The Portland daily press., 1873-03-15


she did not see the child's eyes looking
straight into hers. He was seen at weddings
too-at least q bride or bridegroom would
sometimes say so. But then the attorney
used to declare he could prove an abb, and
the clergyman that such vain imaginings were
nearly as bad as witchcrait, and the doctor
that they were optical illusions, resulting
from disease. So what can we say in such
case?
The most wonderful part of the story is
Il at these illusions, as the doctor called
taem, continued after Little Peep-show had
left the town ''to seek his fortune" said the
people, since he was now growing up Now,
indeed, the abb was clearly made out, and
yet some of the townsfolk, Goody Gracious,
for example, could not get rid of little su-
persttion about the matter. She would nod
her dear old head, and say under her bIea tn
that she was convinced there was some hing
extraordinary about that child, and what a
shame it was for the townioll to hav driven
him into the world so soon, by making game
OF the new peep show which. they would
have it, he was bent upon making Yet such
strange creatures are we that some of lose
who used to ridicule him the most were now
heard 10 wish the young fellow back again.
The town was dreadfully dull, they said: no
peep show ever came to enliven them now 4;
they had even forgotten what the seven Won
ders of the World were like; and they should
very much like change-either to see the
Seven Wonders over again or something bet
ter. The doctor, the parson, and the lawyer
were now getting DID, and they hal almost
retired from public life, as you may say; but
one evening, as they were hobnobblng to-
gvther at the par onage, they were b, ard
laughing amain. great peals of laughter, at
all this talk about Little Peep-show, and the
old show of the Sc zen Wonders, and Some
thing Better. Something Better!' laughed
the doctor. Something Betterp' laughed
the lawyer.
Something petter!' laughed the parson.
And the meuiment rolled out of the half
opened window into the scented autumn
night Sweet upon the air was the dying
breath of the almost faded jisemine; the
brown fallen leaves rustled under the tread OF
The passers by, who caught the echoes of the
laughter; the broker moon seemed ready to
drop precipitately down the silent, melall-
midnight, leaving behind it odors of decay.
PART III.
Little Peep-show did not cease to be re-
membered III the town, aud old Goody Ora
cious was heard to say she felt sure he would
turn out a gen US; but i'll course of time the
current traditions ran thin and weak, and he
was almost forgotten. Among a select few,
however, it was still a fashion to refer in a
romantic vein to the look in the chill eyes
and the fancies people used to have about
him at weddings and births, and so On, and
the lawyers proving all dlibi and all the rest
of it. But, when you come to think of it,
what is a fashion of that sort in the world in
which men and women come and go, and
chop and change about as they do in this?
At last, across the hills that stood on the
eastern side of the town. were blown rumors
that Little Peep show, no more child, and
doing strange things atar off, had made peep
shows which great many people said show
ed you something better than the Sever
Wonders Of the World. Indeed, the rumor
IAN that there were people who would give
anything to look into one of these lew peep
shows, and that the child with the morning
star eyes had become famous man, very
much looked up to. Before all this had time
to cool down. another rumor ran all through
the valley, namely, that little Peep-show, al
the folk now once more began to call him
was gong shortly to visit the town with one
of his shows of somethi lg better than the
Seven Wonders of the World. This led to
great excitement, and for a while nearly
every one was on tiptoe for the expected
Snowman.
H.
EhE
! One day huge noise of fife and drum and
cymbal and tamborne ar used the townfolk
from their usual work. The shoemaker laid
down his leather, the baker his dough, the
butcher his cleaver, the housewife her broom,
the blacksmith his heavy hammer, to rush
forth and see what was the matter. A hand
OF children and scaramouches of various
KINDS came rushlng from the outskirts into
the main street, shouting, "A new show! a
new shown And everybody Who had any
care FOR seeing what the rumors had been
telling them OF, made sure this was the new
certain thew felt all the more smre Of tb;s
when as the show drew near +bnv fo,,rd -
was very fine affair of tbe sort r. rra ~
drawn Inv borses~I forgat h ,w MAN.. lbs
royal arms 1yer.. nairtei IN +ho +o,, tho
mic rms horn was verv 10 rge opo "' ssp .
wi: ~ noi u "ae very iarSe Que. rat
rohlzeu oy tne no1aty ana gentry, said the
scnooilnasIer, readlng part or the inscrlntIon
nat must be the show, for this is exactly
what we neard about our esteemed friend"
1t certainly was very lively Ow. There
was monkey, and there was bear, and
there was danclns.s RI all over spangles;
and man who swallowed burning tow and
laAea sworn. bssiu tnis, there was what
you sa" %heh you looked through the glass
spggles alter you vert up, the steps; and
o o,n was tne music, and there was the
o,o I h Mno was always tumbling over. head
anu an. neeiS WltnouI hurting himself, and say
" 7sT TTc " in,e oS tho h,,,,-, e
ho o,,n o,a $50 Jug oiacksmltn, IN 1st
ell 90 III h o,u a ,iaemu, Uoouy GRACIOUS always
say. M nc "as senius. rs,
Nv, "o, says tHc Udker, 'tn0Se are not
i his iea' th u mus De the one who is swal-
lowing tne sword.
& nuI uoM couu ne tel what the clowns
iea ures were, considering how clowns paint
tIelr races!
Ill.,.
On the very dow 90 - honra .a. 80.
show had left the town ~ tpav.1 a,.er snis
49, 'u ieio oue ooWH, d Traveller entered 1t