What on airth are you drivin at? said Mr. Slick.  I never seed you so much out in your latitude afore, marm, I vow.  We were talking of reparin a vessel, not strippin’ a woman, what under the sun could have put that are crotchet into your head?  She looked mortified and humbled at the result of her own absurd curiosity, and soon quitted the room.  I thought I should have snorted right out two or three times, said the Clockmaker; I had to pucker up my mouth like the upper eend of a silk puss, to keep from yawhawin in her face, to hear the critter let her clapper run that fashion.  She is not the first hand that has caught a lobster, by puttin in her oar afore her turn, I guess.  She’ll mind her stops next hitch, I reckon.  This was our last breakfast at Amherst.

An early frost that smote the potatoe fields, and changed the beautiful green color of the Indian corn into shades of light yellow, and dark brown, reminded me of the presence of autumn—­of the season of short days and bad roads, I determined to proceed at once to Parrsboro, and thence by the Windsor and Kentville route to Annapolis, Yarmouth, and Shelburne, and to return by the shore road, through Liverpool and Lunenburg to Halifax.  I therefore took leave, (though not without much reluctance) of the Clockmaker, whose intention had been to go to Fort Lawrence.  Well, said he, I vow I am sorry to part company along with you; a considerable long journey like ourn, is like sitting up late with the galls, a body knows its getting on pretty well towards mornin, and yet feels loth to go to bed, for its just the time folks grow sociable.

I got a scheme in my head, said he, that I think will answer both on us; I got debts due to me in all them are places for Clocks sold by the concarn, now suppose you leave your horse on these mashes this fall, he’ll get as fat as a fool, he wont be able to see out of his eyes in a month, and I’ll put “Old Clay,” (I call him Clay arter our senator, who is a prime bit of stuff) into a Yankee waggon I have here, and drive you all round the coast.  This was too good an offer to be declined.  A run at grass for my horse, an easy and comfortable waggon, and a guide so original and amusing as Mr. Slick, were either of them enough to induce my acquiescence.

As soon as we had taken our seats in the waggon, he observed, we shall progress real handsum now; that are horse goes etarnal fast, he near about set my axle on fire twice.  He’s a spanker you may depend.  I had him when he was a two year old, all legs and tail, like a devil’s darnin needle, and had him broke on purpose by father’s old nigger, January Snow.  He knows English real well, and can do near about any thing but speak it.  He helped me once to ginn a Blue Nose a proper handsum quiltin.  He must have stood a poor chance indeed, said I, a horse kickin, and a man striking him at the same time.  Oh! not arter that pattern at all, said he, Lord if “Old Clay” had a kicked him, he’d a smashed him like that are