the weekly and monthly publications of America and England. It was not, however, until 1887 that Miss Holley issued her Poems in book-form; though her Mormon Wife had been already published as an illustrated poem by a New York firm. Her other books, except a collection of stories entitled Miss Richard's Boy (1882), constitute her famous series of dialect works. These include My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's (1872); Samantha at the Centennial (1878); My Wayward Pardner, or, My Trials with Josiah (1880); Sweet Cicely, or, Josiah as a Politician (1885); Miss Jones' Quilting (1887); Samantha at Saratoga (1887); Samantha Among the Brethren (1890); Samantha on the Race Problem (1892), published later under the title Samantha Among the Colored Folks; Samantha at the World's Fair (1893); Josiah's Alarm, and Abel Perry's Funeral (1895); Samantha in Europe (1895); and Samantha at the St. Louis Exposition (1904).

WHY JOSIAH ALLEN DID NOT BECOME A GONDOLIER.

Wall, on our way home I had an awful trial with Josiah Allen. Mebbe what he had seen that day made him feel kind o' riz up, and want to act.

He and I wuz a-wendin' our way along the lagoon, when all of a sudden he sez

66

Samantha, I want to go out sailin' in a gondola — I want to swing out and be romantic," sez he.

Sez he, "I always wanted to be romantic, and I always wanted to be a gondolier, but it never come handy before, and now I will! I will be romantic, and sail round with you in a gondola. I'd love to go by moonlight, but sunlight is better than nothin'.”

I looked down pityin'ly on him as he stood a few steps below me on the flight o' stairs a-leadin' down to the water's edge.

VOL. XIII.-16.

I leaned hard on my faithful old umbrell, for I had a touch of rumatiz that day.

And sez I, "Romance, Josiah, should be looked at with the bright eyes of youth, not through spectacles No. 12." Sez I, "The glowin' mist that wrops her round fades away under the magnifyin' lights of them specs, Josiah Allen."

He had took his hat off to cool his forward, and I sez further

66

Romance and bald heads don't go together worth a cent, and rumatiz and azmy are perfect strangers to her. Romance locks arms with young souls, Josiah Allen, and walks off with 'em."

"Oh, shaw!" says Josiah, we hain't so very old. Old Uncle Smedly would call us young, and we be, compared to him.”

"Wall," sez I, "through the purblind gaze of ninety winters we may look younger, but bald heads and spectacles, Josiah Allen, tell their own silent story. We are not young, Josiah Allen, and all our lyin' and pretendin' won't make us so."

Wall, dum it all! I never shall be any younger. You can't dispute that."

"No," sez I, "I don't spoze you will, in this spear."

66

'Wall, I am bound to go out in a gondola, I am bound to be a gondolier before I die. So you may as well make up your mind first as last, and the sooner I go, the younger I shall go. Hain't that so?"

With a deep sithe I answered,

I spoze so."

And he continued on, There is such wild, free pleasure on the deep, Samantha."

But," sez I, layin' down the sword of common-sense, and takin' up the weepons of affection, "Think of the dangers, Josiah. The water is damp and cold, and your rumatiz is fearful."

Dum it all! I hain't agoin' in the water, am I?"

"I don't know," sez I, sadly, "I don't know, Josiah, and anyway the winds sweep down the lagoons, and azmy lingers on its wings. Pause, Josiah Allen, for my sake, for liniments and poultices, as well as clouds, have their dark linin's, and they turn 'em out to me

as I ponder on your course." Sez I, "Your danger appauls me, and also the idee of bein' up nights with you."

"But," sez he, firmly, "I will be a gondolier, I'm bound on't. And," sez he, "I want one of them gorgeous silk dresses that they wear. I'd love to appear in a red and yeller suit, Samantha, or a green and purple, or a blue and maroon, with a pink sash made of thin glitterin' silk, but I spoze that you will break that up in a minute. So, I spoze that I shall have to dwindle down onto a silk scarf, or some plumes in my hat, mebby you are never willin' for me to soar out and spread myself, but you probable wuldn't break up a few feathers."

I groaned aloud, and mentally groped round for aid, and instinctively ketched holt of religion.

Sez I, "Elder Minkley is here, Josiah Allen, and Deacon Henzy-Jonesville church is languishin' in debt. Is this a time for feathers? What will they think on't? If you can spend money for silk scarfs and plumes, they'll expect you, and with good reason, too, to raise the debt on the meetin'-house."

He paused. Economy prevailed; what love couldn't effect or common-sense, closeness did.

His brow cleared from its anxious, ambitious creases, and sez he, "Wall, do come on and less be goin'."

EIGHT CENTS FOR TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.

There wuz some little pictures there about six inches square, and marked:

"Little Picters for a Child's Album."

And Josiah sez to me, "I believe I'll buy one of 'em for Babe's album that I got her last Christmas."

Sez he, "I've got ten cents in change, but probable," sez he, "it won't be over eight cents."

Sez I, "Don't be too sanguine, Josiah Allen."

Sez he, "I am never sanguinary without good horse sense to back it up. They throwed in a chromo three feet square with the last calico dress you bought at Jonesville, and this hain't over five or six inches big."

"Wall," sez I, "buy it if you want to."

Wall," sez he, that's what I lay out to do, mom." So he accosted a Columbus Guard that stood nigh, and sez he

"I'm a-goin' to buy that little picter, and I want to know if I can take it home now in my vest pocket?'

"That picter," sez he, "is twenty thousand dollars. It is owned by the German National Gallery, and is loaned by them," and sez he, with a ready flow of knowledge inherent to them Guards, "the artist, Adolph Menzel, is to German art what Meissonier is to the French. His pictures are all bought by the National Gallery, and bring enormous sums."

Josiah almost swooned away. Nothin' but pride kep' him up

I didn't say nothin' to add to his mortification. Only I simply said

"Babe will prize that picter, Josiah Allen."

And he sez, "Be a fool if you want to; I'm a-goin' to get sunthin' to eat."

And he hurried me along at almost a dog-trot.- From Samantha at the World's Fair.

OLMES, MARY JANE HAWES, an American novelist; born at Brookfield, Mass., in 1834. She taught school at the age of 13, and began writing at 15. She was married to Daniel Holmes, a lawyer of Brockport, N. Y. She has written a large number of novels of domestic life, which have had an unusually wide circulation. Over 2,000,000 copies of her books have been sold in the United States. Her first novel was Tempest and Sunshine (1854). Other subsequent novels were Lena Rivers (1856); Marian Gray (1863); Milbank (1871); Queenie Hetherton (1883); Cameron Pride; Edith Lyle; Bessie's For