Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-02-08
Alisfellaneous.
A Thimble.Fnll Of Romance,

|
children were out, but it was
close upon twelve o'clock, aud in trice
hey would be back, eager and hungry for
their meal. Mrs. Atkins put down her work
"a very handsome wuistcoat of sky-blue |
satin, sprinkled with stars and bordered, IT |
might be, with the zodiac, (the border was |
10 strangely besutlil) )-clapt her thimble on |
the mante-pieee, and hurried to the cup
board. At all events, there wns dinner to- |
day; and something seemed TO promise to
the tsilor's wife n brighter time, and q fuller
table for the time 10 come.
Atkins had gone to make inquiry about
ship that was to sail for the other side of the
world; and though he had not at tina, time a
single piece of Queen Victoria's minted gold
20 purchase passage for himself and ialni-
ly, he nevertheless would learn all the par
ticulnrs of cost and necessary prcparation.-
1t was n whim he knew for all that, il was
q whim that controlled him beyond his
powers of selfargunent, aud he tried to ex-
ercise them.
And all alone, Mrs. Atkins spread the
table. There wus piece of beef left and II
small piece of plum-pudding, and still the
pudding remained sinHll, although Mrs. At
kins turned the plate that contained il round
and round holf-adozen times, and took half-
a-dozen side-long looks at il, as though en-
deavoring to behold il in the most improved
light. But pudding is not TO be thus mag
nifed.
The table laid, Mrs. Atkins thought che
would execute few more stitches, filling up
the time until Atkins and the children came.
As Mrs. Atkins approached the mantle
piece, extending her fingers towards the
thimble, the thimblc-of its own motion
fell over upon its side, with one distinct, pro-
ionged sound, rs from silver bell; Mrs. At
kins's thimble, by the way, being of no such
precious metal, but of working-dny brass
Mrs. Atkins drew back her fingers from the
thimble as from ncttle, when the thlinble-
self-movcd-roled off the Inante-piece and
fell upon the hearth. And then, to the as
tonishment and terror of Mrs. Atkins, who,
strange to say, could not at that moment
scream, though in no iormer accident had
she failed, when otherwise determined
then, from the thnlble began TO pour forth,
in small quick pufis, smoke of silvery clear
ness. Mrs. Atkins dropt in her chair, aud
sat with her eyes upon the thimblc, still
putting shining vapor-pufimg and putting
until, in few minutes the room was filled
as with cloud, and every object enveloped
in il, save the small brass thinble that gilt
tcred like speck upon the hearth. In the
midst Of her terror, Mrs Atkins tho't of her
little bit of beef and fiagmentury pudding
but they were lost to her sight, mufiied up
in one white cloud that possessed the apart
ment.
Afcr some minutes, the cloud cleared
away, slowly rolling itself up in the CHM
ney, and Mrs. Atkins's brass thimble lay,
like any other two-penpy implement upon
the hearth. The same wellworn thimble-
the same familiar commonplace that for
many day had armed her semstress
finger
"Iow do you do, Mrs. Alkins?" said
voice from the mantcl-piece.
Mrs. Atkins Jumped round with the short
est Of jumps. She looked and saw gentle
We'll, he was the strungest of gentlemSn,
and he was in the strangest position -
But we will tell every title we know about
him.
Measured by toilors' measure, the gentle
mans stature might have been about six
jnchcs. A gentleman with n very clean and
lofty look his hair an iron grey; with few
wisdom scratches made with an iron pen
abe sort of pen made ont of Times old
scythes-about the corner of his eyes, that
had a ceiling-ward look; look, moreover,
of selfsutisihclion. lie was very soberly
drest in black-very soberly; and then his
white neckerchief was white and pure us n
snow-wreaih.
Mrs. Atkins thought she recognized in the
miniature man well-known face; one OF
those countenunces that, like royal ihce up
on shilling, is the property of everybody
who can possess H.. She had seen picture
of The Poor Mans Friend, and-no, il
could not be he; il was mpossibc-never-
theless, the face of the mannkin was won
drously like that flesIl-and-bloed goodness.
And the little gentleman, though some-
what uneusly, sat among sprig Of Christ
mas holly that was upon the mantel-pece
sat- and with his best pains, looked secure
amid bis bower of spikes.
"HGdn't you better take chair, sir, or
this stool z" said Mrs. Atkins, as she passed
her apron over three-legged piece Of deal,
"you'll be more comfortable, sir"
"Thank you," said the little man; his hce
puckered as he spoke, and shifting unensily,
=" thank you, but people condemned to
1.-Two in thimbles are not allowed TO be com
Portable"
"Poor creaiures" cried Mrs. Atkins ait
must be strait lodging, goodness knows
never heard of such u thing"
Benighted, darkened being" cried the
little man in black "miserablc, forlorn per-
son~ he continued, ns though from a plat
form; did You never hear of solOmon's bra
zen kettlesf''
No'Ci1 eHb buiu llc tdHOI NHS, Will
great humility.
"Know, then, that Solomon has at thi.
moment a thousand brazen kettles at thu
bottom of the sen and in every kettle is
prisoner, confined for no good he has done
depend upon it, TO hear the sea moan Ant
roar, and answer it with his groans. Ant
as in brazen kettles, sound the lill,
man sighed heavily in brass Thin
bIes."
al don't understand word of it, sait
Mrs. Atkins and with resolute hand, she
took up her thimble, aud turned il over anl
over, aud almost unconsciously brought the
thlmble to her nose. But il did not smell o
3 snlpher--the thimble was the like thinbe il
was before.
"For ten years have lived in that Thin.
ole. Ten years." cried the little man-and
Mrs. Atkins started now at her visiter, and
AlaoIr a.nanAla.. L.. .aa Il = 4