oilcloth jackets, whales' teeth, and various other articles, and at
length came back bearing a much-crumpled sheet of printed paper. This he
spread out upon the dining table, first pushing aside the dishes to make
room, and, after adjusting his spectacles, said triumphantly:

"There! There she is! The Nup-ti-al Chime. A Journal of Matrimony. I
see a piece about it in the Herald the other day, and sent a dime for
a sample copy. It's chock-full of advertisements from women that wants
husbands."

Captain Eri put on his spectacles and hitched his chair up to the table.
After giving the pages of the Nuptial Chime a hurried inspection, he
remarked:

"There seems to be a strong runnin' to 'vi-va-ci-ous brunettes' and
'blondes with tender and romantic dispositions.' Which of them kinds are
you sufferin' for, Perez? Oh, say! here's a lady that's willin' to
heave herself away on a young and handsome bachelor with a income of ten
thousand a year. Seems to me you ought to answer that."

"Oh, hush up, Eri! 'Tain't likely I'd want to write to any of them in
there. The thing for us to do would be to write out a advertisement of
our own; tell what sort of woman we want, and then set back and wait for
answers. Now, what do you say?"

Captain Eri looked at the advocate of matrimony for a moment without
speaking. Then he said: "Do you really mean it, Perez?"

"Sartin I do."