"Well, ez you've put it that way,--'in the name of God!'"--returned the
man lazily, "it mout hev struck us that ez HE was bossin' the job, so
to speak, and handlin' things round here generally, we might leave it to
Him. It wasn't OUR flood to monkey with."
"And as He didn't coven-ant, so to speak, to look arter this higher
ground 'speshally, and make an Ararat of it for us, ez far ez we
could see, we didn't see any reason for SETTLIN' yer," put in a second
speaker, with equal laziness.
The secretary saw his mistake instantly, and had experience enough
of Western humor not to prolong the disadvantage of his unfortunate
adjuration. He colored slightly and said, with a smile, "You know what
I mean; you could have protected yourselves better. A levee on the bank
would have kept you clear of the highest watermark."
"Hey you ever heard WHAT the highest watermark was?" said the first
speaker, turning to another of the loungers without looking at the
secretary.
"Never heard it,--didn't know there was a limit before," responded the
man.
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