WARWICK WOODLANDS. 139 



" Well, Jem," said Archer, " unbutton your bag now ; what's 

 the news ?" 



" Well, Mr. Aircher, it ben't no use to tell you on't, with Tom, 

 there, puttin' a body out, and swearin' it's a lie, and dammin' a 

 chap up and down. It ben't no use to tell you, and yet I'd 

 kind o' like to, but then you won't believe a fellow, not one on 

 you !" 



"In course not," answered Forester; and at the same instant 

 Tom struck in likewise 



" It's a lie, afore you tell it ; it's a lie, cuss you, and you 

 knows it. I'd sooner take a nigger's word than yours, Jem, any 

 how, for the darned niggers will tell the truth when they can't 

 git no good by lyin', but you, you will lie all times ! When 

 the truth would do the best, and you would tell it if you could, 

 you can't help lyin' !" 



" Shut up, you old thief; shut up instantly, and let the man 

 speak, will you ; I can see by his face that he has got something 

 to tell ; and as for lying, you beat him at it any day." 



Torn was about to answer, when Harry, who had been eager- 

 ly engaged in mixing a Luge tumbler-full of strong cold shrub 

 punch, thrust it under his nose, and he, unable to resist the soft 

 seductive odor, seized it incontinently, and neither spoke nor 

 breathed again until the bottom of the rummer was brought 

 parallel to the ceiling ; then, with a deep heart-felt sigh, he set 

 it down ; and, with a calm placid smile, exclaimed, " Tell on, 

 Jem." Whereupon that worthy launched into his full tide of 

 narrative, as follows: 



" Well, you sees, Mr. Aircher, I tuk up this mornin' clean up 

 the old crick side, nigh to Vernon, and then I turned in back 

 of old Squire Vandergriff's, and druv the mountains clear down 

 here till I reached Rocky Hill ; I'd pretty good sport, too, I 

 tell you ; I shot a big gray fox on Round Top, and started a 

 raal rouser of a red one down in the big swamp, in the bottom, 

 and them sluts did keep the darndest ragin' you ever did hear 

 tell on. Well, they tuk him clean out across the open, past 

 Andy Joneses, and they skeart up in his stubbles three bevies, 

 I guess, got into one like ! there was a drove of them, I tell 

 you, and "then they brought him back to the hills agin, and run 

 him twice clean round the Rocky Hill, and when they came 

 round the last time, the English sluts warn't half a rod from his 

 tail no how, and so he tried his last chance, and he holed : but 

 roy! now, Mr. Aircher, by darn, you niver did see nothin' like 



