“This is indeed startling news,” answered Younker, “and I’m fearful o’ the result!”

“You may depend on’t, them thar four-hundred acres is all gone clean to smash,” observed Mrs. Younker; “and its my opine, Ben, you’d better sell right straight out immediately, afore the news gits about any further, for fear o’ accidents and them things.”

“I suppose in reality the present war with England does not trouble you here?” said the stranger, interrogatively.

“Why not in reality,” answered Younker, “only so far as the Britishers and thar accursed renegade agents set on the Injens agin us.”

“To what renegade agents do you allude?” inquired the other, with a degree of interest he had not before exhibited.

“Why, to the Girtys, McKee, and Elliot—­and perticularly to that thar scoundrel, Simon Girty the worst o’ all on ’em.”

“Ha!  Simon Girty,” said the other, with a slight start and change of countenance; “what know you of him?”

“Nothing that’s good, you may be sartin, and every thing that’s evil.  He’s leagued with the Injens, purposely to excite ’em agin his own white brethren—­to have them murder women and children, that he may feast his eyes on thar innocent blood.  I’m not given to be o’ a revengeful speret, Mr. Williams; but I never think o’ that thar renegade, Simon Girty, but I inwardly pray for the curse o’ an avenging God to light upon him; and come it will, ayther soon or late, you may depend on’t!”

“Amen to that thar sentiment!” responded the dame; while the stranger became very much agitated, on account, as he said, of a violent pain in his side, to which he was subject.

Mrs. Younker was on the point of bringing down her invectives on the head of the renegade in a speech of some considerable length, when, perceiving the distressful look of the other, the kind-hearted woman suddenly forgot her animosity in sympathy for her suffering guest; and forthwith proceeded, with all the eloquence of which she was master, to recommend a certain essence that chanced to be in the house, as a never failing remedy for all griping and other pains with which unfortunate humanity was oftentimes afflicted.

“It’s one o’ the bestest things as ever war invented,” continued the good woman, in her eulogy of the article in question; “and has did more good in it’s time, nor all the doctors on the univarsal yarth put together could do, in the way of curing sprains, and bruises, and stomach-pains, and them things; and ef you don’t believe it, Mr. Williams, you can see it all in print, ef you can read, and I spect you can, on the bottle itself, jest as plain as any thing; and besides, I’ve got the testament (testimony, doubtless) of the good and pious Rev. Mr. Allprayer, who tuk some on’t once for the gout; and he said as how the contracting (counteracting?) pains war so many, that he didn’t no more feel the gout for a long time to come afterwards.  I’ve no doubt it’ll sarve you jest the same way, and I’ll go and fetch it right straight off.”