20 JOCK'S LAKE. 



Straying into the one humble hotel of the town T ex- 

 plored its domain. In the bar-room were pictures on the 

 wall faithful representations of battle of the Revolution, 

 the Rebellion and the next war, masses of men slabbing 

 and " jabbing" each olherwith bayonets, falling over from 

 the unpietured (ire of invisible gnus, and posing in death 

 as naturally as if they received on the spot the services of 



the must accomplished undertaker with ice chest, embalm 



ing process and chaplets of victory kept in stock for battle 

 subjects. There were also horse pictures race-horse^, 

 with leg- tliru-t forth before and behind at angle^ >ugg ( .<i- 

 Lng the circus gymnast, leaving the brave teed -impended 

 in mid air like Mahomet's collin. but performing, by sug- 

 gestion, prodigies of motion which made one adi- to 

 -omeHi'mii- on the result of tlie race. until the 

 wonder grew, the longer one -tared, that they didn't all 

 disappear from the picture, amid the hurrah-: of the win- 

 ners of the contest 



The parlor (for so the tin sign on the door declared it to 

 be) contained a mdodeon. I sat down to it, tenderly 

 touched the keys and gently pressed the pedals, it was a 

 consumptive, asthmatic atl'air, and its vocal chords were in 

 a stati' of chronic inflammation or else of partial paralysis. 

 It responded, however, in no far-irone invalid tones, and. 

 reassured, 1 proceeded to question the possibilities of the 

 thing extorting patriotic sounds more terrible than an 

 army with breech loaders, light-fantastic-toe sounds which 

 would have made "the Pe\il on two sticks" dance. 

 (whether with dismay, or with delight that a new tempta- 



