88 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
A MOUSE'S DREAM-THE CAT IN COURT. 
(Designed and Engraved for the American Agriculturist.) 
The Editor with his. Young Eeaders. 
A fine time these mice are having. Their old enemy, 
the cat, is securely muzzled, bound hand and foot, and 
led in triumph to be tried for high crimes against the 
mouse community. The judges have taken their seats in 
due form, the clerks of the court are ready to record the 
testimony, the armed guards are prepared for any emer- 
gency, and the lookers on are in high glee. Our artist 
calls it the Mouse's dream ; we suspect he himself must 
have been visiting dream-land. However, i( mice do 
ever dream, they might be supposed lo have some such a 
vision in sleep. No doubt the little fellows would be as 
happy over the prospect, as boys we have seen— grown-up 
ones as well as children— dreaming with their eyes open, 
and their hands idle, about triumphing over supposed 
obstacles lo their happiness. And it would be as profita- 
ble in one case as in the other. The mice will awake 
to find the cat as active, powerful, and cruel as ever ; so 
the idle dreamers about lucky numbers in lotteries, plenty 
of money without hard work to get it, respectability and 
honor without living to deserve it, will learn that such ac- 
quisitions are not to be had by dreaming for them. 
An Ingenious Root Black. 
The street Boot Blacks are one of the "institu- 
tions" of New-York, as well as of some other large 
cities. You see them on the side- walks, in and around 
the hotels, and frequently on the ferry boats. They car- 
ry a box containing their "kit of implements, "—the 
biushes, blacking boxes, etc. This is suspended by a 
strap over the shoulders, and when a customer nods assent 
to their generally polite invitation: " Black yer boots ?" 
or " Shine up, sir ?" they quickly set down the box for 
your foot to rest on, drop upon their knees on the pave- 
ment, and work as rapidly as possible, so as not to detain 
their patrons. They first turn up the pants to keep them 
from being soiled, then with one brush they clean the 
boots, with another apply the blacking, and with two oth- 
ers, one in each hand, polish away. They return a 
' thank ye' for the half dime, or dime, given for their labor. 
These boys are generally so polite and so industrious that 
we rather like them, and sometimes take a "shine up" 
just to see them work, and lo chat with the smart little 
fellows.— Here is a case illustrating their ingenuity : 
A well dressed man standing at a hotel door not long 
since, was hailed by one'of them with the usual ques- 
tion, " Shine up sir ?" " "What do you charge for 
blacking boots?" asked the man, who was somewhat 
noted for stinginess. " Five cents," was the reply. "Too 
much, loo much, I'll give you three cents," said the man. 
"All right," said the youngster, and at it lie went with 
might and main, and very soon had one boot shining like 
a mirror: but instead of commencing on the other, he 
began to pack up his brushes. " You haven't finished !" 
exclaimed the man. "Nevermind," replied (he boot- 
black, with a twinkle in his eye, 1 won't charge you any 
thing for what I've done ; there comes a customer who 
pays." The man glanced at the shining boot, then at the 
other, which was rusty and bespattered with mud, thought 
of the ridiculous figure he would make with one polished 
boot, and amid the laughter of the bystanders agreed to 
give the sharp boy ten cents to finish the job, which he 
did in double quick time and with great pleasure. 
• Good Manners — An Anecdote. 
A correspondent of the Agriculturist relates the follow- 
ing incident, which he says occurred some years since in 
the State of Rhode Island. Colored persons are allowed 
to vote there, and to hold office, if elected. On one occa- 
sion, Mr. It., a very pompous, but not very popular man, 
desiring to be chosen Inspector of Elections, gathered his 
friends around the polls early on the morning of election 
day — the custom being to select an Inspector by vote of 
those happening to be present at the opening of the polls. 
Some mischievous young men, wiio disliked the pompous 
candidate, had heard of his plans, and they were also 
present with a large party, and, to his great disgust, they 
gave a majority for a huge, burly, but good-natured ne- 
gro, welt known to the citizens. When the voters came 
up to deposit their ballots, as usual each one took off his 
hat in presence of the Inspector. Suon Mr. R. approach- 
ed. " It is customary to take off the hat when vollng," 
said he, " but in this case I don't know about it." " Oil ! " 
immediately replied the colored man, "jest as you 
please ; it depends on a man's broughten up ; dere's Mr. 
S. and Mr. B„ (naming two wealthy citizens), dcy took 
oil' dere hats, but if a man has'nt been broughtup toman- 
ners, why we 'scuse him." The roar of laughter which 
followed, so discomfited Mr. R., that he hastily left. 
ISobbed Advantageously ! 
A lady riding in a rail-car in Brooklyn recently, was 
somewhat crowded upon by a well dressed man, who soon 
after left the car. She found he had abstracted her purse 
containing $7, but in doing so, he unintentionally slipped 
off into her pocket a valuable diamond finger ring, for 
which a friend, a jeweler, gladly gave her $100, leaving 
her a gain of $93. The man has not called for his ring. 
A Tlionglttless lfoy Punished. 
"I shall never forget," writes a correspondent of the 
Agriculturist, "an incident of my childhood by which I 
was taught to be careful not to wound the feelings of the 
unfortunate, A number of us schoolboys were playing by 
the roadside one Saturday afternoon, when the stage coach 
drove up to a neighboring tavern and the passengers 
alighted. As usual we gathered around it to observe 
them. Among the number was an elderly man with a 
cane, whu got out with much difficulty, and when on the 
ground, he walked with the inustcunous contortions. His 
feet turned one way, his knees another, and his whole 
body looked as though the difTerenl 
members were independent of it, 
and of each other, and every one 
was making motions to suit itself. 
I unthinkingly shouted ' look at old 
rattlcbones !' and the other boys 
look up the cry with mocking 
laughter, while the poor man turn- 
ed his head with an expression of 
pain which I can never forget. Just 
then, to my surprise and horror, 
my falhercame around the corner, 
and immediately stepping up to 
the stranger shook his hands warm- 
ly, and assisted him to walk to 
our house, which was at but a little 
distance. I could enjoy no more 
play that afternoon, and when tea- 
time came, I would gladly have 
hid myself, but I knew that would 
be vain, and so tremblingly went 
into the sitting room. To my great 
relief, the stranger did not recog- 
nize me, but remarked pleasantly 
to my father as he introduced me, 
' Such a fine boy was surely worth 
saving.' How the words cut me to 
the heart. My father had often told 
me the story of a friend who had 
plunged into the river to save rac 
as I was drowning, while an infant, 
and who in consequence of a cold 
then taken, had been made a crip- 
ple by inflammatory rheumatism ; 
and this was the man whom I had 
made a butt of ridicule, and a 
laughing slock for my companions. 
I tell you, boys and girls, I would 
givemanydollars to have the mem- 
ory of that event taken away. If 
ever you are tempted as I was, remember that while no 
good can come of sport whereby the feelings of others 
are wounded, you may be laying up for yourselves pain- 
ful recollections that will not leave you for a lifetime." 
The Boy's Reproof. 
A minister in a country village received his supply of 
milk from one of his deacons, and his son Robert, about 
ten years old, was sent for it daily. A railroad had re- 
cently been built in that vicinity, and the boys had 
learned to imitate the whistle. When Robert was within 
a few rods of the deacon's house, he used to give a loud 
" too-o-o-t," lo let them know he was coming, so that 
the milk might be ready. It happened that milk was need. 
ed for a young child one Sunday afternoon, and Robert 
being sent for it, unthinkingly gave his usual too-o-ot. 
Upon entering the house the deacon said to him rather 
severely, " Robert, the cars do not run on Sunday." 
Presently the deacon remembered that he had not seen the 
weekly paper which the minister was accustomed to lend 
him. "Robert, said he, "did you bring the newspa- 
per?" The little fellow very archly, but respectfully 
replied : " The cars do not carry the mail on Sunday sir !" 
The deacon was fairly beaten with his own weapons. 
An Uufortunatc Mimie, 
A correspondent of the Agriculturist writes : "A young 
lad of this neighborhood whom we will call Thomas, lias 
practised imitating the sounds made by various animals, 
until he hr-s become quite expert at it. He often sets the 
hens to cackling, the dog to barking, or the cow to run- 
ning for her calf by mimicking their cries. Being full of 
mischief, he loves to play practical jokes. On one occa- 
sion he led a hunter a chase of more than a mile through 
the woods by imitating the chattering of a gray squirrel, 
and keeping just out of sight of the sportsman. He was 
partly cured of such practices, however, by the following 
occurrence. A man living near had a great aversion to 
cats. Thomas, knowing this, loved to tease him by going 
near his windows In the evening, and setting up a com- 
plete conceit of squalls, as though all the- cats of the 
neighborhood were trying their vocal powers. One night 
he had just commenced this performance, when to his 
horror a passing dog attracted by the noise, leaped over 
the fence and sprang toward him. Away he ran, shouting 
for fear, the dog in full chase after him. He succeeded In 
getting near his own door, when the dog was just upon 
him, and he was obliged to face him or be bitten. He 
swung his cap, kicked desperately, and managed to keep 
him at bay, at the same lime shouting for help. His fa- 
ther heard the noise, but merely remarked, "Oh, it's only 
some of Tom's nonsense," and paid no attention to it. 
Presently there was a loud scream, which really alarmed 
him, and hastening out he found the doy had bitten his 
son suvcrplv, and the animal was with difficulty driven off." 
