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Show 1G2 UICHARD HUUDIS. CIIAP1'ER XX II. .S:\ VAGE PASSIONS. " I hate him fot·ltil is11 Cln·istianBut rnoril, fot· tl~:lf·, in low simplicity, lie ltJnds out 111011~y grntis, nud brings down The rnte of usance here with us in Venice. 1f I can cntch bim once upon the hip, I will feed fat the nncicnt gn1dgc I Lenr him 1" -~fercha?Jt of Veniu. " rE at length reached tlte dwelling of our debtor. Hereceived HS as before, with a. plain, rude iudifl'crcncc of manner, mingled with good nature Jleverthclcss, that seemed willing to g ive plensurc, however unwilling to make any great exertion for it. There was notl ting to startle our apprehension, or make us suspicious. Nobody appeared, save the hOst, who l)laycd l1is part to admiration. H e would have carried our horses to the stable, but we refused to suffer him to do so, allrging our intention to ride back to Colonel Grafton's as soon as possible. " 'Vhat! not before dinner~ - you will surely stay :md dine with me. I have prcpnr etl for you." 'l'hc rascal spoke truly . llc had prepared for us witlt a vengeance. I would have Ueclined, for I did uot like (though, to confess a truth, I did not distrust) appearances. But finding us hesitate, n.nd fearing probably to lose ]tis prey, he resorted to a suggestion which at once determined us. "I'm afraill, if you can't stop for dinner, I can't let you hn,·c the money to-day. A neighbor of mine, to whom I lent it n month ago, promised to bring it by meal-time; and, as lte Jives a good bit off, I don't look for him before." This, uttered with an air of indifference, settled our incsolut ion. The idea of com ing back again to such a place, and SO SA VAG F. PASSIONS. 163 wasting another d:1y, was anytlJing but ngrN•aLir, nnd weresolved to stny by all menHR, if by so doi11g W<' could effect our ohjcct. Still , as we were bent to rid<', as soon ns we hml got the money, we insisted tbat }Je should not take our horses, which were fastened to the swinging limbs of a shady tree before the entrance, in instant readiness for usc. 'J'ltis preparatory conference took place at the door. ' Vc then e11tered the hoYcl, whieh it will be 11CCCSStlry, in order to detail following events, briefly to describe. In this particulnr, our task is easy-the arts of architecture, in tho soutll\vcstcrn country, beiug of no yery complicntcd character. The house, ns I hnve said before, was Luilt of logs-unhewn, unsquarcd, rude, ill-ncljointcd - tho mere hovel of a squatter, who cuts down fine trees, spoils a good site, and establishes what l1e impudently styles h is improvements! It consisted of a single story, raised upon blocks four feet from the ground, having an entrance running throt1gh tho centre of the building, with apartruents on eitl1e1·llnnd. 'l'o the left-hand ap::utment, which was used ns n hall, was attached at each end a little lean-to, or shed, the Ooors to whicl1 opened nt once upon the hall. 'l' llcse rooms were possibly mcaut as sleeping-apartments, tJothing being more common in tl1c Southwest than such additions for such purposes. ln this instnnce, however, all regard to appearances seemed to have been neglected, since, in attaching the shed to each end of the hnll, one of these ugly excrescences was necessarily thrown upon the front of the building, which, without such tlll incumbrnncc, was already sufficiently uncouth and uninviting. lf the exterior of this fab ric was thus unpromising, what could be said of it within~ It was a mere shell. There was no ceili11g to tl1c hall, and the roof which COYcrcd it was filled with oprHi ngs that let in the generous sunli glJt, :md with undiscriminating liberality would h:n·e let in any quantity of rain . Tl1e furniture consisted of an old sideboard , garn ishNl with a couple of common decanters, a pitcl1cr witl1 the mouth broken ofl', and some three or four crackccl tumblers. A rickety taLle wns stationary in the centre of the room, which ltcld, besides, some half-dozen highhacked and low-bottomed chairs, the scats of which were covered with untanned deersk in s. Into these we squatted with little ceremony. Om host placed |