FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162  
163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   >>   >|  
e! what opaline skies! what amethystine day-breaks! what incarnadine sunsets we should have! The palette for that work was laid by angels, from tubes long hidden in the choicest crypts of the vast elaboratory, and those transcendent tints. 'Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on,' Painted! to be sure. 'For this wicked specimen of infidelity, I was presently overpaid by a charming bit of belief. At the further end of the great tent was a case, containing divers wax effigies of eminent personages; the Czar, Prince Albert, General Spitzentuyfel--what know I? You may see them any day, (if you happen to have two York shillings,) at the sumptuous home to which they have returned from those travels. There they stood, side by side, an imposing company, forever shiny in the face, like Mrs. Wittitterly's page, and with eyes magnificently superior to any thing so sordid as speculation. All were finely befrogged, and ruched, and epauletted, and, for the most part, they sported moustaches. It happened that I had the latter adornment--a variety then--on my own mug. While recognizing them--they were old acquaintances--I felt a gentle pull at my skirt, and looking down, was aware of a little _tot_, some three years old, who asked, pointing to the counterfeit presentments in the show-case: 'Did _you_ come out o' there?' The innocent! he little knew what an extinguisher he was clapping on me. 'No, sonny,' said I, looking down on the little nose, itself a bit of wax, between two peaches. The soft impeachment proceeded--'Well, where do yer belong? do yer belong in with the _bear_?' for there was a plantigrade there too. But I reckon that will do for bears, this time.' 'I should think so! They'll be dreaming about 'em all night.' 'Dick, how much of all this is true?' 'The whole, barring a few verbal interpolations.' 'Wal, I've seed shows,' moralized Jonas, 'a good many on 'em; but I couldn't tell the yarns about 'em that Mr. Richard, here, does. He figurs on 'em considerable, I 'xpect.'' * * * * * FUGITIVES AT THE WEST. A distinguished French writer once remarked, that the position of the colored race in America includes in itself every element of romance. The fortunes of this great human family; its relations to the white race, with which it is growing up side by side; its developments, its struggles, and its coming destiny, must hold in the future an historic interest of whic
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162  
163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
belong
 

dreaming

 

peaches

 

clapping

 

extinguisher

 
innocent
 
plantigrade
 

reckon

 
barring
 

impeachment


proceeded

 

couldn

 
element
 

romance

 
fortunes
 

family

 
includes
 
America
 

writer

 

remarked


position

 

colored

 

relations

 

future

 

historic

 

interest

 

destiny

 

coming

 

growing

 

developments


struggles

 
French
 

distinguished

 

presentments

 

moralized

 
interpolations
 

verbal

 
FUGITIVES
 

considerable

 
figurs

Richard
 

variety

 
divers
 
belief
 

infidelity

 

specimen

 
presently
 

overpaid

 
charming
 

effigies