"Oh!" sez I, and with that I begun to twistify the square paper about in my fingers, and at last I seemed to be a reading it as arnest as could be, all the while a leaning sort of easy towards him as if I'd forgot he was there. He kept a eyeing it kinder slantindicular, till at last, sez he-- "That's purty writing, Mr. Slick--a lady's, I should think?" "Mebby you've seen it afore," sez I, a trying to look careless, and as if I'd read every word on't a dozen times. "Ruther scrumptous leetle curlecues them are, don't you think so?" With that I handed over the pesky thing kind of nat'ral, as if I didn't really think what I was a doing, and he seemed to read it off as easy as water. "Oh yes," sez he, "this is her _own_ handwriting; a great compliment, Mr. Slick. I know of many a fine feller that would give his ears to get sich a card from 'the Elssler.'" "Oh," sez I, "if she has a notion for ears, she'd better bargain for them Baltimore chaps that we've heard on. She'll get prime ones there, as long as beet leaves, but I'm afeared she'll find 'em ruther scarce here in York; the sile ain't rich enough for 'em." Here the chap bust out a larfing, and haw-hawed till it seemed as if he'd go right off the handle. He tried to choke in, but that only made him top off short with a touch of the hooping-cough. Arter a while he wiped his eyes, and sez he-- "Very good, Mr. Slick! very good indeed! But of course you accept the Elssler's invitation to the theatre to-night!" "To the theatre," sez I, "so she goes off there, does she; well, a feller may see the fun without bidding, so mebby I'll go." "Jest inquire for the Astor House box, and it'll be all right," sez the chap, and with that he took up the thick paper, and, sez he, "How neatly they do turn off these compliments in French, don't they?" "In what?" sez I. "In French," sez he. "Oh!" sez I, and more and more I was anxious to find out what the French gal had writ to me. "How beautifully she's turned this sentence about your talents," sez he. "Yes," sez I, all of a twitter inside, but cool as a cucumber for what he knew. "Yes, purty well, considering, but look a here now, I'll bet a cookey you can't turn that into fust rate English as soon as I can, and I'll give you the fust chance tu." The chap larfed agin, and sez he, "If you'd a said fust rate Yankee I should a gin right up tu once, but I ruther think I can cum up to you in English." "The proof of the pudding is in eating the bag," sez I. "Wal," sez he, "I can but try;" so he looked at the paper, and read it off jest as easy as git out.