AUTUMN. 



113 



And we believed him, for his aim was true, and his whole expres- 

 sion was not that of a man who was trifling. I never shall forget the 

 uncomfortable sensation that I experienced as I looked into the muzzle 

 of that double-barrelled shot-gun, and saw both hammers fully raised 



too. And I can clearly see now the squint and 



":;-, the glaring eye that glanced along those barrels. 



' S%ls^ € There was a wonderfully persuasive power lurking 



V^. : i£ A 4 ni those horizontal tubes ; so I at once hastened 



, ■-<<!>#3kn!j"' to inform the deacon that we were " not going 



to run." 



" Wa'al," he drawled, " it looked a leetle thet 

 way, I thort, a spell ago;' and he still kept us in 

 the field of his weapon, till at length I exclaimed, 

 in desperation, 



" For gracious sake ! point that gun in 

 some other way, will you ?" 



" Wa'al, no ! I'm not fer pintin' it enny- 



whar else jest yit — not until you've sot them 



ar bags daown agin, jist whar ye got 'em, every 



one on ye." The bags were speedily replaced, 



and he slowly lowered his gun. 



AFTER THE SHELL-BARKS. 



" Wa'al, naow," he continued, as he came up in our midst, " this is 

 putty bizniss, airit it ? Bin havin' a putty likely sort o' time teu, I sh'd 

 jedge from the looks o' these 'ere bags. One — two — six on 'em; an' 

 I vaow they must be nigh on teu a half bushel in every pleggy one 

 on 'em. Wa'al, naow" — with his peculiar drawl — "look <xah : you're a 

 15 



