proprietor of the saloon, in turn, presented an appearance as
dissimilar to that of either of his customers as did that of the one
to the other. He was a man of herculean proportions, and blessed with
as commonplace features as you could find in a day's walk. Every
fibre of his frame bespoke the most gigantic strength, while his
full, round face glowed with the most refreshing health, and
presented at the same time as stolid an expression as could well be
imagined in connection with his vocation. Still, there was something
in his keen, gray eye and about his mouth, that bid you beware of
taking the book by the cover; while an odd word of the conversation
that now and then reached his ear, called up a strange expression of
intelligence which swept across his features with the speed of light,
and then left them as quiescent and apparently unintellectual as
before. This individual whom we shall name Thomas O'Brien, or Big
Tom, as his friends were wont to call him, although never regarded as
being over brilliant, there were those who averred that he not only
possessed a fund of good, common sense, but who stated further, that
he was a man of great influence not only among the soldiers in the
fort, but among many of his countrymen both in town and out of it.
Tom spoke very slowly and always in an oracular manner; nor were his
movements behind his bar of a very demonstrative character; as no
press of custom, whatever, seemed to possess the power of
accelerating his motions or inducing him to exceed the steady formula
that he appeared to have adopted in relation to serving his
customers; still he possessed the jewel of honesty and urbanity as an
offset to all this; and, like most large men, was, on the whole, of a
kind and excellent temper. When seen standing by the river or in any
elevated position, he conveyed the idea of a sort of human
lighthouse, or a chimney on fire, so fiercely red was the tremendous
shock of hair that covered his towering head. He was still a young