Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-08-16
J.ip.iNESE BEDS.

JiIi NENE BEDS.
Dinner over, II siesta on the soft mats
is next in order. No booted foot ever
defiles them. Every one leaves his clogs
on the ground outside, and glides about
in his mitten-ike socks, which have each
q special compartment for the greater
toe. My waiting damsel having gone
out, aud there being no such things as
bells, | do as the natives, clap my
hands. A far-of answer of Uc---i--i is
returned, and soon the shullling of feet
is heard again. The housewife appears
with the Usual low bow, and, smiling so
as to again display what resembles q
mouthfull of coal, she listens to the re-
quest for pillow. Opening the little
closet spoken of, she produces the de-
| sired article. 1t is not ticking bag of
baked feathers inclosed in a dainty,
spotless case of white linen, but little
upright piece of wood, six inches high
and long, and one wide, rounded at the
bottom like the rockers of cradle. On
the top, lying in a groove, is Il tiny
rounded bag of calico filed with rice
chat, about the size of sausage. The
pillow case is piece of white paper
wrapped around the top, and renewed
in good hotels daily for each guest.
| One can rest about four or six inches of
his os occipitis on Japanese pillow,
and if he wishes may rock himself to
sleep, though the words suggest more
than the facts warrant BY sleeping on
+ civilized feathers, one gets out of train
ing, and the Japanese pillows feel very
hard and much i'll one place. The
dreams which one has on these pillows
are characteristic. In my first some
imps were boring gimlet holes in the
side of my skull, until they had honey
combed it and removed so much brain
that ] felt too light-headed to preserve
my equilibrium. On the present occa-
sion, after falling asleep, I thought that
the pillow on which 1 lay pressed its
shape into my head, and the skull, to
be repaired, was being trepanned. My
head actually tumbling off the pillow
was the cause of the fancied operation
being suddenly arrested.
THE GfFT or GAB.'
Johnson, perhaps, set the fashion of
estimating the capacities of man by
his colloquial powers. His opinion of
Burke was, that you could not talk with
him for five minutes without saying,
"this isxan extraordinary man." John
son honored a man who fairly put his
mind to his. If we pass in review the
most eminent of those who are remem-
bered as conversationalists, / doubt
whether we shall find single name that
can be Tor a moment opposed to 10 M
son. Curran, as a converser, was in
fnitely Burke's superior. AS n con-
verser, Curran was, indeed, the first
man of his day-of II day of intellectual
giants. Horne Tooke, with all his
respect and friendship for Grattan, al
lowed Curran to be superior in wit to
Grattan. "Curran's the man who
struck me most" wrote Lord Byron.
"The riches of his Irish imagination
were exhaustless. / have heard that
man speak more poetry than ever | have
seen written" George Selwyn achieved
his reputation as wit rather than Il
walker. AS wit he stood in the frs
rank If he was not always as spark
ling, he was always less premeditatcd
than Sheridan. Walpole, who praises
nobody but himself, praises Selwyn.
The pearls that Selwyn carelessly threw
from him Walpole carefully collected and
reset in his correspondence. He was
eminently and wholly man of fashion.
He luXuriated away a life of seventy
two years in clubs and conversation, in
the House of Commons, and the card
rooms at Arthur's. Lord Holland knew
his worth as Il friend, when, on his
being confined to his bed, he heard that
George Selwyn had called "The next
time Mr. Selwyn calls" said his lord
ship, " show him up. Ii l am alive,
shall be delighted to see him; if L an
dead, he'll be delighted to see me.