Year: 1877

|
lowest tier. where he was within a few fee
OF the combitants, and the amphitheater wa.
not built till some time after Nero's death
which would give him only ghost of q
chance to watch anything done in it. Mr.
Phillips would do well to rewrite that lee
iure before he repeats it again.


Mrs. Fanny Kemble says of Barry Corn
wall and his wife Anne Skepper, that she
was like fresh lemon-golden, fragrant
| firm and wholesome-and he was like the
honey OF Hymettus; they were an incom-
parable compound. She describes visit
which Sotheby, the poet, once paid to Mrs.
Joanna Baillie, whose great-and unavail-
ing-ambition it was to be a successful
writer for the stage. The poetess called him
into her little kitchen (she was not rich, kept
few servants and did not disdain sometimes
10 make her own pies and puddings) and
oade him, as she was up to the elbows in
nour and paste, draw from her pocket a pa
per It was play bill, sent to her by some
friend IN the country, setting forth that
some obscure provincial company was about
to perform Miss Joanna Baillie's celebrated
tragedy of ''De Montfort'' There" ex-
claimed the culinary Melpomene, ''there.
Sotheby," / am so happy You see nv PLAYS
can be acted somewherev'


A Boston publisher issued for the holt
days an illustrated edition of that mournful
monody, 'Oh, why should the spirit of NOR
tai be proudg' and companion volume Of
the hymn, Nearer, my God, to Thee" A
lady on Christmas day sent to her friend a
copy of the first named book, and on New
Years day received from her friend COPY
OF the last named, with the following ex-
planatory lines: -
.oh. why should the spirit of mortal be proud ?
IL shouldn't If always kept under a cloud


Like that which hangs over and in and
Your volume of verse OF lugubrious sound,
That I've carefully placed in cold, clammy
Just fitted to hold such dolorous book:
And out OF a sweet, sunny corner I've brought
Cast away the dull dogmas of fear and distress,
And behold the bright world in its holiday
Enjoy the grand life by omnipotence given,
And, with Faith, Hope and Charity, draw
As your days of earth's sojourn in cheerful


flee,


Live nearer, oh! nearer, my God, unto Thee"


TWAIN AND HIS cHUM.


When Mark Twain lived in Virginia he
roomed with Dan De Quille. All the mis-
cries which guile ever endured, and all the
bad characters he ever got. date from that
time. They lived at several different lodg-
.lng-houses and were turned out of them all
one after the other, all on account of
Dan, who soon acquired bad
reputation, second to none in Virginia. No
respectable family would harbor Dan who
knew anything about him, and the very
mention of his name would cause land
lady to hold up her hsnds in virtuOus hor-
ror. One morning Mark woke up and heard
the landlady's cat mewing about the door
which was half open. Dan was fast asleep,
and Mark, grabbing one of his heavy boots,
threw it with fatal precision at the intruder.
The cat limped off with a broken leg (the
boot weighed five poundsl and the lan6lady
he
to appear. Mark got up, dressed
and went out with both boots
on. The landlady greeted him with
pleasant smile, and when Dan got up and
was walking about in his stocking feet hunt
ing for his left boot, he received a scathing
dressing down from his landlady, who, with
out allowing him to explain ordered him to
leave the house. Mark condoled him in his
troubles, and said, "Pll stick to ye, DAN"
The next house they moved into had a pam
try close to the room consigned to them.
Every night Mark would steal two or three
mince pies and eat them entire without Civ
ing Dan sight at them. In the morning the
landlady would be brushing about near the
door, Dan would be asleep, and Mark would
open out in a loud voice, as follows: "Dan,
this business won't do. Those pies don't be-
long to you. In the first place it's petty lar
ceny, and in the next place it gets crumbs in
the bed. Well get notice to quit pretty soon.
faint the square thing on the landlady. L
don't wonder you've nothing to say. Now
this is the last time propose to speak about
this" The landlady, who took in every
word, would give poor Dan notice to quit,
and never hear a word of explanation.
when you go go, Dan," Mark would say,
and his brotherly fidelity would touch Dan
to the very core The next place was an in
tensely respectable private family. When
Mark expected to be out all night he would
slip up to the room and strew few hair
pins round psomiscuously, and scatter
few down in the foot of the bed where they
would be found when the landlady was
making it up. 1t would all be laid to Dan,
of course. 1--WE got family here, and
want to bring my daughters up respectable"
would be the landlady's remark, as she or
dered Dan to pack up when they fire you
out Dan, it means me, too" Mark would say
in tones of brotherly affection that melted
Dams inner nature, and caused him to
think there were some true men in the
world after all, and he used often to remark,
in speaking of Twain, "a man who never
shakes friend in adversely is the noblest
work of Sod