Some soft and touching music this, Music solemn and sweet, Played by a common organ-man Down at the end of the street. And it went straight home to the digger's heart, And he did not squelch the child, But lay it down in its little cot, And rocked the same--and smiled! Talk soft! They say the angels That night smole down on Bob; And a sorter radiant halo Gleamed brightly round his nob. I can't swear to all this for certain, And it do seem a queerish start; But I won't set by and hear none o' you say Bob hadn't a tender heart! * * * * * FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 7: Corpses.] [Footnote 8: To shoot.] C. Wolfe's Ode. Since Part VII. appeared, containing the parodies on the above, a correspondent has kindly sent the following, which recently appeared in a Durham newspaper:-- A MOONLIGHT FLIT. Scarce a sound was heard, not a word was spoke, As a van down the back way they hurried; For some tenants were bolting, not paying their rent, And looking confoundedly flurried. They'd packed up in silence at dead of night, And, having no thought of returning, Had nailed up the shutters to keep in the light Of the paraffin-lamp left a-burning. But just as they'd got the loading done, And with the last chair were retiring, They heard the butcher (that son of a gun) At the door for his money inquiring. Sharp and short was the answer he got-- They told him "It gave them much sorrow; It wasn't convenient to settle just then, But they'd certainly do so to-morrow." Slowly and sadly they hurried away From that snug little house of one storey, Chucked the key in the water-butt, out of harm's way, And left it alone in its glory. Loudly they'll talk of the tenants now gone, And the landlords will say they were rum 'uns; But little they'll care if he lets them alone, And don't find them out with a summons. ANONYMOUS. * * * * * Two old parodies of the same original, on theatrical matters, may also, for the sake of completeness, be inserted here. They are both taken from _The Man in the Moon_, which was a small comic magazine, edited by the late Angus B. Reach, with many funny illustrations by Hine, Sala, and other humorous artists. _The Man in the Moon_ was started in 1847, and five volumes in all were issued; its contents are now, of course, somewhat out of date, but there are some clever parodies which will be inserted in this collection--many of these parodies were, no doubt, from the facile pen of Albert Smith, who was one of the principal contributors to the magazine. THE BURIAL OF PANTOMIME. _Stanzas of_ 1846-7.