ld have painted nothing finer.

Away to the right, an old man might be seen tying up the lid of a basket
full of fish beside his cart, and dividing his attention between the
basket and the horse, which latter, much to his surprise, was unwontedly
restive that evening, and required an unusual number of cautions to
remain still, and of threats as to the punishment that would follow
continued disobedience, all of which afforded the most intense and
unutterable delight to a very small precocious boy, who, standing
concealed on the off side of the animal, tickled its ear with a straw
every time it bent its head towards the bundle of hay which lay at its
feet. No clown or pantaloon was there to inflict condign punishment,
because none was needed. A brother carter standing by performed the
part, extempore. His eye suddenly lit on the culprit; his whip sprang
into the air and descended on the urchin's breech. Horror-struck, his
mouth opened responsive to the crack, and a yell came forth that rose
high above the surrounding din, while his little legs carried him away
over the sands like a ragged leaf driven before the wind.

To the left of this scene (and ignorant of it, for the stage was so
large, the actors were so numerous, and the play so grand, that few
could do more than attend to their own part) a cripple might be seen
with a crutch hopping actively about. He was a young man; had lost his
leg, by an accident probably, and was looking about for a cast-away fish
for his own supper. He soon found one. Whether it was that one had
been dropped accidentally, or that some generous-hearted fish-dealer had
dropped one on purpose, we cannot tell, but he did get one--a large fat
one, too--and hobbled away as quickly as he could, evidently rejoicing.

The cripple was not the only one who crossed the stage thus lightly
burdened. There were several halt and maimed, and some blind and aged
ones there, whose desires in regard to piscatorial wealth extended only
to one, or perhaps two, and they all got what they wanted. That was
sufficient for the evening's supper--for the morrow there was no need to
care; they could return to get a fresh supply evening after evening for
many a day to come, for it was a splendid mackerel season--such as had
not been for many years--so said the sages of the village.

There were other groups, and other incidents that would have drawn
laughter as well as tears from sympathetic hearts, but we must