136 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



walls, at equal distances; and the hares de- 

 lighted, in their race, to leap over the legs — after 

 the manner of the most approved hurdle racers. 



" Jack " sometimes, in the exuberance of his 

 spirits, would jump on the dining-table ; and, 

 after performing some antics, would leap down 

 again and rush squeaking back to the kitchen, 

 delighted with his own performance. Little 

 " Puss " did not object to be handled ; she would 

 lie stretched on the rug before the fire, and enjoy 

 being tickled; and would jump into my chair, 

 and sit on her hind legs, and eat toast from my 

 hand. But "Jack" disliked being touched; 

 and would try to bite when, in play, I held him 

 on the ground. He would also come and take 

 toast from my band; but with a neck stretched 

 out to its utmost. Having secured the toast, he 

 immediately retreated. I often tried the effect of 

 music on my animals. The spaniel, like most 

 other dogs, would howl at particular notes; but 

 neither hares nor cat seemed to take any notice. 

 My hares, as may be imagined, were a source of 

 great interest and amusement to me; and 

 appeared perfectly happy in their domesticated 

 state; but at length, alas! they experienced the 

 fate of most " pets." My servants, when en- 

 gaged out of the kitchen, were wont to secure 

 them to their basket by a light chain attached 

 to a thin brass collar around the neck. " Jack " 

 was impatient of this restraint, and was ever 

 trying to liberate himself. On one occasion, 

 when the servants were occupied up stairs, in his 

 usual efforts for freedom he managed to insert 

 his lower jaw between the collar and his neck. 

 In trying to bite asunder the collar, his teeth 

 became firmly fixed. Frightened at his situa- 

 tion, the poor animal I presume struggled 

 violently, and broke the vertebras of his neck. 

 When the servants next entered the kitchen, he 

 lay dead, with his jaw fixed as above described. 

 Little " Puss " survived her companion for some 

 time; but, in the Autumn of 1847, distemper 

 was prevalent amongst her race. Many hares 

 were found dead in the fields. My dear little 

 favorite was attacked ; and, to the sincere grief 

 and regret of her master and the household — fell 

 a victim to the disease. 



Combe Vicarage, Hants* H. H. W. 



LADIES,— LISTEN ! 



One of your own sex, a most estimable woman 

 (Mrs. Thompson), thus writes: — " Men of sense, 

 I speak not of boys of eighteen to five-and- 

 twenty, during their age of detestability— men 

 who are worth the trouble of falling in love with, 

 and the fuss and inconvenience of being married 

 to, and to whom one might after some inward 

 conflicts, and a course, perhaps, of fasting and 

 self-humiliation, submit to fulfil those ill-con- 

 trived vows of obedience which are extracted at 

 the altar — such men want for their companions, 

 not dolls; and women who would suit such men 

 are just as capable of loving fervently, deeply, as 

 the Binglettina, full of song and sentiment — who 

 cannot walk — cannot rise in the morning — can- 

 not tie her bonnet-strings — faints if she has to 

 lace her boots — never in her life brushed out her 

 beautiful hair — would not, for the world, prick 



her delicate finger with plain sewing ; but who 

 can work harder than a factory girl upon a 

 " lamb's- wool shepherdess," — dance like a der- 

 vise at Almack's — ride like a fox-hunter — and, 

 whilst every breath of air gives her cold in her 

 father's gloomy country house, and she cannot 

 think how people can endure this climate — she 

 can go out to dinner-parties in February and 

 March, with an inch of sleeve and half a- quarter 

 of boddice." — Herein we have some excellent 

 " hits." They concern so very many of the " gen- 

 tle sex," that we leave their wide application to 

 a random shot. Our admirers, we feel sure, 

 must be of a quite different order. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Communications Received. — Forestiera. The article 

 on " Dogs " was not enclosed in your letter. For the 

 other matters, accept our warmest thanks. R. Twine- 

 ham. Replied to by post. — Zig-Zag. — "W. H. F. — 

 Bombyx Atlas. — T. J. W., next week. Why not send 

 your name and address ? It would save a fortnight's 

 delay.— W. V. The best bird-stuffer is T. Williams, 

 155, Oxford Street.— J. B, M.— Pegasus. Next week. 

 — Dolorous, Quite unsuited to our pages. 



To Correspondents.— As we always print one number 

 of the Journal in advance, such of our Correspondents 

 as may not receive replies to their questions in the cur- 

 rent number, must bear in mind that they are not for- 

 gotten. We pay marked attention to all favors. 



KIDD'S OWN JOXJBNAL. 



Saturday, August 23, 1852. 



We have been as much amused as pleaded 

 with the good-tempered letters of certain 

 correspondents, with reference to our playful 

 hint at page 105. The idea of the " carpet- 

 bag and its two days' mission " seems to 

 have tickled the fancy of very many. We 

 thought it would, and meant that it should. 

 There is no necessity for printing the com- 

 munications referred to ; they merely 

 " second" our own suggestion. Folks, now, 

 will not be " held in." London Bridge and 

 its avenues are positively besieged by the 

 bearers of carpet-bags, which, with the car- 

 riage of portmanteaus, and ladies' " heavy 

 accoutrements " for the sea-side, " make up" 

 all the real business that is now being done. 



It is no Avonder that we ourselves have 

 been tempted to do what we have so 

 strongly urged upon others. Our " little 

 carpet-bag" has recently done its appointed 

 mission. Our heart, as we said, was locked 

 up in it. We let {not the " cat," — that is quite 

 out of our line) our heart " out of the bag" 

 somewhere between Bromsgrove and Grlou- 

 cester,on the 10th instant. It was in delightful 

 keeping; but with this the Public have 

 nothing to do. We merely allude to our 

 own journey, with a view to caution our 

 friends against placing any reliance whatever 

 on the time-bills issued by the various com- 

 panies. They are quite delusive. The said 

 " companies" pretend to meet certain trains 

 at certain places, and print the hours of ar- 

 rival and departure as if they were really 



