136 CHKONICLES OF A CLAY FARM. 



upon. Mr. Mac Scuffler has promised to send me a 

 Scotch plow and four capital horses, Cleveland s I 

 think he calls them such steppers you'd be 

 astonished to see the rate they go over the ground. 



"Are her family connected with with '-AgricuL 

 ture,' is her father a " 



"A Farmer? Oh! no. He was in trade : but he 

 is dead : she was living with her aunt till lately." 



A few moments' pause ensued : the free youthful 

 expression of self-confidence on the face of the 

 speaker, contrasting curiously with the somewhat 

 puzzled and half-painful thoughtfulness expressed 

 by the other party to this brisk dialogue. This 

 expression however suddenly changed and the 

 wearer getting up and going to the book-case, 

 pulled out, as if in reference to the discussion just 

 pending a thick quarto volume; and having 

 blown a little cloud of dust from it into the fire- 

 place, and wrapping it together once or twice, 

 apparently to complete the purgation, he walked up 

 and quietly laid it down, open, before his visitor. 



"Would you oblige me by reading me a page of 

 this?" 



The other stared " Read this ! why gracious me, 

 Sir! I can't! "Why, it's Greek or Latin or some- 

 thing!" 



