Year: 1875

might, because they said it vas SO chile


ish of him.


But now something very strange b,


gan to be reported, which seems to prov


that in some way or other the child


face and his way of looking before hir


had got into peoples heads-though, il


deed, hardly know how to express wha


| mean, or to tell what was told to m,


But people used to say they sometime


saw Little Peep-show, with those Orien


eyes of his, in places where they kne,


he was not, and indeed, i'm some case


where he could not be. Goody Gracious


tending sick person, would sometime


start in the middle of her gentle labors


and say, usually to herself of course, 81


as not to startle the Sick


"Dear mel could have sworn I saw


Little Peep-show in the room just now


but, of course, it was mistake"


Once when Goody Gracious was at


birth, soon after the mother and tn,


baby had been made comfortable, ant


the baby was having his first drink from


his mothers bosom, the mother whis


pered, "Goody, Goody! how came Little


Peep-show in the room ?" Nor would she


for long time be persuaded that she die


not see the child's eyes looking straight


into hers.


He was seen at weddings, too-at least


bride or bridegroom would sometimes


say so. But then the attorney used to


declare that he could prove an alibi, and


the clergyman that such vain jmaginings


were nearly as bad as witchcratt, and the
doctor that they were optical illusions,


resulting from disease. So what can we
say in sucha case?


The most wonderful part of the story
is that these illusions, as the doctor
called them, continued after Little Peep
show had left the town, "to seek his for
tune," said the people, since he was now
growing up. Now, indeed, the alibi was
clearly made out, and yet some of the
townsfolk, Goody Gracious for example,
could not get rid of little superstition
about the matter. She would nod her
dear old head, and say under her breath
that she was convinced there was some
thing extraordinary about that child.
and what shame it was for the towns
folk to have driven him out into the
world so soon, by making game of the
new peep-shOw which, they would have
it, he was bent upon makiDg Yet such
strange creatures are we that some of
those who used to ridicule him the most
were now heard to wish the young fellow
back again!


The doctor, the parson, and the lawyer,
were now getting old, and had almost re-
tired from public life, as you may say.
But one evening, as they were hObnob-
bing together at the parsonage, they
were heard laughing amain, great peals
of laughter, at all this talk about Little
Peep-show, and the old show "of the
seven wonders" and something better"


Something BETTER" laughed the old
doctor.


Something BETTER" laughed the
lawyer.


Something BETTER" laughed the
parson.


And the merriment rolled out of the
half opened window in the scented
autumn night.


Little Peep-show did not cease to be
in the town, and old Goody
Gracious was heard to say she felt sure
ne would turn out genius-but in the |
course of time the current of traditions |
ran thin and weak, and he was almost
orgotten. Among a select few, however,
t was still fashion to refer in roman
ic vein to the look in the child's eyes,
md the fancies that people used to have
lbout him at weddings and births, and
o on, and the lawyers proving an alibi,
md all the rest of it. But, when you
ome to think of it, what is fashion of
hat sort in world in which men and
women come and go, and chop and
hange about, as they do in this?


At last, across the hills that stood on
he eastern side of the town, were blown
umors that little Peep-show, no more a
hid, and doing strange things afar off,
ad made peep-shows which agreat many
eople said showed you something better
han the "scven wonders of the world"
indeed, the rumor ran that there were
eople who would give anything to look
1tO one of these new peep-shows, and
hat the child with the morning star
yes had become q famous man, very
luch looked up to.


Before all this had time to cool down,
mother rumor ran all through the val
", namely, that Little Peep-show, as
ie folks began once more to call him,
as going shortly to visit the town with
ne of his shows of something better than
lie "seven wonders of the world" This
d to great excitement, and for while
early every one was on tiptoe for the
xpected Snowman.


One day huge noise of fife and drum
reused the townsfolk from their usual
oik-the shoemaker laid down his
ather, the baker his dough, the butcher
is cleaver, the housewife her broom, the
lacksmith his heavy hammer, to rush
nth and see what was the matter. A
md of children came rushing from the
ltskirts into the main street, shouting
A new show! A new showp And
who had any care for seeing
hat the rumors had been telling them
, made sure this was the new peep-show
something better than the "seven
onders of the world" and you may be
rtain they felt all the more sure of this
hen, as the show drew near, they
und 1t was a very fine affair of the
rt.
1t certainly was very lively show.
here was monkey, and there was
'ar, and there was dancing girl all
7er spangles; there was man who s.
burning tow and a naked !.
vord. Besides this, there was what you
w when you looked through the glass
,ggles after you went up the steps. and :
lere was the music, and the clown, who
as always tumbling head over heels
ithout hurting himself, and saying the !
rollest things. y
"That," exclaimed the blacksmith, ..
must be our old friend. Goody Gra- !
Gus always said he was genius"
"No, no." says the baker, "those are
It his features; IL must be the one who I
swallowing the sword" :
But how could he tell what the clowns ,
atures were, considering how clowns
lint their features? a,
On the very day, as il happened, after \
is show left the town, a traveller entered c
and set up quiet peep-show near the '
arket place He had M music with n