NATURE AND HUMAN NATURE.

CHAPTER I.

A SURPRISE.

THINKS I to myself, as I overheard a person inquire of the servant at the door, in an unmistakeable voice and tone, "is the Squire to home?" that can be no one else than my old friend Sam Slick the Clockmaker. But it could admit of no doubt when he proceeded, "If he is, tell him I am here."

"Who shall I say, Sir?"

The stranger paused a moment, and then said, "it's such an everlastin' long name, I don't think you can carry it all to wunst, and

I don't want it broke in two. Tell him it's a gentleman that calculates to hold a protracted meeten here to night. Come, don't stand starin' there in the track, you might get run over. Don't you hear the engine coming? Shunt off now."

"Ah, my old friend," said I, advancing, and shaking him by the hand, "how are you?"

"As hearty as a buck," he replied, “ though I can't jist jump quite so high now."

"I knew you," I said, "the moment I heard your voice, and if I had not recognised that, I should have known your talk."

"That's because I am a Yankee, Sir," he said, "no two of us look alike, or talk alike; but being free and enlightened citizens, we jist talk as we please."

"Ah, my good friend, you always please when you talk, and that is more than can be said of most men."

دو

"And so will you," he replied, "if you use soft sawder that way. Oh, dear me! it seems but the other day, that you laughed so at my theory of soft sawder and human natur', don't it? They were pleasant days warn't they? I often think of them, and think of them

with pleasure too. As I was passing Halifax harbour, on my way home in the 'Black Hawk,' the wind fortunately came ahead, and thinks I to myself, I will put in there, and pull foot for Windsor and see the Squire, give him my journal, and spend an hour or two with him once more. So here I am, at least what is left of me, and dreadful glad I am to see you too; but as it is about your dinner hour, I will go and titivate up a bit, and then we will have a dish of chat for desert, and cigars to remind us of by-gones, as we stroll through your shady walks here."

My old friend had worn well; he was still a wiry athletic man, and his step as elastic and springy as ever. The constant exercise he had been in the habit of taking, had preserved his health and condition, and these in their turn had enabled him to maintain his cheerfulness and humour. The lines in his face were somewhat

*The Americans are not entitled to the credit or ridicule, whichever people may be disposed to bestow upon them, for the extraordinary phrases with which their conversation is occasionally embellished. Some of them have good classical authority. That of " pull-foot " may be traced to Euripides.

“ ἀναίρων ἐκ δώματων ποδὰ”

deeper, and a few straggling grey hairs were the only traces of the hand of time. His manner was much improved by his intercourse with the great world; but his phraseology, in which he appeared to take both pride and pleasure, was much the same as when I first knew him. So little, indeed, was he changed, that I could scarcely believe so many years had elapsed since we made our first tour together.

It was a most unexpected and agreeable visit. He enlivened the conversation at dinner with anecdotes that were often too much for the gravity of my servant, who once or twice left the room to avoid explosive outbreaks of laughter. Among others, he told me the following whimsical story.

"When the 'Black Hawk' was at Causeau, we happened to have a queer original sort of man, a Nova Scotia doctor on board, who joined our party at Ship Harbour, for the purpose of taking a cruise with us. above particular to do,

Not having anything we left the vessel and

took passage in a coaster for Prince Edward's Island, as my commission required me to spend. a day or two there, and inquire about the fisheries. Well although I don't trade now, I