THE YANKEE'S STORY. 7 "You may whistle, Britisher; but if you'll only listen, I'll tell you the story." "Wait a moment," said Martin; "let us order some grog to be brought up here to us, then we shall get a bucket each, and sit round the funnel, chattering till we see Reykjanes." "Well," quoth Mr. Blank, when we had provided ourselves brother did." with seats; "this is what my "Brother!" exclaimed Mr. Briggs. "'Twas friend just now." "We're all brothers in the States; and that's one of the great advantages of a free and enlightened Constitution, it makes every man equal, and-&c., whilst you in the old countries, with your kings and queens, your dukes and duchesses "That's enough," said Mr. Briggs; "now for the story." "Well, I'll just tell you what he did-that's my brother. You see he'd a tarnation long bill to meet, and he'd just 'So,' says he, got about nothing at all to meet it with. 'wise men live upon fools, and New York is full of 'em,' that is, of Britishers and natives of Ireland, who come over in shoals: a genu-ine Yankee is no fool, I can promise you. So he buys a score or two of old molasses' casks, strings 'em together on a cable, covers 'em with tarpaulin, and anchors the whole, a bit out to sea just off Long Island. Then he hires a steamer, and puts an account in the papers, stating that the sea-sarpint had been seen playing off Long Island on the top of the waters, and a-dancing there just like a baby on a spring sofa. Next day he advertised that his steamer was going in search of the cratur, and he charged a dollar and a half for any one who would come with him, food and liquor extra. Sure enough, he got a ship's load, and they all had a be-utiful sight of the sarpint as natʼral The news spread, and my brother made a dozen as life. trips; and he'd have made more, but that some whalers harpooned the sarpint and found out what 'twas made of. I estimate my brother walked into those sight-seers pretty con-siderable. What d'ye think of that-ay?" |