The Arkansas advocate., 1834-05-16
THEE 2 ss-ss vuET u AEAszEzs GLEN gSr,z,r rrlr 2 9T
 NO. IT.
1 Written for the Aayocate.l

,ii9He iio uouDt. il 1 thought you did not, should apologize for using cant phrase. and give definition. Thls might insult you. Every body knows what the phrase means. We see them at every corner of lie, and they cross our vision both in it's lights and shadows. Yet, after all, reader, are you so certain that you know the mean ing oi tire phrase, in ali its rami.ieations, and that you understand the persons whom It is intended to embrace, in all their yafie- ties V hat If Ii should include the whole world--you and me and all of us-how then! Afs you thorough in your know ledge of human nature? No? If not, you do not yet fully understand the phrase. 1t is fruitful theme, and might, in ether hands than mine, De turned to some profit and withal to some amusement.
 It would be entirely useless for me to set myself seriously to work to enumerate the various classes of "Knowing Characters" which come under one's ken, in his rambIes around tie world. That would be Her culean labor, and would make Cyclope- dla. 1t would be to number up, and 10 de- scribe, with their distinctive marks, all the mental varieties of man. It IS no such la bof tiiat propose to myself. desire nlere- y, ln my own quiet and unprotending way, fo giYe you, reader, few samples Of some ot these varieties, gathered up by me, and stored away as old aeqlaintances. They will be merely crayon sketches, and some of, them have been noted down in my com monplace book this many year. among other odds and ends, making curious me lapge, but in truth F store-h house into which F plunge now and then ior the sake of old "reminiscences. Ind here 1 wish to say, once for all, that no person Is to iInaglne himself painted out hy the Walking Gentle man in any of hls numbers. Such sketches as make are either general, or of indiyidu- als to whom these numbers cannot reach. have no malice to gratiiy, which should
 induce nae to assail any man undera mask. irebElLe manners, not men. lloreWarn the whole of my readers, therefore, that no man IS to presume to apply to himself personally any thing found in these numbers. Ii he tciR put on the coat, why there is an old adage which will just suit him.
 Tl.szae ssle:.es, .<,.ly ,ssi1szz srr meeting an oddy. One gets tired of going On in the same beaten track, day after day, seeing the same good, steady, sober. matter of-fact faces, and the study oi human nature becomes a wearisome and dry natter Give him an odaity, and he lives asain.- For example, there was my old iflehd Tom H.. find him marked down il my book as one of the best "lSaowing charac- 1 ters' on earth--and SC he was. lem was merchant, tape seiler-a thin, middle sized, red haired, acute looking, and really talented fellow. He was a pretty good painter, and is an excellent cDe now, l am told. Now, in the first place, Tom knew 1 all about goods. That was natural. lie was great judge of cloths and of the mag niicenee of tape. So bought a suit ol clothes of him. sent the cloth to the tai Tor. and he told me that had not got the Ibest piece. "Tom knows" was all the an- swer he got out of me. So he naadeit up-- a long skrted coat, and pantaloons, the di- vesting one's self of which gave good idea of scaIping. Well, in three days, (this was in New England,l fell down OH the ice and tore the pan:aloons open at the knee, and in two months l gave away the coat. Ii became lack-lustre matter immediately.
 Politely speaking, the cloth was not fit foa
 the - 10 wear. But Tom was perfectly honest in the matter. Then he was con-
 noisseur on the fute-- and touched the pia-
 no little, and sang bass in the Unitarian
 church. l believe that when he sang he
 was always the only man ill tune. He prid ed himself on driving gig, and never woiIlS
 allow me to take the reins. "Look here;'
 said he once, as we were getting along at ;
 rapa pace through narrow street, ''yol don't understand driving, let me show you.
 So he took the reins, and gave the horses m additional touch. The reIns were s'ilg ced.D as a salor would cali II, "with bloci and tackle" tliss is, with little brass wheels acting as pulleys. so as to giye double nower. but it was all of little use. Gnwen the horse like lightning. IL was descend
 ;no street. and as we neared the bottom Ton : said. .snow just observe how l turn Una $ corner-ust skim t, dye see v 5usttaen ! round we went The gig took flight tiFo : the air in segment of circle, for aoou
 ten feet, and found myself deposited on
 b,pe feather bed, in front of cfockery mer
 chant and upholsterer's establisanen'.- s Ton, described another segment, stlli hold y mo to the reins, and landed, feet first m z h;e crate of glass ware, wherein he Wronsh F oreat destruction. The horse was "brough g 'i m, all in heap, and having broken ., oi
 the shafts of the gig, was squatted oI, i'll
 haunehes, looking at the wreck oi nature
 and inc crush of crockery. That buslnes
 cost us a pretty snnl-but still Tom was :, creat flriyer-tandenl, double, quadfupie'
 was all the same to hin.