The Land Claim — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

10 THE LAND-CLAIM. careless faces to demonstrate the power ae air and motion to beautify manhood. The quartette was made up of four distinct professions—a physician who had never practiced, a lawyer ditto, a surveyor, and an editor—the latter two having had some experience in what they pretended to practice. Very harmoniously lived these four together, in a shanty of rough boards, furnished with two rude bedsteads, as many plank benches, a cooking stove, pine table, and a few tin dishes. It was agreed among them that, “ for short,” each one was to be called by his pro- ae fi _ pint an abbreviation thereof. Thus Doc, Squire, re Elvan Pg denote the personality of gentlemen . whose 1 ae ean ste names will transpire in due season. Over. iquet of Flag, there had at/first been consider- able discussion, one contending formaaen. abbreviation of compass; another for Tent, and a 1 for Chain; but the surveyor himself carried the day, and was voted unanimously to be Flag, at his own suggestion. , 4 “T say, fellows, this is jolly, isn’t it?” remarked Squire, kick- ing up his heels like a four-year-old, as one of the beds. “ Jolly !” reiterated Doc; “I shoul kicking up your heels on the bed _ “Pooh, you talk like a woman,” sa ag, in ine sishadsotorray Caatiaaet sestwadctiin J “T only wish I could hear a real woman talkir shanty,” answers Doc, mournfully. “Confound it never learn to pour the water off the potatoes withot — hands with the steam.” ‘don’t you sheatiamnaaneneele ho-evaier-with a cal Flag, with provoking coolness. “ Because that’s not the way it’s done by women ” was the reply, in rather a surly tone. “ That's the w did, I suppose, when you was cook, and that accounts for their not being fit to eat.” “ Without doubt,” put in the Squire, soberly ; * women are among the most useful of the domestic animals. Now, a may keep house very comfortably without a dog or a cat, a horse or a cow ; but without a woman, something is pretty apt Commicloooks.cormn