm glad I accepted the chance to visit this country," she said, "for I
begin to like it. The old fogies promised that I should have a husband
as soon as I arrived, and they kept their word, but I wished that I'd
got a larger one. I don't like little men, and never did."

Her husband was heard to observe that he preferred a quiet woman to a
noisy one, but the remark didn't seem to make much of an impression.
"By the way," Mrs. Barney cried, "where am I to sleep to-night? in that
little room?"

Before we could answer her, she arose from the table and ran towards it,
and saw our patient lying upon the bed.

"Hullo!" she exclaimed, in astonishment, "what is that old fellow doing
there? I can't have him with me!"

I explained to her that a bed had been provided in a tent but a few feet
from the store, where she and her husband could make themselves
comfortable, if they were so disposed, but she would not listen to me.

"Do you s'pose," she cried, "that I'm such a fool as to sleep out under
a tent, where I shall be liable to be eaten up by the savages? My old
man can