Mexico weekly ledger., 1881-09-15

and wishing them pleasant dreams, and
promising to see them the next Saturday
night, we toddled up to bed.
"Sam dropped his wardrobe in a pile
on the floor and bounced into bed with
out any trouble. I was always sloSand
full of curiosity, so took look around
the room. At last l thought l would
sit down on a chest which was covered
with nice white cloth. while drew off
my boots; SO down sat, when Jerusa-
lem crickets, went squash down into a
custard pie. / thought Sam would die
ka laughing, as he said / had smashed the
custard all to thunder, and the plate
right in two. 1 told Sam to hush; we
had to be awful quiet for fear the old
folks would hear US.
"At last was ready for bed, so put
out the light and picked up my boots,
thinking to put them in a more conven-
lent place, when down went one of my
feet through pipe hole, which had been
covered over with paper, clear up to the
hip. AS my leg was very long, it reached
a shelf in the kitchen, which was just
below US, and turned it over, spilling
dishes, pans plates and other things, and
producing an awful racket. The girls
had not yet retired, and I could hear
them laughing TT to split their sides.
"I felt much ashamed, and was SO
scared that 1 felt my heart away up in
my throat, for l expected the old man
every minute. 1 pulled my leg out of the
confounded hole just in time, for the old
woman looked into the kitchen and
! asked, What's all this about, girls?'
The girls made some sort of excuse, and
said, The cat was prowling around after
mice and had knocked down some tin
ware and then all was quiet.
eve were soon asleep and in the land
of dreams. Once 1 dreamed that was
sitting by the side of Sue, with my arms
around her neck and slipping nectar from
her honied lips; and next, l would be
making tracks for home at race-horse
gait, with the old man after me with his
| big cane When l awoke | found the
sun shining high and bright in the win
| dow. The next thing, | heard the old
folks having morning prayers down in
the kitchen right below US.
1--WE were now in purity pickle, and
what to do we didn't know. Sam got
up, looked out the window, and said We
could get down over the roof. Sam said
to me, Get up, John Dobson, don't you
see where the sun isT In my hurry OF
getting out of bed, got my feet tangled
up among the bed-clothes and pitched
pell-mell down the stairs, and landed on
the floor right before the old folks and
the two girls.
"The old man bawled at the top of his
voice, The Lord save u.s. for he thought
the devil had come. The old woman
| screamed so loud she could have been
neard half a mile, whilst the girls
stood in one corner of the room with
their aprons to their faces; as it was very
warm weather, | hadn't anything on
but shirt.
II opened the door in hurry, and
made bee line for the barn. My speed
was considerably FASTENED by couple
Discovering Poet.
rThe Argosyl
The following story illustrates the best
way for young writer to obtain publ
cation for his pieces. 1t is to send q
6rst-rate one to the editor and say
nothing about it. If it is meritorious, il
will come out. If not it will go into
the waste basket.
One day Charles Dickens, as he sat in
the office of All The Year Round, max,
ing his way through the mass of papers
that lay on his table, was attracted and
surprised by the singular merit of some
lines which had been sent him.
Such discovery is always refresh
ment to an editor, as he wades among
the slough of manuscripts which sur
rounds him, and he glanced eagerly al
the name with which the verses were
signed. 1t was MARY Berwick"
Dickens had never before, to hi:
knowledge, either heard this name ol
seen it in print; but there was the ring
of true poetry in Mary Berwick's lines
be she whom she might, and so they
were inserted in the next number of the
magazine.
Months went on, and All The Yeal
Round had frequently contributions ol
Miss Mary Berwick among its contents
Dickens, however, knew simply moth
ing about her, except that she worte {
legible hand, that he always, by her owr
wish, addressed all communications tt
her to a certain circulating library il
the west of London, and that when ht
sent her check she acknowledged il
promptly, but in very short, matter
of-fact way.
At length, one winter evening, wheI
Dickens went to dine with the Proc
tiers, he happened to put in bis pocket, tt
show them, the Christmas number o.
All The Year Round, which was jus
coming ont.
He called their attention especially t.
what he said was very pretty poem 10y
Miss Mary Berwick. The author O
"Pickwick' remarked to his sastonishment
that these simple words of his were re
ceived by the whole family with mucl
suppressed merriment.
He could not in the least make on
what was in the wind, but he took j
| good-naturedly, suPposing it to be SOM
home Christmas joke. and asked n'
questions.
Next day the mystery of the unac
countable mirth of last night wa
cleared up in letter from Barry Corn
wall to Dickens. Mary Berwick wa
Adelaide Proctor. And from that tim
forward Miss Proctor took an acknowl
edged place among English poetesses.
Beautiful Smiles.
Sicilian ladies, says a correspondent
are not often seen in public; they ar
jealously kept at home, somewhat il
| r. ot, &vl1 hnr