If ’twas the dark hue of their face, Then why not free our noble race Forever from all homely men? With manly zeal, and outstretched hand, Pass like a whirlwind o’er the land. Let squint eyed, pug-nosed women be Only a thing of memory. Though some mistakes would happen then, For many bond servants there are, Fair faced, blue eyed, with silken hair. How sweet, how pleasant to be sold For notes in hand, or solid gold, To benefit a brother Both children of one father, With each a different mother. One mother fair and richly clothed, One worn with toil and vain despair Down sunken to a life she loathed; Both children with proud saxon blood, In one breast mixed with tropic flame, One, heir to rank and broad estates And one, without even a name. Jest as he arrived to this crysis in the poem, Mr. Gansey came out into the aunty room, and told me he was ready to take my picture. The Editer seein’ he was obleeged to stop readin’ told me, he would come down to our house a visitin’ in sugarin’ time, and finish readin’ the poetry to me. I ketched holt of my principles to stiddy ’em, for I see they was a totterin’ and says to him with outward calmness, “If you come fetch the twins.” He said he would. I then told Mr. Gansey I was ready for the picture. I believe there haint nothin’ that will take the expression out of anybody’s eyes, like havin’ poetry read for a hour and a half, unless it is to have your head screwed back into a pair of tongs, and be told to look at nothin’ and wink at it as much as you are a mind to. Under both of these circumstances, it didn’t suprise me a mite that one of my eyes was took blind. But as Mr. Gansey said as he looked admirin’ly on it, with the exception of that one blind eye, it was a perfect and strikin’ picture. I paid him his dollar and started off home, and I hope now that Josiah and the children will be satisfied. [Illustration: THE PICTURE.] OUR SURPRIZE PARTIES. About one week after this picture eppysode, there was a surprise party appointed. They had been havin’ ’em all winter, and the children had been crazy to have me go to ’em--everybody went, old and young, but I held back. Says I: “I don’t approve of ’em, and I won’t go.” But finally they got their father on their side; says he: “It won’t hurt you Samantha, to go for once.”