[Ill.u.s.tration: "THE SIMPLE LIFE"
_Mrs. Fitzpudgit._ "What is it, dear?" _Mr. F._ "Nothing, my love. Only another puncture."]
[Ill.u.s.tration: "APPRECIATIONS," LOCAL
_Vicar"s Wife._ "I see, Mrs. Fieldsend, that Mary is home again."
_Mrs. Fieldsend._ "Yes, m"m. You see, she has been a year at Crowe Rectory, and eighteen months at Exholme Vicarage, and now we want her to go into a gentleman"s family!"]
FAMILY JARS.--_Joan._ "The _idear_ of Susan"s askin" John to William"s funeral, after the way "e"d beyaved! I shouldn"t certainly ever _dream_ of askin" "im to _yours_!"
_Darby._ "_What!_ Then all _I_ can say is, I should be very much offended if you _didn"t_!"
[Ill.u.s.tration: EXCHANGE NO ROBBERY]
LIVE STOCK.--_Little Miss Townley._ "Was that honey we had at breakfast "home-made," Mr. Stubbs?"
_Farmer Stubbs._ "Why, surely, missy."
_Little Miss T._ "Oh! Then I suppose you _keep a bee_?"
[Ill.u.s.tration: _Country Barber_ (_affably, to total stranger_). "Very tryin" weather this, sir. Makes you feel as if you"d like your body in a pond, an" your "ead in a public-"ouse!"]
[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Rector"s Daughter._ "My father feels it very much, Mrs. Barker, that you should leave the church every Sunday just before the sermon. Don"t you think you might try and stay, in future?"
_Mrs. Barker._ "I dursn"t do it, miss. _I do snore that dreadful when I"m asleep!_"]
[Ill.u.s.tration: _Lady_ (_calling on new Vicar"s young wife_). "Have you seen the library at the Hall? Sir George is quite a bibliophile, you know."
_Vicar"s Wife_ (_warmly_). "Oh, I"m _so_ glad to hear that! So many of these wealthy men have _no_ religion!"]
[Ill.u.s.tration: _Lady Visitor_ (_to old parishioner_). "Well, Mr.
Huggins, and has the nurse been to see you yet?" _Old Parishioner._ "Yes, mum, thank "ee. She"s called once, an done my foot more good than all the imprecations I"ve ever used!"]
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE SLOc.u.m POGIS TOILET-CLUB
"These "ere barbers makes a rare lot o" fuss about it, but "tain"t nowt to sheep shearin"."]
[Ill.u.s.tration: DIET.--_Village Doctor._ "Well, are you better? Have you taken your medicine regularly, and eaten plenty of animal food?"
_Patient._ "Yes, sir, I tried it, and so long as it were be-ans and o-ats, I could manage pooty well, sir; but when you come to that there chopped hay, that right-down choked me, sir!"]
[Ill.u.s.tration: NEEDLESS ALARM
_He._ "The fellah actually thweatened to blow my bwains out!"
_She._ "Oh, how _could_ he? Of _course_ he wasn"t serious."]
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE FORCE OF HABIT.--_Our County Member_ (_attending church during the Recess_). "I beg to move, sir, that the question be now put!"]
[Ill.u.s.tration: OUR CHRISTMAS CONCERT.--_The Rector_ (_who conducts the Rehearsal_). "Suppose we try that movement again? I think, Mr. Footles, you were half a bar behind in taking up your point. Oh dear!--you"re not going, Mr. Foo----" _Mr. Footles_ (_our Flauto Secondo, huffed_).
"Yessir. "F you"re so pertic"lar"s "alf a bar, I sha"n"t jine the s"ciety!!"]
[Ill.u.s.tration: ARTFUL--VERY.--_Mary._ "Don"t keep a screougin" o" me, John!" _John._ "Wh"oi bean"t a screougin" on yer!" _Mary_ (_ingenuously_). "Well, y" can i" y" like, John!"]
[Ill.u.s.tration: _Stranger._ "I suppose there"s not much society about here?"
_Barber._ "Society! Why there ain"t two soup an" fish families within a radius o" fifteen mile!"]
HOW MINERS OUGHT TO SWEAR.--"I"ll take my Davy."
THE HARVEST OF CRIME.--The convict reaps the reward of his iniquity in the county crop.