I s'pose if Mr.
Buffum, a-snorin' jest as hard as he does now, should set on it for a fortnight, it would spring right up like a staddle, with a b'ar ketched at the eend of it, jest as quick as he let up on me." At this there was a slight rumble in Mr.Buffum's throat.
"Why, what made it rise so ?" inquired the most interested and eldest Miss Buffum.
"Now, ain't your purty eyes wide open ?" said Jim.
"You're jest fooling; you know you are," responded Miss Buffum, blushing.
"Do ye see the ha'r on the back of my hand ?" said Jim, patting one of those ample instruments with the other.

"That stands up jest as it does on my head.

I'm a regular hedgehog.

It all happened then." "Now, Jim Fenton, you shall go along and tell your story, and not keep us on tenter-hooks all night," said Miss Buffum sharply.
"I don't want to scare the dear little heart out o' ye," said Jim, with a killing look of his eyes, "but if ye will hear it, I s'pose I must tell ye.

Ye see I'm alone purty much all the time up thar.