But beauties such as yourn and hern
Were never born unseen to waste;
Like her, you're bound to come to light,
To gratify refinement's taste.

The fairest of the female race
To Ilium vent vith Priam's boy;
So the best oysters that I see
Are sent by railroad off to Troy.

Sleep on--sleep on--nor dream of woe
Until the horrid deed be done--
Then out and die, like Simile,[B]
In thy first glance upon the sun.

[Footnote A: Probably Lempriere.]

[Footnote B: Semele (?)]

Well, and 'ows bizness, Samivel? You've got a good stand, and you're
bound to succeed. But beware of the Cracker-Fiend. I'll tell you about
him.

There vas a chap as used to _patronize_ me that vas one of the
hungriest customers you ever did see. He was werry shabbily dressed,
and he looked for all the world like the picturs I've seen of
Shakspeare's "lean and hungry Cashier."

He used to come in, give his order, (generally a stew,) and then go
and set down in a box and drop the curting. It allers looks suspicious
for a customer to drop his curting _afore_ you bring him the
oysters--_arterwards_ it's all perfectly proper, in course. Afore the
stew was ready, he would call out--

"Waiter! crackers!"

The boy would hand him a basket; but when his stew was set before him,
there warn't no crackers in _his_ box.

So ve put him on a allowance of a dozen crackers, which is werry
liberal, considerin' as pickles and pepper-sarce is throw'd in gratis.
But he used to step out quietly and snake baskets of crackers outen
other boxes, so's the other customers, as alvays conducted themselves
like perfick gen'lemen, vas all the time a singing out, "Waiter! plate
of crackers."

Then we kept a boy a-watching of him, so's to keep him in his box
till he'd eat his oysters, and then you had to keep a werry sharp eye
on him ven he was paying, and you vas a-makin' change, els't you'd hev
all the crackers took off the counter.

One day arter he vas gone, ve found all the crackers missin' from one
side of the room. Of course, ve suspected he done it, but how he done
it vas as much a puzzle as the Spinks.

Next day, arter ve got him into his box, ve vatched and listened. Ve
heard a queer kind of sound, like a man trying to play the jewsharp
vith his boots; and, sir, ve detected the cracker-fiend a climbin'
over the partitions into the neighborin' boxes, and a collarin' all
the crackers he could come acrost.