A TRAVELED London lady gives the following incident, among others, to a
circle of admiring friends, on her return from America: "I was a dinin'
haboard a first-class steamboat on the Hoeigho river. The gentleman next
me, on my right, was a Southerner, and the gentleman on my left was a
Northerner. Well, they gets into a kind of discussion on the habbolition
question, when some 'igh words hariz. 'Please to retract, Sir,' said the
Southerner. 'Won't do it,' said the Northerner. 'Pray, ma'am,' said the
Southerner, 'will you 'ave the goodness to lean back in your chair?'
'With the greatest pleasure,' said I, not knowin' what was a comin'.
When what does my gentleman do but whips out an 'oss pistil as long as
my harm, and shoots my left 'and neighbor dead! But that wasn't hall!
for the bullet, comin' out of the left temple, wounded a lady in the
side. She huttered an 'orrifick scream. 'Pon my word, ma'am,' said the
Southerner, 'you needn't make so much noise about it, for I did it by a
mistake.'" "And was justice done the murderer?" asked a horrified
listener. "Hinstantly, dear madam," answered Miss L----. "The cabin
passengers set right to work, and lynched him. They 'ung 'im in the lamp
chains right hover the dinin' table, and then finished the dessert. But
for my part, it quite spoiled my happetite."