"Breddin," he said, "dars a time to live und dars a time to die, und ef I must spaciate upon def befo dis conjugation I mout say dat he cums in a heap aways und a heap er fashuns; den agin he cums when he hedn't ought ter cum. He cum dis time when he hedn't ought ter cum und he hes flung de hole goverment out of jint." "Und I specks de boss will be bleeged ter mak a signment ob de assets of North Caliny. Fur de lans sake," exclaimed Joshua, "let me git wun moufful ef she's agwine to bust." Without noting the interruption, however, the coroner proceeded: "I'm agwine ter ax brudder Skyles de slidin elder to lead us all in prayer, und ter bless de Lord dat de crowner und jurer is rite heer to sympathize with our bereaved friends in the bonds of iniquity." Aleck and his ill fated friends were still sea-sawing in the water and after the prayer the man with the hand organ and the monkey began to play in squeaky, stridulous tones "The girl I left behind me." Joshua the octogenarian, was among the men who were chosen upon the jury. "Now den what is yer gemman gwine ter side erbout dese drounded corpses?" asked the coroner. There was a long painful pause when a very venerable negro confronted the coroner with this enquiry; "I rises to a question ob pribilige sar. I wishes to quire, ef a crowbar mout be er witniss in his own beharf, sar?" "Sartanly sar, sartanly," answered the coroner: "How is yer agwine to swar hit?" he continued. "Now yer oversizes my siggassity sar; yer axes pine blank" said the coroner, raising his spectacles with great dignity, "'How dis jurer is agwine to swar a crowbar;' is dat hit?" "Yas sar," replied the negro. "What sez yer gemman ob de jurer to dis qustun," asked the coroner. After laying their heads together, a juror pompously observed. "Dat he hed seed a horg crost questuned in de kote, und he convicted de prisner." "Were he a white man?" the jury asked. "No sar, dat time de prisoner was a cullud gemman sar." "Aye, Aye," they exclaimed in chorus. "Und de nex time I seed a pare of galluses convict a prisner." "Was he a cullud gemman?" again they asked. "No sar, he were a po white man." "Jess so, Jess so," they again exclaimed with infinite satisfaction. "Fetch dat crowbar in heer und tell where yer git him," said the coroner. "I scovered him under de bridge," the negro answered. "Whose name is dat, sar?' the coroner asked pointing to the letters J. W. S. chiseled into the iron handle. "Haint dat Semo's name?" he again asked. "It ar" answered a juror. "Constable," the coroner stormed with wrath, "Yer fech dat white man fo me, ded er live, und summuns de possy common ta ters to go wid yer sar. Und bredden," he continued, "we'll pass de jimmyjon und tak a swipe while wee's erwaiting fur de prisner."