lover of melody and of nature--as he enters
his dingy room, the ordinary abiding place of poetical geniuses. He
sees his beloved fiddle, and his no less beloved feline friend, in
loving conjunction; he bursts out rapturously with impetuous joy:

"Hey! diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle!"

He sees the two things dearest to his heart, and sees them both at one
time! And he must be excused for his sudden night into the regions of
classicism.

No wonder that he immediately imagines the world to be as full of joy as
he himself, and that he thinks

"The cow jumped over the moon."

Perhaps the sight was a sufficient re-moon-eration to him for his past
troubles; and the exhilaration of his spirits caused him to dance, to
cut pigeon-wings, and otherwise gaily disport himself; consequently,

"The little dog laughed to see the sport,"

which every intelligent dog would have done, under the circumstances.
Certainly, dear reader, you would have done so yourself.

The hilariousness of the poet increasing, and his joyfulness expanding,
his manifestations did not confine themselves to simple dancing-steps
and an occasional pigeon-wing, but, inadvertently perhaps, he introduced
the "can-can," and that explains why

"The dish ran away with the spoon."

For the end of his excited toe came in contact with his only dish and
spoon, and propelled them to the other side of the room. As he does not
tell us whether the dish remained whole after its escapade, we must
conclude that it was broken, and that the dreadful accident caused,
immediately, a damp to descend upon his effervescent spirits.

In what better way could he give vent to his feelings than in
descriptive verse? He could not shed his tears upon the paper and hand
them around for inspection, or write a melancholy sonnet on the frailty
of crockery, as a relief to his mind. No! he chose the course best
fitted to command public attention, as the result proved. He told his
tale--its cause and effect--in as few words as possible. Fortunate if
other poets would only do the same!

* * * * *

An Ornithological Con.

What bird does General PRIM most resemble?
A Kingfisher.

* * * * *

[Illustration: NOTES ON THE FERRY.

MR. CARAMEL, WHO IS OBSERVANT, CONTEMPLATIVE, AND GIVEN TO COMPARISON,
ARRIVES AT THE CONCLUSION THAT SOME WOMEN ARE NICER THAN OTHERS.]

* * *