810 THE HISTORY OF 



" I am not aware that I ever committed any offence, that 

 this judgment should be thus visited upon my poor head! 

 I never sold fowls for what they were not ; I never cheated 

 anybody, that I know of; I. do not remember ever having 

 done any unjust act that should bring down upon me "this 

 terrible vengeance. Yet I am now the owner of nearly 

 three hundred of these infernal, cursed, miserable ghosts in 

 'feathered mail,' which I cannot get rid of! Tell me what 

 I shall do, and answer promptly. 



" Yours, in distress, 



I have smiled over this document, so full of feeling and 

 earnestness, so lively and touching in its recollections of the 

 days when we went chicken-ing, long time ago! But I 

 have never been able to reply fully to my ardent friend's 

 numerous inquiries. I don't want those "three hundred 

 Shanghae devils," though. I have now on hand ni?ie of 

 them (only, thank Heaven !) myself; and that is quite 

 enough for one farm, at the present current price of grain. 



What has become of all the friends about whom my cor- 

 respondent so carefully inquires, I don't know. "Sot Jive of 

 them are now in the hen-trade, however ; and there are not 

 ten of them who got out of the business with a whole skin, 

 from the commencement. 



The ^engine has collapsed its boiler. There was alto^ 



