in which the colonists had come forward would completely relieve Mr. Dodge from all his embarrassments, and leave him a considerable balance afterwards.
At this information, no one was more astonished than the person chiefly interested. He looked inquiringly at Slinger, who simply said "Fact! Raymond and I made out the balance sheet." Whereupon Dodge, extending a hand to each, said, in a faltering voice, "I may thank you for all this;" and beging the company to excuse his absence for a few minutes, he left the room. When he returned again he was looking more like himself, for he had doffed the dress coat and collar, and once more appeared clothed in his usual manner.
"There," he cried, on reaching his friends," now I am happy. That confounded swallow-tail and cut-throat collar were sufficient to alloy felicity even greater than mine. And so I'm out of debt! I can't realize it all at once though, my mind aint capacious enough."
It was now hinted to Dodge that the time was arrived for him to address the company. He was rather confused at his novel position and unconsciously commenced taking the wire from the neck of a champagne bottle which stood near him. Jumping on his legs with a jerk, he cried out, "A capital notion! now look here, gentlemen, here is a bit of wire straight as a tea-tree pole," holding it before them after the manner of a professor of the art of legerdemain, "now observe," he said, binding it round his finger and again holding it up for inspection, "the same piece of wire twisted and made corkscrew fashion. Now hark'e, how shall I express the little I am bound to, both by gratitude and inclination? shall I say it straight forward and right off, or give it a tarnation twisting? "Here he was interrupted by loud cries of "Short and sweet."
"Well, then," said Dodge, "so it shall be. I thank you
