humor.  He’d brought some liquor down far the boys, and he’d be’n drinkin’ a little hisse’f, enough to feel it.  He didn’t drink much—­that is to say, he didn’t git drunk adzactly; but he tuck his dram, you understand.  You see, they made ther own whisky in them days, and it was n’t nothin’ like the bilin’ stuff you git now.  Old Ezry had a little still, and allus made his own whisky, enough far fambly use, and jist as puore as worter, and as harmless.  But now-a-days the liquor you git’s rank pizen.  They say they put tobacker in it, and strychnine, and the Lord knows what; ner I never knowed why, ‘less it was to give it a richer-lookin’ flavor, like.  Well, Ezry he ‘d brought up a jug, and the boys had be’n a-takin’ it purty free; I seed that as quick as I went in.  And old Ezry called out to me to come and take some, the first thing.  Told him I did n’t b’lieve I keered about it; but nothin’ would do but I must take a drink with the boys; and I was tired anyhow and I thought a little would n’t hurt; so I takes a swig; and as I set the jug down Bills spoke up and says, “You’re a stranger to me, and I’m a stranger to you, but I reckon we can drink to our better acquaintance,” er somepin’ to that amount, and poured out another snifter in a gourd he’d be’n a-drinkin’ coffee in, and handed it to me.  Well, I could n’t well refuse, of course, so I says, “Here ’s to us,” and drunk her down—­mighty nigh a half pint, I reckon.  Now, I railly did n’t want it, but, as I tell you, I was obleeged to take it, and I downed her at a swaller and never batted an eye, far, to tell the fact about it, I liked the taste o’ liquor; and I do yit, only I know when I’ got enough.  Jist then I didn’t want to drink on account o’ Steve.  Steve couldn’t abide liquor in no shape ner form—­far medicine ner nothin’, and I ’ve allus thought it was his mother’s doin’s.

Now, a few months afore this I ’d be’n to Vincennes, and I was jist a-tellin’ Ezry what they was a-astin’ far ther liquor there—­far I ’d fetched a couple o’ gallon home with me ’at I ’d paid six bits far, and pore liquor at that:  And I was a-tellin’ about it, and old Ezry was a-sayin’ what an oudacious figger that was, and how he could make money a-sellin’ it far half that price, and was a-goin’ on a-braggin’ about his liquor—­and it was a good article—­far new whisky,—­and jist then Steve comes in, jist as Bills was a-sayin’ ’at a man ’at wouldn’t drink that whisky wasn’t no man at all.  So, of course, when they ast Steve to take some and he told ’em no, ’at he was much obleeged, Bills was kind o’ tuck down, you understand, and had to say somepin’; and says he, “I reckon you ain’t no better ’n the rest of us, and we ’ve be’n a-drinkin’ of it.”  But Steve did n’t let on like he noticed Bills at all, and rech and shuck hands with the other boys and ast how they was all a-comin’ on.