Killed By The Natives.

" He s ad two to day—all at once ! I never knew 'im to do such a thing afore . Oh , Lord ! Oh , Lord !" He paused after opening my tenth , with- the true tradesman like glance at the shells , and as if to assure himself that I had sufficient to go on with ; then , availing himself of the interval , he stuck his steel in the cutting board before him , — where it remained quivering , emitting a kind of iEolian harp accompaniment in a minor key while he continued his dismal recital—drew a cotton handkerchief from bis pocket

, , with which he agitatedly wiped his fevered brow , and resumed—his narrative—not his oyster opening , — " He ' s alius a-doin' it ! " he went on , " night AND day ! It killed my poor dear wife ! It ' s a-killin' me—soft ' nin' of the brain ! Oh ! Ah !! Tes , indeed !!! He don't never do it all at once as he ' s done to day . That wouldn't be so bad—only half so bad , arter all .

t Why , last night he cum in Heighteen times—HEIGTITTSEN TIMES rimnin '—at hintervals of from twenty minutes to a hour , and ' ad one penny hyster each time ! NO MORE ! I was a-runnin' up and clown them blessed stairs attendin' to him—CUSS 'IM!—from seven o ' clock till twelve ' . No matter what I'm a-dorng or injyin '—my forty winks , my dinner , the buz ' m of my fain'ly , shavin '—look at my gills now , sir , all thro '

'im—attendin a customer—Lord , I ' m alius a-lookin' for it , —forrud I must come ! ' A penny hyster ! ' There ' s a young ' ooman as sings at penny readin's lodges in my one pair back , ancl whenever she ' s a-practisin' a song about' the clang of the wooden shoon , ' I thinks of the clink of the penny bronze , ancl cries like a babby ! Tes , sir , youVerig ht ; that makes eleven ; you'll want one more , sir . Lord , where was I ?" "It's been goin' on for years "—he dropped his voice to a mysterious

growl" ever since hysters has been a-gettin' clear . It was the same at the shop I ' ad afore this , and the One I 'ad afore that . It began soon after Hangelina and I got married . Pore Hangelina ! well , she ' s well out on it . Never more than one at a time—never afore to-day , and then I spose he caught your heye , sir , ancl for once in his life felt ashamed . Ton hobserved a reluctance on my part to come down and attend on you—well , warn't it nat ' ral ? I thought he'd turned up again . So he did , you see , on ' y a minute arter . Oh , dear ! Oh , dear ! Oh , Lord ! Oh , Lord !" " Who is he ? " I enquired .

" A monster , sir , my evil genius—my—but there , it ' s no use . That ' s the dozen , sir . Any more , air ? No ? Three and two . Two florins . If I give you a shilhn ' , have you twopence , sir ? If s fate , sir—my destiny , sir . I ' m the sport of a demon , sir , ancl have been for years . I sometimes think he must be a disappointed former lover of my late wife ' s , sir , and that this is his mean revenge ; but lor , my pore departed Hangelina alius assured me she knew nothin' of him , and o' course she ' ated 'im for his treatment of me , like poison ,

sir—poison ! I wish one of them there penny fish had been fed on strychnine for his sake . " " But it appears to me , " I urged , " that you have the remedy in your own hands . Why do you not refuse to serve liim ? Why don't you speak to the police ? " The saturnine scowl that had before convulsed , his countenance was pleasing by contrast with the ironical sneer that now disfigured it . " The perlice ! " he replied . " What do we pay rates ancl taxes for ? What for ?

Why , I'll tell you . To keep a pack o' lazy scamps in hidleness and prowling up and down , and goin' on night duty , and collarin '' watches , and rimnin' honest folks in , ancl lettin' rogues go ! Tab ! the perlice ! Why , I asked ' 79 ' on my beat for his opinion as a legal functionary , and as I ' old that what ' s not paid for is worth nothing , I gave linn three angry porticoes * for a fee , and what did he say ? Why , says he , ' Ton keep a refreshment house , licensed , ' says he , ' and you ' re bound by the terms of your license to supply every customer as comes in and offers to pay , so long as your shop is open . "