"Mr. Slick," sez he, a looking as parpendicular as if he'd eat tenpenny nails for breakfast, and topped off with a young crowbar, "Mr. Slick, I'm happy to see you in York agin, but what on arth was the reason that you left us in the lurch about them letters from Washington?"
"Did you ever have a touch of humsickness?" sez I, a straightening up and putting my hands in my pockets, till the tip eend of my nose eenamost come on a level with his'n.
"I ruther think I have," sez he, a hitching up his shoulders.
"And the ager, too?" sez I.
"Don't mention it," sez he, jest a shaking the leastest mite all over with thinking about it.
"Awful sort of a chilly animal, that ager, ain't it?" sez I.
"Dreadful," sez he.
"Didn't it seem as if you'd have to take up all your bones for salt and battery on one another, afore they'd keep still?" sez I.
"A most," sez he, a larfing.
"Wal," sez I, "I didn't ketch the fever and ager."