But a peremptory summons from an animated nursery forbids my lingering longer in this fruitful field. I can only add an instance of corroborating testimony from each member of the circle originating this essay.

--

The Dominie loq. "Sha' n't have anything to do with it! It's a wicked thing! To be sure, I do remember, when I was a little boy, I used to throw stones at the chip-basket when it upset the cargo I had just laded, and it was a great relief to my feelings too. Besides, you've told stories about me which were anything but true. I don't remember anything about that sack.” Lady visitor loq.-"The first time I was invited to Mr. -'s (the Hon. 's, you know), I was somewhat anxious, but went home flattering myself I had made a creditable impression. Imagine my consternation, when I came to relieve the pocket of my galagown, donned for the occasion, at discovering among its treasures a tea-napkin, marked gorgeously with the Hon.

-'s family crest, which had maliciously crept into its depths in order to bring me into disgrace! I have never been able to bring myself to the point of confession, in spite of my subsequent intimacy with the family. If it were not for Joseph's positive assertion to the contrary, I should be of the opinion that his cup of divination conjured itself deliberately and sinfully into innocent Benjamin's sack.”

Student loq. (Testimony open to criticism.)—"Met pretty girl on the street yesterday. Sure I had on my

'Armstrong' hat when I left home,

sure as fate; but

when I went to pull it off, by the crown, of course,

to bow to pretty girl, I smashed in my beaver! How

it got there, don't know. Knocked it off. Pretty girl picked it up and handed it to me. Confounded things, any way!"

Young divine loq.· "While I was in the army, I was in Washington on 'leave' for two or three days. One night, at a party, I became utterly bewildered in an attempt to converse, after long desuetude, with a fascinating woman. I went stumbling on, amazing her more and more, until finally I covered myself with glory by the categorical statement that in my opinion General McClellan could never get across the Peninsula without a fattle; I beg pardon, madam! what I mean to say is, without a bight?'

ووو

School-girl loq. "When Uncle

was President,

I was at the White House at a state-dinner one evening. Senator came rushing in frantically after we had been at table some time. No sooner was he seated than he turned to Aunt to apologize for his delay; and, being very much heated, and very much embarrassed, he tugged away desperately at his pocket, and finally succeeded in extracting a huge blue stocking, evidently of home-manufacture, with which he proceeded to wipe his forehead very energetically and very conspicuously. I suppose the truth was, that the poor man's handkerchiefs were 'on a strike,' and thrust forward this homespun stocking to bring him to terms."

School-girl, No. 2, loq.- "My last term at F., I was expecting a box of 'goodies' from home. So when the message came, 'An express-package for you, Miss Fanny!' I invited all my specials to come and assist at the opening. Instead of the expected box, appeared a mis

shapen bundle, done up in yellow wrapping-paper. Four such dejected-looking damsels were never seen before as we, standing around the ugly old thing. Finally, Alice suggested,

"O, I know what it is,' I said; 'it is my old thibet, that mother has had made over for me.'

"Let's see,' persisted Alice.

"So I opened the package. The first thing I drew out was too much for me.

"What a funny-looking basque!' exclaimed Alice. All the rest were struck dumb with disappointment. "No! not a basque at all, but a man's black satin waistcoat! and next came objects about which there could be no doubt, a pair of dingy old trousers, and a swallow-tailed coat! Imagine the chorus of damsels ! "The secret was, that two packages lay in father's office, one for me, the other for those everlasting freedmen. John was to forward mine. He had taken up the box to write my address on it, when the yellow bundle tumbled off the desk at his feet and scared the wits out of his head. So I came in for father's secondhand clothes, and the Ethiopians had the 'goodies'!" Repentant Dominie loq. "I don't approve of it at all; but then, if you must write the wicked thing, I heard a good story for you to-day. Dr. found himself in the pulpit of a Dutch Reformed Church the other Sunday. You know he is one who prides himself on his adaptation to places and times. Just at the close of the introductory services, a black gown lying over the arm of the sofa caught his eye. He was rising to

deliver his sermon, when it forced itself on his attention again.

"Sure enough,' thought he, 'Dutch Reformed clergymen do wear gowns. I might as well put it on.'

"So he solemnly thrust himself into the malicious (as you would say) garment, and went through the services as well as he could, considering that his audience seemed singularly agitated, and indeed on the point of bursting out into a general laugh, throughout the entire service. And no wonder! The good Doctor, in his zeal for conformity, had attired himself in the black cambric duster in which the pulpit was shrouded during week-days, and had been gesticulating his eloquent homily with his arms thrust through the holes left for the pulpit-lamps!"

BY J. THOMAS DARRAGH (late C. C. S.).

WAS in the Civil Service at Richmond.

Why

I was there, or what I did, is nobody's affair. And I do not in this paper propose to tell how it happened that I was in New York in October, 1864, on confidential business. Enough that I was there, and that it was honest business. That business done, as far as it could be with the resources intrusted to me, I prepared to return home. And thereby hangs this tale, and, as it proved, the fate of the Confederacy.

For, of course, I wanted to take presents home to my family. Very little question was there what these presents should be,- for I had no boys nor brothers. The women of the Confederacy had one want, which overtopped all others. They could make coffee out of beans; pins they had from Columbus; straw hats they braided quite well with their own fair hands; snuff we could get better than you could in "the old concern." But we had no hoopskirts, skeletons, we used to call them. No ingenuity had made them. No bounties had forced them. The Bat, the Greyhound, the Deer, the Flora, the J. C.