it's little I thought, avic, when you soothered me with your sweet talk, that the hot sun of your warm love would so soon be succeeded by the could frost of neglect. O wirastrew! but it was a sorry day to me that you looked on Nora Neil."

Up to this time Mrs. Nilligan spoke more in sorrow than in anger; her language was that of subdued reproof rather than violent crimination; but this allusion to Miss Neil drew from the latter lady the following retort, which was accompanied by a look that, if analyzed, must have contained a full quart of bitters:

"See that now, Mrs. Nilligan; throth, thin, he'll look on me agin, too, and you can't help it either; so you may put your hands in your pockets and plase yourself."

Here the smothered fire of Mrs. Nilligan's wrath blazed forth, and her very looks seemed sufficient to burn to a cinder her real or imaginary rival.

"O, listen to that, your honour," she said; "d'ye hear how the brazen-faced hussy spakes to me teeth afther puttin' betune me and me lawful husband. O, sure if she hadn't the assurance of Freney the robber, she'd hide her head, and would'nt be seen in coort. But sure I know very well Ned wouldn't spake to the likes of her if some fairy woman or some one didn't throw a spell over him."

"O, Nancy Nilligan, your tongue is no scandal to you," retorted Nora. "I didn't work any pishiroge for her husband, your honour. I'm a dacynt girl, and here's me character that I got from me last place. To tell the thruth, I don't think he's any great beauty, though she thinks that it's out of his big toe the sun shines."

Ned certainly was not a very prepossessing individual. His face resembled a roll of Goshen butter, with a centre slice out in front for a mouth, and two pewter balls stuck in above for eyes. He had withal a good natured kind of look, and traces of repentance were visible on his countenance for any sins of omission or commission of which he might have been guilty towards Nancy.

66 Well," ," said the Recorder to Ned, "what have you got to say in this affair?”

O, faix," said Ned, rubbing down with his right hand a close crop of hair, rubbing his chin with his left, and looking half lovingly, half imploringly at Nancy-"O, faix, your honour, I b'lieve somebody is to blame; I had, to tell the truth, like Daniel O'Connell, strong notions of repalin' the

union-with Nancy-but now, since I find she still has the ould gra' for me, I'm for goin' back to her and mindin' me business. In fact, your honour, I'm as much in favour of reannexation as President Tyler himself."

This declaration of principles seemed to give Nancy great and unspeakable joy, and Nora Neil left the office saying, she wished her (Nancy) "luck in her bargain."

A CABMAN IN A DILEMMA.

OUT-DOOR THEATRICALS.

AMONG the numerous strange cases brought under the special notice of the Recorder was that of Sophronia Fitzclarence, who was arrested in the streets a few nights since at the instance of a cabman. With hair dishevelled, bonnet knocked into a “cocked hat,” and dress draggled and in disorder, she appeared as though she had been enacting antics under the joint influence of rum and romance.

The cab driver, who was a sinister looking chap with an oblique cast in his eye, a very large head, and an enormously stout neck—was the principal witness against Sophronia, and appeared to be as much of a character as the accused herself. "Well, sir," said the Recorder, "What did Sophronia do to

you?"

"Vell, if you'll jest hold your hosses a minute or two, I'll give you all the items," retorted the cabman, with the peculiar patois of his particular class.

"Go on, then," continued the Recorder.

Yes, sir. Vell, as I was standing aside of my cab, sir, near the corner of St. Charles and Poydras streets, a thinkin' on my fare for the day, this ere fair one came a stormin' along with a kind of a theatre step, and jest as she got up to me she stopt suddently, give me a wild stare in the face, clasped her hands together, worked her shoulders forward and back, and then kind of shrieked out 'Oh! Clifford! is that you? No, I'm d-d if it is,' said I; but afore the words was scarcely out of my mouth she threw both arms round my neck, like I was her own dearest blood relation, then pushed me off at arm's length, looked me full in the eye, and says she, follerin' up her first speech, Clifford! don't you know me? Vell, I

A CABMAN IN A DILEMMA.

149

don't,' says I; 'Speak to me, Clifford,' says she; 'Go away,' says I; 'My own Clifford,' says she; You be d-d,' says I; and then she sobbed, threw her hands about in a kind of distraction, and says she agin, 'Clifford! why vont you speak to me!' 'Cos I don't know you,' says 1; There! that's Clifford's voice, if ever Clifford spoke,' says she; 'No it war'nt,' says I, for my name's Jim Groom, and I don't know Clifford from a side of sole leather.' Vell, in that vay she vent on, sir, cryin', swingin' her arms about, spoutin' poetry, and talkin' nonsense, like as though she was a play actor ooman on the stage, until finally I had to call a watchman to help me out of the scrape. She's one of the dreadfullest cases of the highstrikes I ever did see. Vy, do you know, sir, that she axed me if her 'orrid nupshals could be perwented ?"

"You did'nt know it," gravely said the Recorder. what did you tell her?"

"But

"I told her as how I thought if she'd go home and take a nap it might perwent 'em, although I did'nt know exactly what them same nupshals was she was makin' such a muss about. Don't you think that sleep 'ud hit her case ?”

"Very likely," continued the Recorder.

"And vot's more, do you think if she was to take the temperance pledge it would do her case any partic❜lar harm?" continued the cabman, and at the same time he gave the Recorder a knowing wink.

"That will do," continued his honour, who saw plainly enough what was the cause of Miss Sophronia's vagaries and strange flights. She confessed that she had been to the theatres, and had imbibed rather more than was prudent of stimulants. These, combined with a great fondness and natural turn for theatrics, had partially turned her brain for the moment, and induced her to let off a little of the effervescence in the immediate vicinity of Jim Groom; but she promised to behave better in future, if the Recorder would only let her off. On these conditions she was discharged, and leaving the office

-full of rumination sad,

Laments the weakness of these latter times."

N 2