‘Nature’s own sweet and cunning hand laid on,’

Painted! to be sure.

’For this wicked specimen of infidelity, I was presently overpaid by a charming bit of belief.  At the further end of the great tent was a case, containing divers wax effigies of eminent personages; the Czar, Prince Albert, General Spitzentuyfel—­what know I?  You may see them any day, (if you happen to have two York shillings,) at the sumptuous home to which they have returned from those travels.  There they stood, side by side, an imposing company, forever shiny in the face, like Mrs. Wittitterly’s page, and with eyes magnificently superior to any thing so sordid as speculation.  All were finely befrogged, and ruched, and epauletted, and, for the most part, they sported moustaches.  It happened that I had the latter adornment—­a variety then—­on my own mug.

While recognizing them—­they were old acquaintances—­I felt a gentle pull at my skirt, and looking down, was aware of a little tot, some three years old, who asked, pointing to the counterfeit presentments in the show-case:  ‘Did you come out o’ there?’ The innocent! he little knew what an extinguisher he was clapping on me.  ‘No, sonny,’ said I, looking down on the little nose, itself a bit of wax, between two peaches.  The soft impeachment proceeded—­’Well, where do yer belong? do yer belong in with the bear?’ for there was a plantigrade there too.  But I reckon that will do for bears, this time.’

’I should think so!  They’ll be dreaming about ’em all night.’

‘Dick, how much of all this is true?’

‘The whole, barring a few verbal interpolations.’

‘Wal, I’ve seed shows,’ moralized Jonas, ’a good many on ’em; but I couldn’t tell the yarns about ’em that Mr. Richard, here, does.  He figurs on ’em considerable, I ‘xpect.’’

* * * * *

FUGITIVES AT THE WEST.

A distinguished French writer once remarked, that the position of the colored race in America includes in itself every element of romance.  The fortunes of this great human family; its relations to the white race, with which it is growing up side by side; its developments, its struggles, and its coming destiny, must hold in the future an historic interest of which it would be difficult beforehand to form an intelligent appreciation.  The political events of the last few months have fairly opened this new historic page; and though, for the most part, its recording lines still lie behind the cloud, the first few words, charged with deep import to us and to all men, are becoming legible to every eye.

We can no longer view the colored race as a mere mass of ignorance and degradation lying quiescent beneath the white man’s foot, and, except as a useful species of domestic animal, of little consequence to us or to the world.  We see to-day, its fortunes and those of our own race blended together in a great struggle based on political, moral, and religious questions, and leading to a series of events of which not one of us as yet can foretell the conclusion.