The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-02-13

IL .kcns and Thackeray both have re-
corded the entertainment that they
vaincd when people who were al
most perfect originals of their CHAR
actrrS asked them graVely II really
they ever had met such creatures as
they put into their books. Dickens.
e.pecially. never failed TO delight in
incidents OF this nature.
The character of Mrs. Nickleby is one
of the most striking cases in point.
No Mrs. \ickleby ever recognizes
herself as being even remotely like
the Mrs \icklcby Of "NichOlaS
Nick!eby.'' Yet it has been said
that there is a Mrs. Nicl>Ieby i'll
nearly every family. The very ma
lure of the Mrs. Nicklebys forbids
tlat they ever should recognize
their picture. Their characteristic
i thOuShtlcss babblc. As they can
hardly remember from one day to
The other. or one hour to the
other. what they have said. it is
quite impossible that they should
recognize their own type OF CONVEX
~ation when they sec it.
II there is Il Mrs. \icklcDy in nearly
every family. there also is a little of
Mrs. NickIcby in every one OF us.
Let us catch ourselves at times
when conversation has become
trivial and we shall have to admit
that some of our discussions are
quite as pretty as Mrs. Nickleby'S
"reminiscences of her dear papa :
salt cellars.
W doubt Mrs. Nicklcby spoke as sim
ply and to the point in her general
conversation as most ordinary per-
sons do. Charles Dickens descrip-
ton of her apparently eXaggeratcs
her (but only apparently because
he i~oIatcS her characteristic and
IudiCrOuS remarks. The Mrs. NiCkle.
b,~ whom we know in real life arc
not known to us merely or mostly
by their crandcurs of logic. We
know them not only as being mag
Efficiently absurd, but as livins
through long intervals OF common
place and very dull sanity.
Mrs. Nickleby's greatest regret after
h,r husband died ruined. was that h
never would take her advice, anc
that, in fact, his thoughts invariabl,
wandered whenever she spoke t.
him.
Il think ! see him now Mrs. Nick
lehy used to say, wipinS her eyes
looking at me while / was talkin,
10 him of his affairs. as if his idea
were in IL state Of perfect cOnslOmer
alton, Anybody might have suppose
that | was confusing and diStractlni
him. instead of making things palmer
pom my word, they would. Poor
poor dear. He never knew, till
WAS too late, what | would have ha'
him do"
This was very true. Indeed the de
ceased gentleman had not arrived a
Tn" knowledge when he died. Mrs
NiciIcby remained to him, to his enc
what she was to all her friends,
Lady of amazing powers for giving ad
ice that nobody could cOmprehenC
only in one unfortunate case di
Mr.. Nickleby understand her advic
and act on it. 1t was when she coun
sclcd him to speculate little. be
cause SO many people got wealthy |
speculation, or, at any rate, II the
tailed, it was clear how easily the
might have become rich.
When Mr.. Nickleby's speculate
tailed and ruined him, Mrs. Nickleb
pointed sorrowfully but inexorably
the failure as the best possible proc
that he hadn't taken her advice abo'
it, for her advice certainly had NJ
been to lose money, but to gain !
Mrs. Nickleby's remorseless logic gay
Mr.. Nickleby headache, fro
which Judging by the way he he
MS neIU whenever MIS- -<lS HlC@
spoke to him, even to the hour OF
d"ath) he never recovered.
After Mr.. Nickleby gave life ar
Mrs. Nickleby up together, the goo
lady gathered the trif1ing sum tn
remained to her after the creditors e
through. and travelled to London vii
her nineteen-year-Old son Nichols
and his sister Kate to throw herse
into the loving arms Of her husband
rich brother, Mr.. Ralph Nickleby.
lnaSmuCh rs Mrs. Nickleby neV
had laid eyes on Mr.. Ralph Nickel
III her life, and inasmuch as tn
gentleman never had INDUCED in al
communication with his brother sin
boyhood, Mrs. Nickleby's intuiti'
was her only warrant for assumi1
that Mr. Ralph Nickleby had such
expensive possession as a pair Of 10
Ing arms.
As matter Of fact, Mr.. Rail