[Dark Saint Alaick]

"Jes' so. Now look here," drawing from his pocket a paper. "Itom one. Twenty-eight
dinners at half a dollar makes fourteen dollars, don't it? Jes' so. Twenty-five breakfasts at
a quarter makes six an' a quarter, which make dinners an' breakfasts twenty an' a quarter.
Foller me up, as I go up, Pink. Twenty-five suppers at a quarter makes six an' a quarter,
an' which them added to the twenty an' a quarter makes them twenty-six an' a half. Foller,
Pink, an' if you ketch me in any mistakes in the kyarin' an' addin', p'int it out. Twenty-two
an' a half beds--an' I say half, Pink, because you 'member one night when them A'gusty
lawyers got here 'bout midnight on their way to co't, rather'n have you too bad cramped, I
ris to make way for two of 'em; yit as I had one good nap, I didn't think I ought to put that
down but for half. Them makes five dollars half an' seb'n pence, an' which kyar'd on to
the t'other twenty-six an' a half, fetches the whole cabool to jes' thirty-two dollars an'
seb'n pence. But I made up my mind I'd fling out that seb'n pence, an' jes' call it a dollar
even money, an' which here's the solid silver."

In spite of the rapidity with which this enumeration of counter-charges was made, Mr.
Fluker commenced perspiring at the first item, and when the balance was announced his
face was covered with huge drops.

It was at this juncture that Mrs. Fluker, who, well knowing her husband's unfamiliarity
with complicated accounts, had felt her duty to be listening near the bar-room door, left,
and quickly afterwards appeared before Marann and Sim as I have represented.
"You think Matt Pike ain't tryin' to settle with your pa with a dollar? I'm goin' to make
him keep his dollar, an' I'm goin' to give him somethin' to go 'long with it."

"The good Lord have mercy upon us!" exclaimed Marann, springing up and catching
hold of her mother's skirts, as she began her advance towards the bar-room.

"Oh, ma! for the Lord's sake!--Sim, Sim, Sim, if you care anything
for me in this wide world, don't let ma go into that room!"