THE MANAGER OF THE SPRINGS. 237 



door of this most uninviting-looking establish- 

 ment. ' A mighty tall smell of brimstone,' he 

 further added, ' seems coming up from " Old 

 Hoof's " stove-pipe. Calkilate he's doing a tallish 

 kind of dinner below.' 



I had no time to reply, ere the host, owner, 

 and general manager of the Tuscan Springs made 

 his appearance. 'How's your health, Doctor?' 

 inquired the Major. 'I've brought up Cap'en - 

 to have a peep at your location ; he's mighty 

 curious about these kind of diggins.' 



' Waal, Cap'en,' said the Doctor, in a lon.g 

 drawling voice, ' I am glad to see you. I raither 

 guess you don't see such nat'ral ready-made 

 places, for curin' jist every sickness, in the old 

 country as we have in California. Here, boy, 

 put up the mustangs : and now step in, and I'll 

 tell old aunty to scramble up some eggs and 

 bacon, and then we can take a look round the 

 springs.' 



Aunty was a quaint specimen of the feminine 

 gender, not at all suggestive of the gentler sex. 

 Her features were small, but sharply cut. She 

 was bent naturally, but not from age, and re- 

 minded me of a witch. One would not have 

 felt at all astonished at seeing her mount a 

 broomstick, and start on an aerial trip over the 



