THE BALL. 87 



the gulches of California for gold in 1848 ; a shrewd, 

 wide-awake Yankee, such as are grown princi^^ally 

 in that smartest of all our States, — the Nutmeg 

 State. And there, too, was Fitch, who had han- 

 dled the saw and lancet in the army during the 

 war. And Fay, the lawyer, who had fought the 

 battle all young lawyers must fight, and won. 

 And Burns, and the Parson. A goodly set of 

 fellows, one and all, equally ready for business or 

 fun. 



We were on our way " out," bronzed and tough 

 from exposure to the sun, water, and wind; and 

 with hearts as free from care and as light as chil- 

 dren's, we clomb the hill, at the base of which we 

 had run our boats ashore, and entered, with merry 

 greetings. Uncle Palmer's house. Wliat a hungry- 

 set we were, when, at four o'clock that afternoon, 

 we drew up to that never-to-be forgotten table ! 

 Wliat jokes and stories and peals of laughter en- 

 livened the repast, and made the table and dishes 

 shake and clatter as the meal progressed. No 

 coarseness nor rudeness there ; each man a gentle- 

 man still, amid the liveliest sally of wit and loud- 

 est roar of merriment. At last the meal was over, 

 and we adjourned to the open air to smoke or 

 lounge, or to^ engage in rivalry of skill, until the 

 day, rich in its summer loveliness, should fade 

 away. Several matches with the rifle — the result 

 of boastful banter — at last engage the attention of 



