A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE 177 



wishing possibly to huff this curious person. "I hope 

 I'm a gentleman, but I'm not tramping about ; this is 

 my barn, in which my wife and I are sleeping, so if I 

 were you, I wouldn't take off that shirt until I can find 

 you a dry one!" 



The change that came over the man was comical. 

 In a lightning flash he had fastened the few buttons 

 in his blouse that it had taken his fumbling fingers 

 several moments to unloose, and dropping one hand to 

 his side, he held it there rigid as he saluted with two 

 fingers at the brim of an imaginary hat ; while his roving 

 eye quickly took in the various motley articles of fur- 

 niture of our camp, a small kitchen table with oil- 

 stove and tea outfit of plain white ware, some plates and 

 bowls, a few saucepans, half a dozen chairs, no two 

 alike, and the two cots huddled in the shadows, his 

 voice, that had been pitched in a confidential key, arose 

 to a wail : 



"The Saints luv yer honor, but do they be afther havin' 

 bad landlords in Meriky too, that evicted yer honor from 

 yer house, sor ? I thought here nigh every poor body 

 owned their own bit, ground and roof, sor, let alone a foine 

 man loike yerself that shows the breedin' down to his 

 tin toes, sor. Oi feel fer yer honor, fer there wuz I 

 meself set out wid pig and cow both, sor (for thim bein' 



