ATE IN THE AFTERNOON OF a chilly day inFebruary,two gentlemen were sitting alone overtheir wine,in a well-furnished dining parlor,in the town in Kentucky.There were no servantspresent,and the gentlemen,with chairs closely approaching,seemed to be discussing some subject with great earnestness.For convenience sake,we have said,hitherto,twogentlemen.One of the parties,however,when criticallyexamined,did not seem;strictly speaking,to come underthe species.He was a short,thick-set man,with coarse,commonplace features,and that swaggering air of pretensionwhich marks a low man who is trying to elbow his wayupward in the world.He was much overdressed,in a gaudyvest of many colors,a blue neckerchief,bedropped gaylywith yellow spots,and arranged with a flaunting tie,quite inkeeping with the general air of the man.His hands,large andcoarse,were plentifully bedecked with rings;and he wore aheavy gold watchchain,with a bundle of seals of portentoussize,and a great variety of colors,attached to it,——which,inthe ardor of conversation,he was in the habit of flourishingand jingling with evident satisfaction.His conversationwas in free and easy defiance of Murray's Grammar,andwas garnished at convenient intervals with various profaneexpressions.

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