I made her a kind of a half bow, and then arter giving my hand a wave to match her'n,—sez I—
"Arter you is manners for me."
The critter understands what good manners is; her black eyes begun to sparkle and the smile came around her little mouth thicker and faster, like lady bugs around a full blown rose. I begun to feel to hum with her right off, so when she sot down and looked into my face with them sarcy mischievous eyes of her'n, and hitched up to the square cushion sort of inviting, I jest divided my coat tail with both hands and sot down tu. But when I got down I'll be darned if I knew what on arth to talk about; I stretched one of my new boots out on the carpet, and then crossed t'other over it and then I did it all over agin, but still I kept growing more and more streaked, till by-am-by I jest sidled towards her kind of insinivating, and sez I—
"Wal, Miss Elssler, what's the news?"
"E—a de what," sez she, a looking puzzled half to death.
"Oh nothing partic'lar," sez I. "I swow, Miss Elssler, you've got a tarnal purty foot—git out you critter you!" and with that I gave my yaller hankercher a flirt and upset a fly that had lit on the tip eend of her finefied silk shoe. Arter I'd finished his bisness, I folded up my hankercher and wiped my nose, and then put it in my pocket agin. Then I begun to think it was best to take a new start, and sez I—
"Its rather pleasant weather for the season, don't you think so—beautiful day yesterday, wasn't it?"
She gave me one of her sweet smiles, and sez she—
"Yes it was, indeed. I was on board one French vessel in the harbor yesterday, and was so delighted."
"What sort of a consarn was it?" sez I, "a sloop mebby"—