H. C. Bunner

“ But Magonigle was firm in his assurances that there were absolutely no enjoyments to relieve the monotony of life in Ashe Biver Ferry.
"It's a dead place it is, sir. If we could get over the river I could show you, gentlemen, axing his riverence's pardon, maybe a bit of a cock-fight, but on this side of the water there's nothing to see at all, and every man in the place will be at work the night long, mending the ferry-boat. 'Tis different in the summer, sir; but in the winter time it's just dead this town is."
"Magonigle," said Jack, imperatively, "turn up something!" ”

“ Three minutes later, I looked over the top of my Evelyn, and saw the Bishop and Jack holding the friendliest of converse, while Mr. Dillington glared at them in an unpleasant way, and the English valet took the strange scene in without anything in his face that could remotely suggest an expression. It is one peculiar thing about human nature that there is always a great deal to learn about it. ”

“ He looks as if he'd like to have a little talk with a white man. Who's that fellow with him—that sour little prune?
"That's his nephew, Frederick Dillington," said I.
"Is it?" said Jack. "Well, I bet he's just waiting for the old man's wealth. I'll bet it on his face. Say! what wages does a bishop get? He's got big money, hasn't he? Thought so. Look at that English valet in the seat behind him. That's the correctest thing I ever saw, and the correct thing comes high. Too correct for me. I'm glad my man isn't like that. ”

“ The old man's broad charity, and the profound knowledge of the world which he had possessed in his days of active service, had opened the way to his heart for all sorts and conditions of men, who bore the passport of genuineness. That passport being undoubtedly in Jack's possession, it made no difference to the Bishop that he spoke a peculiar dialect of the English language. ”

“ Faintly there came to us across the wind, that whistled and wailed through the trees, the long-drawn-out notes of a mournful, old-fashioned hymn, a dismal tune that I knew in my boyhood. It was one of those sad, stern, denunciatory old hymns that to my memory still hold the very spirit of the dead New England Sabbath in the cheerless, hopeless melody. ”

“ He would have been quite justified in throwing you out of the car, that's all."
"That fellow?" said Jack, disdainfully; "why, he couldn't lift one side of me." And I gave it up.
"Now, you said," continued Jack, nodding toward the dozing Bishop, "that his head was going. 'Tisn't, though. It's nothing but old age. When a man gets to be as old as that, he talks a while and then he kind of loses his grip, just for a minute—see? All he needs is a little help. ”

“ He pointed to a magnificent old man in the dress of the church, who sat facing us at the other end of the car.
"How's that?" said Jack, who had been graduated of the Bowery and dropped by Columbia College. "Get on to the physique! Why, that man has no business to be a dominie. He was built to fight. Say! he must have been right in his good time when Heenan and Morrissey were on deck. He must have been a beautiful man. ”

“ Magonigle looked doubtfully at Jack, then at the Bishop, then at me; and it was to me that he addressed himself.
"Well, sir," he said, "there's something what they call a revival meeting going on out in the woods. There do be some people takes an interest in such things. They're too sickly like for me, sir, with the women screaming, and having fits, like it might be, on the ground ”