UP STREAM: ON THE RED RIVER. 395 



I looked round at the lady. " Bless my soul ! 

 Mrs Dobleton and the Misses Dobleton from Con- 

 cordia, my neighbours on the Mississippi. Delighted 

 to see you, Mrs Dobleton ; allow me the honour of 

 introducing my wife to you." 



Our greetings and compliments were drowned by 

 the piercing voice of the indefatigable Yankee. 



" Ma'am ! " cried he, with a box of ointment in 

 each hand, " Ma'am ! the finest cure in the world 

 for toothache. If teeth are good, it keeps 'em so ; if 

 bad, it makes 'em sound and Avhite as ivory. A 

 small bit on the point of a knife between the teeth 

 and the gum acts like a charm. Young ladies ! a 

 capital remedy for narrow chests." 



The skinny Miss Dobletons turned green with 

 vexation. 



" Incomparable remedy ! " continued Jared ; " rub 

 it well in on the part affected, and in a short time 

 the most contracted chest becomes as wide as that 

 of Mrs Broadbosom to Charleston. Fine thing for 

 lockjaw, ma'am ! " cried he to Mrs Bodwell who was 

 standing by, and amongst whose good qualities that 

 of silence was not considered to hold a conspicuous 

 place ; "a famous cure for lockjaw, from whatever 

 cause it may come on. There was Miss Trowlop 

 she had a very handsum' mouth and a considerable 

 gift of the gab was goin' to be married to Mi- 

 Shaver, run a hickory splinter through her prunella 

 shoe into her foot jaw locked as fast as old Ebenezer 



