Had lately slaughtered been.

He bargained with a lover's zeal,
Obtained the wished-for prize,
And filled his pockets fore and aft
With twice twelve bloody eyes.

The next night was the happy time
When all New England sparks,
Drest in their best, go out to court,
As spruce and gay as larks.

When floors are nicely sanded o'er,
When tins and pewter shine,
And milk-pans by the kitchen wall
Display their dainty line;

While the new ribbon decks the waist
Of many a waiting lass,
Who steals a conscious look of pride
Toward her answering glass.

In pensive mood sat Nancy Bell;
Of Joshua thought not she,
But of a hearty sailor lad
Across the distant sea.

Her arm upon the table rests,
Her hand supports her head,
When Joshua enters with a scrape,
And somewhat bashful tread.

No word he spake, but down he sat,
And heaved a doleful sigh,
Then at the table took his aim
And rolled a glassy eye.

Another and another flew,
With quick and strong rebound,
They tumbled in poor Nancy's lap,
They fell upon the ground.

While Joshua smirked, and sighed, and smiled
Between each tender aim,
And still the cold and bloody balls
In frightful quickness came.

Until poor Nancy flew with screams,
To shun the amorous sport,
And Joshua found to _cast sheep's eyes_
Was not the way to court.

* * * * *

"Fanny Forrester" and "Fanny Fern" both delighted the public with
individual styles of writing, vastly successful when a new thing.

When wanting a new dress and bonnet, as every woman will in the spring
(or any time), Fanny Forrester wrote to Willis, of the _New Mirror_, an
appeal which he called "very clever, adroit, and fanciful."

"You know the shops in Broadway are very tempting this season.
_Such_ beautiful things! Well, you know (no, you don't know
that, but you can guess) what a delightful thing it would be to
appear in one of those charming, head-adorning,
complexion-softening, hard-feature-subduing Neapolitans, with a
little gossamer veil dropping daintily on the shoulder of one of
those exquisite _balzarines_, to be seen any day at Stewart's
and elsewhere. Well, you know (this you _must_ know) that
shopkeepers have the impertinence to demand