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Marguerite wuz kum 2, and boldly confronted
the hated monster who stood afore her.

“Villin! wretch! sanguinary skunk!” she exclaimed,
her nose turnin up in skorn until it
reached the top uv her head, and caught on a
hair-pin; “what wouldst thou with me?”

“Thy hand!”

“O, Heven! that I, the last uv a long and
noble line, shood live to hear this!” exclaimed the
maiden, drawin herself up to her full hite, by
means uv a pulley in the ceelin.

“Last uv a long and noble line! By my halidome,
thou speekest trooly—thou art the last uv
a long and noble line—a clothes-line! Thy father
hung himself with the one thy mother used in her
biznis. But enuff uv this. Mine thou must be.
Thou knowst me well. Cross my purposes, and I
am ez frackshus ez a two-year old colt with a
chestnut burr under his tail; humor me, and I
am ez amiable ez a chicken with dough afore it.
Ez for Timothy, yoo shel never wed him—his
doom is seeled! Let me but see him cast a look
on thee, and I 'll punch the low-born varlet in the
stumick—thus.”

And the Bow-legged Knite, drawin his shinin

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blade, made 2 or 3 hundred passes at the wall,
endin by turnin a double-somerset.

Skasely wuz he dun, when the door flew open
and Timothy appeared. Marguerite shreeked,
while the Knite threw himself between the doomed
apothecary and the door, and drawd his sword.

“Ha! ha! ho! ho! I hev thee now, thou pillmixer!
thou peddler uv Injin remedies! Prepare
for instant death!” exclaimed the Knite, makin
a tremenjus blow. But the wary apothecary wuz
on his gard, and ez the blow descended, he stept
aside. Another blow, dodge; blow, dodge; blow,
dodge. Finally, the luckless apothecary, bearin
the lifeless form uv Marguerite, wuz in a corner.
Retreat wuz out uv the question, and further
dodgin impossible. A happy thot struck him.
Ez the sword uv the Knite desended, he dexterously
interposed the body uv Marguerite, ducked
his head, darted between the legs uv the Knite,
and run like a dog with a tin kittle tied to his
tail. The Knite, robbed uv his vengeance, and
seein his beloved Marguerite dead at his feet,
stabbed hisself and died also.