ME. BILLOO'S ADVENTURE. 71 



William A., who, quietly wiping his face with his rag of a 

 pocket handkerchief, remarked, with a smile, that that pig 



was $ d perfunctory," a word he had often read in. 



high official correspondence and admired extremely, without 

 fathoming its deep import, and then he resumed the business 

 of the hour. The last time I saw this worthy he was, though 

 over seventy years of age, an active overseer of roads or 

 something of that nature, and very well-to-do, but he had no 

 immediate intention of retiring from service, as he informed 

 me, desiring to stick to harness till he was seventy-five 

 before retiring to rest on his estate. Poor fellow ! he came to 

 a very sad end the following year. 



