"We ain't had the pleasure of seeing you down at the Crossing for a month o' Sundays," he began, with airy yet pronounced gallantry.

"Some folks let on you was keepin' company with some feller like Bijah Brown, and you were getting a little too set up for the Crossing." The individual here mentioned being the county butcher, and supposed to exhibit his hopeless affection for Flip by making a long and useless divergence from his weekly route to enter the canon for "orders," Flip did not deem it necessary to reply.

"Then I allowed how ez you might have company," he continued; "I reckon there's some city folks up at the summit.

I saw a mighty smart, fash'n'ble gal cavorting round.

Hed no end o' style and fancy fixin's.
That's my kind, I tell you.