Firm took off his hat to her very politely, but allowed her to see perhaps by his manner that he was particularly engaged just now; and the young lady, with a quick glance at me, walked off to rejoin her party.

But a garrulous old negro servant, who seemed to be in attendance upon her, ran up and caught Firm by his coat, and peered up curiously at his face.
"How young massa's poor nose dis long time?
How him feel, spose now again ?" he inquired, with a deferential grin.

"Young massa ebber able take a pinch of good snuff?
He! he! missy berry heavy den?
Missy no learn to dance de nose polka den ?" "What on earth does he mean ?" I could not help asking, in spite of our sorrowful farewell, as the negro went on with sundry other jokes and cackles at his own facetiousness.

And then Uncle Sam, to divert my thoughts, while I waited for signal to say good-by, told me how Firm got a slight twist to his nose.
Ephraim Gundry had been well taught, in all the common things a man should learn, at a good quiet school at Frisco, which distinguished itself from all other schools by not calling itself a college.

And when he was leaving to begin home life, with as much put into him as he could manage--for his nature was not bookish--when he was just seventeen years old, and tall and straight and upright, but not set into great bodily strength, which could not yet be expected, a terrible fire broke out in a great block of houses newly occupied, over against the school-house front.