semi-transparent, as it was mast fed, i. e. fed on acorns and beech nuts. Time, however, fatal to beauty, had incrusted the flitch with an oxide of wonderful thickness and peculiar dirt colour, and turned its lovely amber transparency into a decided and opaque yellow. Something of the kind I had often seen in cot-days; when, on being importunate for buckwheat cakes in the kitchen, Betty often threatened my face with "the griddle-greaser!"

Mrs. King had shaken her bag into a large wooden bowl; and the deposit was, one pint of second chop meal, minus half a gill something else, and a few horse hairs; for, bags in attending mill are used as saddles, and pommelled between inexpressibles and perspiring horsebacks. Water then was poured into the compound; and the lady after handling the mixture without gloves, produced a handful of good chicken-feed. Then the hissing flitch being hastily turned into a pewter plate with a damaged circumference, the feed was splashed in, like mortar into chinking, to be converted into corn bread. This transmigration over, the bread was associated with the flitch on the cloudy pewter, Mrs. King remarking that," her man had tuk the crokrý to the rasin ;" and then, after wiping each thumb on her woollen petticoat, she invited me with the formula, “Well -come! set up."

I was soon seated on my rickety stool at the board, or rather boards, (as the table was of two such and a piece,) and began to flourish my blade, the knife belonging to that irascible class that had flown off the handle,-and, also, I began to look for its partner, the fork. But that had flown off with the handle, for, said she-" He tuk all thar knives and forks but this poor bit of a thing, and that was left 'cos it had no handle !"-" but, Stranjur," continued she, "jeest lend me that a minit, and I'll git you a fork."

Out, then, darted Mrs. King; and soon returned manufacturing as she came a fork, and saying thus: "Thar,

stranjur, this 'ere I split off a rail, and cut down a sort a so to a pint, 'ill do for a fork better nor your fingers-albeit, I'm powerful sorry for our poor fixins."

"Thank you, ma'am! all the same-you've a kind heart; and that's meat and drink in this world of ours, sometimes."

Yet these and other speeches were continually interrupted by the rapid ingress of lumps of flitch and balls of bread. I regret to record, however, that while I used my fork to pin down the fat till its reduction to mouthfuls, I was compelled to eat, like a democrat, with my knife! I made, indeed, some amends to a violated good-breeding, by sopping my gravy with bread in my left hand,—like a gentleman eating fish and other things, with a leaky silver fork. Singular! how the extremes of refinement and hoosierism do meet !

DIALOGUE CONTINUED.

"Well, I'm powerful rite down glad you kin eat sich like food! what mought your name be-if it's no offence !" "Carlton, ma'am, I live in Woodville—”

"Well-that's what I suspish'nd. Ned Stanley was out here last winter a huntin, and I heerd him tell on youas how you was a powerful clever feller-albeit a leetle of a big-bug. But I'll take your part arter this-and King shill too."

"Oh! Mrs. King if we were all better acquainted with one another, we'd all think better of our friends and neighbours. But I must be off-what's the damage?"

"Bless me! Mr. Carltin, I don't take nuthin for sich a meal! Put up that puss, if you want to be friends-I'm powerful sorry King's away-call here next time, sir, and I allow, you'll git somethin good enough for a white man." "Thank you! Mrs. King, thank you. Well-please give me directions-I'm not much of a woodsman."

"Well, you're comin on. Howsever you've kim the

wust ind of the trace, and wont find no diffikilty till about fifteen miles on at the next settlement, Ike Chuff's-whare you mought foller a cow path-and so you'd better stop thar and axe."

In due time, and after a hard ride of thirty miles from the burnt cabin, we came in sight of Ike Chuff's clearing. As the trace ran plain and broad round the fence and across a small ravine, I was unwilling to waste time with needless inquiries, and, therefore, followed the line of path with undiminished confidence.

The trace, indeed, narrowed-it once or twice vanished -all that was no novelty; but at last we seemed to reach the vanishing point, for now, after the last vanish, the path never re-appeared! In place of the one, however, were seen four! and those running in as many different directions and evidently, like Gay's road-to no places at all! And so, for the neglect of inquiring, Kate and I had been judiciously following a cow-path!

That is easy enough, my friend, in a country where there is a sun. I had, indeed, seen little of that "Great Shine" all day; and for the last two hours nothing, a rain having then commenced which lasted till our reaching Woodville.

"What did you do then ?"

Trusted to Kate to find the way back to Chuff's ;—as we had hardly gone two miles astray—and that she did in fifteen minutes.

"What then?"

You shall hear for yourself—" Hilloo! the house!" "Well-hilloo! what's wantin!"

"The trace to Woodville-I missed it just now." "Sorter allowed so, when I seed you take the cow path to the licks

"Well, my friend, why didn't you hollow to me?"

"'Cos I allowed you mought a ax'd if you ain't a wood s man—and if you be, you know'd the way to the licks as well as me."

"Thank you, sir; will you show me now?"

"Take the path tother ind of the fence."

Neighbour Chuff's settlement differs, you see, in suavity from King's. Still, the Hoosier's direction was right; and with nothing more romantic than our feed in the morning, we arrived pretty much used up to a late dinner in the evening at Woodville-having done more than forty wilderness miles in about twelve hours! For the whole, how. ever, I was rewarded, when Dr. Sylvan that night called at our house and said with an approving smile :

"Pretty well done! pretty well done! think we may dubb you a backwoodsman."

After this I

CHAPTER LVII.

“Ha! ha! ha! D'ye think I did not know you, Hal ?”

DR. SYLVAN's visit was to announce the favourable reply of Dr. Bloduplex to the letter of the committee. But the people were in a new tumult; and a petition to the next Assembly was circulating for signatures, praying that the Trustees be ordered to expel either Clarence or Harwood, or both; and that while Bloduplex should be elected as President, the professors should be taken each out of different sects. For, reader, the two existing members of the Faculty were both Rats; and Dr. Bloduplex was of the same denomination! This, however, was then* the natural result of circumstances-that sect being twenty-five

* Learning and talents now are not necessary in teachers; for there are many first-rate teachers without. Owing to the improved era.

years since pre-eminent in learning, talent and enterprise. And this I am bound as a true historian to declare, although Dr. Bloduplex and myself do not belong to the same sect! -an impartiality to be remembered to my credit hereafter.

I perceive we have thoughtlessly given a clue to the sect meant. For when it is found by the reader what sect twenty-five years ago, was pre-eminent in the respects named, my secret so nicely kept is out-he has discovered the Rats! But if such sect cannot be found, then among the fictitious things of this book will, I fear, be placed our worthy President, the Rev. Constant Bloduplex.

In this emergency, it occurred, that another petition in aid apparently of the other, and yet subversive, by reducing its principles to an absurdity, should be sent to the Legisla ture, as the proper way for "Hoosier to fight Hoosier." Something must be done, because our magnates at the Capitol would certainly essay something disastrous to the college. Hence, the suggestion meeting Dr. Sylvan's approbation, the framing of said petition was committed to Mr. Carlton; when in a few days the following able paper -(hem) was submitted, corrected, approved, and adopted by our friends :

"To the Honorable the Representatives of in General Assembly convened at Timberopolis, this petition of the People of Woodville and the New Purchase generally, is respectfully submitted:

"First, that the existing Faculty of our College be requested to resign before the election of a President, that all denominations may have a fair and equal chance for places:

"Secondly, that, there being nine religious sects in our state, and three of philosophers, viz:-the Deistical, the Atheistical, and the Fanny-wright-dale-owen-istical,-three members of Faculty be annually elected out of each and