Roundabout Papers - Penn State University

Roundabout Paperspatches among the more prosperous brethren of histrade, there is no want of dignity in him, in that homelyimage of labor ill-rewarded, genius as yet unrecognized,independence sturdy and uncomplaining. But Mr. Nameless,behind the publisher’s screen uninvited, peeringat the company and the meal, catching up scraps of thejokes, and noting down the guests’ behavior and conversation,—whata figure his is! Allons, Mr. Nameless!Put up your note-book; walk out of the hall; and leavegentlemen alone who would be private, and wish youno harm.TUNBRIDGE TOYSI wonder whether those little silver pencil-cases with amovable almanac at the butt-end are still favorite implementswith boys, and whether pedlers still hawk themabout the country? Are there pedlers and hawkers still,or are rustics and children grown too sharp to deal withthem? Those pencil-cases, as far as my memory servesme, were not of much use. The screw, upon which themovable almanac turned, was constantly getting loose.The 1 of the table would work from its moorings, underTuesday or Wednesday, as the case might be, and youwould find, on examination, that Th. or W. was the 231/2 of the month (which was absurd on the face of thething), and in a word your cherished pencil-case anutterly unreliable time-keeper. Nor was this a matter ofwonder. Consider the position of a pencil-case in a boy’spocket. You had hard-bake in it; marbles, kept in yourpurse when the money was all gone; your mother’s purse,knitted so fondly and supplied with a little bit of gold,56