And he drinked the tumbler full down at one swoller almost, and
turned to the weary boy for another. He looked bad, and eager,
and sez I, "How many have you drinked?"

Sez he, in a eager, animated whisper, "9." And he whispered in
the same axents, "5 times 9 is 45 ; if it had been to a fair, or
Fourth of July, or anything, it would have cost me 45 cents, and
if it had been to a church social - lemme see - 9 times 10 is 90.
It would have cost me a dollar bill! And here I am a havin' it
all for 5 cents. Why," sez he, "I never see the beat on't in my
life."

And ag'in he drinked a tumbler full down, and motioned to the
frightened boy for another.

But I took him by the vest and whispered to him, sez I, "Josiah
Allen, do you want to die, because you can die cheap? Why," sez
I, "it will kill you to drink so much."

"But think of the cheapness on't Samantha! The chance I have of
getting the worth of my money."

But I whispered back to him in anxus axents and told him, that I
guessed if funeral expenses wuz added to that 5 cents it wouldn't
come so cheap, and sez I, "you wont live through many more glasses,
and you'll see you wont. Why," sez I, "you are a drowndin' out
your insides."

He wuz fairly a gettin' white round the mouth, and I finally got