ALONG THE HILLSBOROUGH. 95 
fare that one saw now and then a group 
of cavaliers strolling about under _broad- 
brimmed hats, with big spurs at their heels, 
acecosting passers-by with hearty familiarity, 
first names and hand-shakes, while their 
horses stood hitched to the branches of road- 
side trees, — a typical Southern picture. 
Here, on a Sunday afternoon, were two 
young fellows who had brought to town a 
mother coon and three young ones, hoping 
to find a purchaser. The guests at the 
hotels manifested no eagerness for such 
pets, but the colored bell-boys and waiters 
gathered about, and after a little good-hu- 
mored dickering bought the entire lot, box 
and all, for a dollar anda half; first having 
pulled the little ones out between the slats 
—not without some risk to both parties — 
to look at them and pass them round. The 
venders walked off with grins of ill-concealed 
triumph. The Fates had been kind to them, 
and they had three silver half-dollars in their 
pockets. I heard one of them say something 
about giving part of the money to a third 
man who had told them where the nest was; 
but his companion would listen to no such 
folly. ‘He wouldn’t come with us,” he 
