ee him without finding myself forming absurd conjectures as to
whether his cranium and the hydrostatic press could ever have become
acquainted at some early period of his life; and so strong is this
association of ideas that, even now, his sudden appearance invariably
suggests to me the study of natural philosophy. Poor fellow! his chagrin
was great when this peculiar conformation of his skull was first brought
to his notice. He had been telling me for some time past of the
"splendid piccha" he had had "took," and I had been promised a sight of
it just as soon as it arrived from the photographer's. I confess I had
not been sanguine as to the result, although I knew a handsome portrait
was confidently expected by the sitter. One morning he deposited the
photograph before me.

"Hello!" I cried, taking it in my hand; "here you are, hit off to the
life."

"Do' say _that_, Mist' Dunkin, _do_' say hit, seh," he replied, in a
tone of deep mortification. Then, catching a glimpse of the picture, his
ire broke forth: "Nevvah wuz like _me_ in de wueld," he cried, in an
elevated key; "nevvah _wuz_ ha'f so ugly ez that. I'm--I'm a
bettah-lookin' man, Mist' Dunkin. Why, look at de color of de thing,"
contemptuously. "Cain' tell de face f'om de coat I nevvah set up to be
what you'd call _faih_-cumplectid, but disha things iss same is that
thaih ink; jess iss same. My hade do' look that a way, neitha. Naw,
_seh_, 'taint s' bad 's that."

"Why, Thomas," said I, "_I_ think it a very good likeness--the
complexion _is_ a little dark to be sure, but do you know I particularly
admire the head. Look at that forehead; any one can see that you are a
man of intellect. I tell you it isn't every one who can boast of such a
forehead."

"The--the 'mahk you make 'bout me, has been made 'fo'; I may say, has
been made quite frequent--quite frequent; on'y lass Tuesd'y fohtni't,
Sistah Ma'y Ann Jinkins--a promnunt membeh of ouh class (that is, Asba'y
class, meets on Gay Street), Sistah Ma'y Ann Jinkins, she ups an' sez,
befo' de whole class, dat she'd puppose de motion, dat Bro' Thomas
Wheatley wuz 'p'inted fus' speakah in de nex' 'Jug-breakin' an'
Jaymiah's Hamma,' by de i-nanemous vote of de class. I'm clah to say I
wuz 'stonished; but ahta class wuz ovvva, Bro' Moss tole me de
'p'intment wuz made jes' f'on de 'peahunce of my hade, ''Cause,' he sez,
'no man cain't be a po' speakah with sich a fine intellec' which we see
expressed in de hade of Bro