"Whar be ye from?" asked the landlord, staring at him.

"I'm from New York, last."

"I thort ye could't be from roun' here, nowheres, to as' sech a
queschin. Why don' they pay their debts? Did ye hear that Zeke? Why,
jess caze they ain' no money in the kentry tew pay em with. It don'
make a mite o' odds haow much propty a feller's got. It don' fetch
nothin tew a sale. The credtor buys it in fer nothin, an the feller
goes to jail fer the balance. A man as has got a silver sixpence can
amos buy a farm. Some folks says they orter be a law makin propty a
tender fer debts on a far valiation. I dunno, I don' keer, I hain't no
fault tew find with my business, leastways the jail end on't."

Finishing his dinner, Perez asked for his score, and drew a large
wallet from his pocket, and took out a roll of about five thousand
dollars in Continental bills.

"Hain't ye got no Massachusetts bills? They ain't wuth but one shillin
in six but that's suthin, and them Continental bills ain't wuth haouse
room. Gosh durn it. I swow, ef I'd a known ye hadn't nothin but them,
I wouldn't a guv ye a drop to drink nor eat nuther. Marthy say ony
this morning, 'Cephas,' says she, 'rum 's rum an rags is rags, an don'
ye give no more rum fer rags.'"

"Well," said Perez, "I have nothing else. Government thought they were
good enough to pay the soldiers for their blood; they ought to pay
landlords for their rum."

"I dunno nothin baout bein soldiers, an I dunno ez I or any other