Year: 1861

- Ns''HSPHN - IVY > Ne-1fO


T looked UNUSUALLY hard; so l put a
I pillow III the spot where thought
{ my feet would come down, as
: didn'twant to hurt,my heels. Then
1 took off my coat, tied my sus-
penders tightly AROUND. my waist,
}, took a short run from the corner.ot
the room, shut my cySsfand- = q
When | recovered, which |
should judge was in about three


quarters of an hour, l had a bump
on my forehead as if I'd been hit
there by forty pounder. 1t took
me fifteen minutes to get up on my
feet, for I felt as if my legs and


arms had been distributed over the


neighboring country by a gunpow-


der explosion, and it was some time


before my mind was disabused OF
that impression.


Ijudge that something intcrfered


to prevent the artistic execution of


my contemplated somersault, for


my head evidently struck the


ground as soon as my heels went


up; my nose had received severe


confusion, and the result were, q


map of some unknown country


done in red Oh my shirt front, two


vest pockets full of blood, and my
hair so stuck together with the


same fluid that | had to get my
head cropped like prize fighter


Whether | broke the window with
my head when it went down, or
with my heels when they came up,
is comparatively immaterial-cer-
tain it is that there was a hole in
the sash big enough to throw a


bushel basket through without
} touching the edges.


As to the pillow it didn't seem to


case my feet after all; perhaps it is
:, because neither of them came with.
in rod of it, for l discovered that
while l broke my only water pitch
er with one heel, l had put the


other through my picture of John
c. Hccnau, in his favoritc charac-
ter of champion of the world.


| mustered up courage i'll three
days to try a handspring, but the


results were not satisfactory, being
merely a new and extensive assort-
ment Of bumps and bruises.


Then | sent for Spinkey-Spink-
ey taught me the art can do it
now-I do it all the timc-I keep


doing it; in fact, l don't do any
thing else. When l come down to
. breakfast, | generally walk on my


hands around the table, and give


each one of the boarders a patron


izing shake of my slipper; then
: turn a handspring over the table
and come down easily in my chair
> and read a column of the Tribune


while the people are looking in the


air for me to come down. l never
sleep on a bed, nowadays; some


times I hang myself by the toes tc
, the gas fixtures; sometimes l sus


pend myself by my little finger to &


staple in the wall; sometimes
balance myself on my trusty sword
or take short nap on the point o
my bayonet. I've practiced thrust


ing with my bayonet and sword til


there isn't a picture in my Who'll,
y collection that has its regular mum


ber of features. Dolly Davenpor


has only one eye, and fraction o
y a nose; Edwin Forrest is playing
Hamlet without any to his, ant
J John G. Heenan with one arm anC


a big hole in his ribs, is fighting
= = Tom Sayers, who has no legs, mar,
- an eye in his head. I've put a tar


get on the brick partition that sep
" arates me from the next house


and have fired so many balls int


it, the bricks are not now NOR
than an inch and a half thick, ant
=, expect every day to kill a baby o
y two in there. When l do, l sup
: pose 1 will have to apologize.
II haven't killed anybody for gooc
" while, and I really ought to &C
T my hand in again. If you shoul
u not hear from me next week, yo
= may conclude that I'm going thrc