64 LAKE MARIE AND BLUFF LAKE. 



suggested that the proper way to eat an oyster was 

 to swallow it whole. The Frenchman turned round to 

 Tom and asked him if he could swallow the one he 

 held in his hand. 



"Why, sure thing," said Tom; and suiting the action 

 to the word, he took the proffered bivalve, and, with a 

 tremendous effort, managed to gulp it down. The 

 Frenchman held up his hands in admiration at the feat, 

 and exclaimed: 



"Mon Dieu! et es vonderful; nine times have I myself 

 el tried to swallow, and et alvays comes back!" 



Two minutes after Tom had acquired this informa- 

 tion, the oyster again came back; and Tom, while 

 endeavoring to soothe his insulted stomach with some- 

 thing warm, swore softly to himself that he would be 

 parboiled before he would ever attempt to be polite to 

 a Frenchman again. 



Tom seemed to be xinlucky in his feeding, for it was 

 only three weeks before that he had strolled into a 

 Bowery restaurant and ordered clam chowder. After 

 he had eaten quite a considerable portion, a certain 

 qualmish feeling in his stomach warned him something 

 was wrong; so he called the darky who ran the place, 

 and said he: 



"You black rascal! what confounded filth have you 

 been feeding me upon?" 



"Dat dar am clam chowder, sah, and berry good 

 chowder, too." 



"Chowder, you dusky villain," answered Tom, his 

 gorge rapidly rising as ke discovered a bunch of fungus 

 in the bottom of his plate, "how long has it been made?" 



"Dat chowder was made last Spring, when I resumed 

 dis hyar bisness; and ef de folkses on dis hyar street 

 don' dun eat hyar of'ner, it am berry likely some ob dat 

 chowder will be on han' nex' Spring!" 



The licking which Tom inflicted on that unfortunate 

 darky cost Tom forty dollars and costs. 



Lake Marie and Lake Bluff are reached from Antioch 

 depot on the Wisconsin Central. The two lakes are 



