American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-06-06
HAPPY ACCIDENTS.

Thames from the window of her fathers
house on London Bridge, the accident was
a happy one for the plucky apprentice
| who took Il header and saved the baby
| heiress from drowning; for, in grateful
| guerdon of the lads ready courage, when,
in due time, BABY developed into pretty
maiden, Sir William would listen to no
Weather sutton, vowing that he who had
| saved the lass from death should possess
her for life, and, the damsel being of the
same mind, Edward Osborne married the
daughter of the merchant prince and lived
| happy ever atterward-
| That well rewarded dive was common
place act of devotion beside that by which
Il page once proved his love for his mas
ter, thanks to the peculiar method of cure
adopted by the phys of William of
Orange when the smallpox threatened to
bring the Princes life to an end. Moth
| ing, the doctor said, could save the pa
tent unless some healthy young man be
came his bedfellow, and, by Unfolding him
closely in his arms, should impart sufli-
! Gent heat to his body to force the obsti-
| nate disease to break out. Williams page,
| Bentinck, volunteered for the dangerous
office. The experiment succeeded, and
| the faithful youth escaped unframed to
share his masters rising fortunes, became
| Prime Minister of England, and founded
ducal house in the land of his adoption.
Srolling across the fields near Sayes
Court, Evelyn came upon dismal looking
house and, peeping in at a window, saw
a young man busy wood carving. Slip
ping inside, he beheld "'such a work as
for curiosity of handling, drawing, and
studious exactness," surpassed anything
of the kind he had yet seen. Evelyn told
the King of his find; and, obtaining en-
ployment for the genius he had so unex-
pectedly unearthed, started Grinling Glib
bons ON the road to fame and fortune.
Sherwin, the engraver, might have end
ed his days as chopper of wood if he
had not been called into MIR. Mitfurd's
drawing-room to receive some orders
while the young ladies were amusing
themselves drawing. Seeing his wood
cutter taking earnest note of what the
fair artists were about, Mr.. Milford asked
if he could do anything that way. Sher-
| win said he did not know that he could
| but he should like to try. Paper and pen
Gil were placed in his hands and, spite
of his stiff and callous fingers, he pro-
duced drawing that astonshed all pres
ent, and which, being presented to the
Society of Arts, gained the untaught
| draughtsman the society's silver medal
| Thus encouraged, Sherwin betOok him
selfto town, exchanged the AK for the
burin and won for himself a name in the
| world of art.
Sharp, the painter, owed the favor he en-
joyed at court to an odd misadventure. 1t
was the custom for the royal attendants,
when the King passed along the Hobbies
| of the palace, to clear the way by crying
out: Sharp, sharp, look sharpp This
cry reaching Sharp's ears as he was pre-
pairing colors in a room in the palace, he,
thinking he was called, rushed out to
meet the impatient caller, and, coming
into collision with His Majesty, the
painter measured his length upon the
floor. From that time George III. lost
no opportunity of pushing the fortunes of
the artist so strangely introduced to his
notice. Sharp rose through his own fall.
HALL Pasha was indebted for his rise
in the world to such an every day occur
renee the upsetting of lamp. He
happened to be doing some tinman's work
in the apartment of the Sultana Valide,
when that lady knocked down a much
priced French lamp, to the utter derange-
ment of its internal economy. Despair
ing of finding any mechanic in CONSTANT
nople capable of repairing the damage,
the Suitana proposed sending it to Paris,
whereupOh the young tinman offered to
try his skill, and succeeded in putting the
lamp in good order again. The pleased
owner recommended him to her son, the
Sultan; and he, after testing the capacity
of the Sultana's prOtege in various ways
ultimately appointed him to the office of
Grand Master of Artillery; an appoint
ment HALL Pasha justified by inventing a
new cartridge, improving the armament
of the forces, and completing the dcfenses
of the Dardanelles. Greater things still
were expected OF him. but as an accident
| brought him to the front, SO an accident
! brought his career to an abrupt close and
deprived the Port of an able servant
Wallenstein the magnificent, the self
| absorbed captain, who never lost but one
battle, might have remained fool all his
life had not his brain been started into
activity by his head trying conclusions
with the pavement.
Mabillion was little better than an idiot
until he fractured his skull, i'll desceRd
ing Il stone staircase without using his
feet.
Foote, if his powers were not devel-
oped by an accident, was enabled to turn
his wit and mimic talent to more protita-
BILE purpose through losing leg by fall
ing from his horse when riding in the
Duke of York's company; that obtained
him his Haymarket patent, bringing him
years of prosperity, a prosperity that
might have been lifelong could he have
steered clear of offending Il revengeful
woman.
By a much slighter mishap than the
breaking of limb the stage lost a good
actor, but the theater's loss was the
worlds gain. We have reason to be
thankful that cold in the head prevented
Charles Dickens keeping his appointment
| with the Convent Garden manager, and
compelled him to postpone giving them ID
taste of his histrlOnic quality till another
season. Then, says he, " made IL great
splash in the gallery; the Chronicle opened
to me; | had "a distinction in the little
world of the newspaper which made me
like it; began to write; didn't want
money; had never thought of the stage
but as 4 means of getting it; gradually
left off turning my thoughts that way;
and never resumed the idea. See how
near l may have been to another sort of
| lite!" See how near we all may have
been, but for that cold, to never knowing
| Pickwick, Old Weller, and the irrepressi-
! BILE Sam, Captain Cutie, Dick Swiveller,
Micawber and the host of friends whose
names are familiar in our mouths as
! household wordsl To such IL trivial ac-
cident do they owe their being; just as
| the red-skinned heroes of Fennimorc
! Cooper would never have been heard of
but for their creators being wearied out
of all patience by dull novel until,
! throwing it down in disgust, he eX-
/ claimed: :" could do better than this
myseltl' and, setting to work. did it.
! Thorwaldsen would have gone back to
Denmark a disappointed man-perhaps
| forsworn the sculptor's art-if a flaw in
his passport had not Obliged him, much
against his will, to stay twenty-four hours
longer in Rome. Before the twenty-tour
hours had passed away Mr.. Hope had
| walked into the studio, admired the
Jason, and commissioned the despairing