afloat on a gory sea, and without askin' for explanations she give
a loud holler and fainted on our stock of fancy dishes.

"'Here's where we make a lot of money, I don't think,' screeches
Hadds--he was an excitable person, that Hadds. 'Come!' he hollers,
'help me get 'em out of here! There's enough chloroform loose to
sleep the bunch of us!'

"We lugged the Major and his wife to the back of the store. I made
a piller for her out'n some rolls of wall-paper, but the Major had
to get along as best he could. There he lay, his little round
stummick stickin' in the air, breathin' like a wind-broken horse.

"Keno Jim and me looked after the lady whilest Hadds pranced around
the Major and cussed scientific cuss-words. Of course, Keno and me
didn't know no more what to do than a photograft of the Wild Man of
Borneo when there was a fain tin' woman in the question. As I
said, I hadn't been married enough to learn, and the present line
of Mrs. Scraggses was healthy, whatever other faults they might
have. Hadds 'ud come over and tell us half of something, and then
rush back to the Major, tearin' his hair.

"'Blast it, Hadds!' says Keno, 'quit callin' the man names and let
us know what to do for this woman.'

"'Give her a drink of whisky!' yells Hadds. 'Come here, Zeke, and
see what ails this beggar now!'

"If he hadn't called me off like that lots of things wouldn't
happened. 'Look at him!' says Hadds, and grinds his teeth. 'Forty