sing shrieks, and mornings of guilty eyes and
blood-stained lips. My store of reminiscences lasted five minutes, and
before Mrs. Martell had recovered from their recitation I pleaded a
pressing engagement and took my departure.

You will now understand why I count Martell among my friends and am at
this moment, as I said before, smoking one of his cigars. It came in a
box of a hundred, with the laconic note, "One for each."

As I write, my dog and my black kitten are barging in perfect accord all
round my legs in pursuit of a brand-new collar with "Peter" printed in
big letters.

* * * * *

[Illustration: A NEW CRAZE.

"WHAT A TRAGIC FACE YOU HAVE, MISS POOTLE."

"YES, YOU SEE, I _ADORE_ MISERY."]

* * * * *

Notice outside a station of the Wirral Railway Co.:--

"Loiterers on the Company's premises or annoying passengers will be
prosecuted."

The passenger who annoys us most and seems worthiest of prosecution is
the fifth on our side of the carriage.

* * * * *

ANNABEL LEE.

Up and down on the fresh-ploughed levels,
All for the sake of their lady fair,
Two cock-partridges fought like devils,
Hammer-and-tongs and a hop in the air;
And I and "Basket" Annabel Lee--
Elderly tinking gyp is she--
We leaned on the paling and watched it go;
And "Eh," said she, "now a fight 'tis cruel,
But of all the compliments 'tis the jewel!
May I die to-day, but I know, I know
There's naught as a young maid's 'eart takes better
Than a couple o' big chaps out to get her
Through a dozen o' dustin' rounds or so.

"Bet my bonnet it strikes you funny,
Seein' I'm risin' seventy-three,
To think o' me once as sweet as honey;
Lor' how their fists went 'long o' me!
Jake Poltevo and Pembroke Bill,
I saw 'em then, and I sees 'em still,
Eh, how their fists went--_thud! crack! thud!_
None o' your booze-house scraps, Lor' love 'em;
Turf to their feet and the sky above 'em--
Stripped, bare-knuckle and mucked wi' blood;
Queer thing, ain't it, I still thinks pleasure
In the strength o' a man, bein' old, by measure,
And plain, you'd say, as a pint o' mud?

"Scared me fine at the time, though; weepin'
I 'id my face in the 'azels low;
Tip-toe soon I was back a-peepin',
Couldn't 'a' helped were it never so;
Each as good as the other chap--