up before me, and pintin his bagonet at my throack, said:

"Pass."

I stepped tother side of him to obey his orders, when he agin pinted his
gun at me and said:

"Pass."

Thinkin I was on the rong side of him, I undertook to pass into the
middle of the road, when he vociferated in louder tones:

"Pass!"

"Well," says I, by this time considerably riled at sich skanderlous
treatment at the _hands_ of this goverment, "if you'l stop rammin your
bagonet into my hash digester and let me _pass_, ile be hily tickled."

I was madder than if I had been a candidate for offis, and dident get
elected.

"See here, Mister hard-tack Cowpenner," said I, addressin him, "how dare
you stop _me_ in this ere outragous manner? You say 'pass,' and when I
try to pass, you jab at my innards with that mustick in a rather
oncomfortable manner. What do you mean?"

"I mean, sir," said he, sholderin his shootin iron, "that if you want to
go further, you must get a pass from the offis across the way."

"Oho! that's a gooseberry pie of a different flavor," said I, coolin