BLACKMORE HOUSE, ST JOSEPH. 34:1 



two ; what d'ye want with two, guess one's enough, ain't 

 it?" "No," I said, rather riled, " it's my wish to have 

 two, and I suppose in your free country I may have my 

 pleasure in that way, and do as I like if I pay for it, can't 

 I, and also have something to eat?" "Wall," replied 

 this excellent limb of democracy or tyranny, not in pur 

 ple but in rags, or of a man so mentally drunk with up 

 side-down notions of his own freedom as to desire to make 

 every other soul a slave " Wall, guess you can have 

 something to eat, and a room, and we'll see about the mules." 

 " All right," I rejoined, on the eve of stepping nimbly 

 out ; " then just roast me one of my wild ducks for dinner." 

 " Roast a duck ! " said this upstart; "no, can't do that, 

 its jest past our cooking hour, can't have anything hot." 

 " Oh, I can't, can't I?" I replied, out of all patience, 

 " then I will just exercise my freedom, and have nothing 

 more to do with the Planter's House." The fellow stared 

 at me for this unusual assertion of liberty, as if he could 

 not understand my audacity, and I strode to my ambu 

 lance, and drove away, still a traveller in search of refresh 

 ment. In proceeding up a street I saw written on an 

 hotel " Blackmore House." It was a dilapidated place, 

 but still as good as any I had yet seen, so I pulled up, 

 and having found the host himself, whose name heralded 

 his hotel, I asked him if he could put me up and give me 

 some dinner and a room. Mr Blackmore was all civility, 

 and at once proffered me his best services and all the ac 

 commodation his house afforded, while at the same time 

 he recommended me to an adjacent livery stable-keeper 

 for all attention to my mules and horses. 



" Lend a hand, then," I said to him and to his excellent 

 black slave, " and please look sharp to my things." As 

 I unloaded them there was a crowd of idlers soon assem- 



