I cannot tell you the whole story of Zerah, but you will find it, and many other curious and wonderful lives, in the number of Parley’s Cabinet Library of which I speak. You will find the story of a miser, who shut himself in a vault with his money, and where, though surrounded with silver and gold, he perished miserably for the want of bread and water. You will find the story of the great Sir Isaac Newton, who, when a child, made a little mill, and put a kitten in it, whom he called the miller; you will find the story of Elijah Thayer, who went, a few months since, to see Victoria, queen of England, and tell her that she would very soon be obliged to wash her own dishes. Among other things in Parley’s book, you will find the story of a very wonderful man named Joseph Clark. This person could twist his face about so that his most intimate friends would not know him. He could also distort his body in the most strange manner. Here is a picture of him. [Illustration] Clark was a pleasant, funny fellow, and he often amused himself and others with his queer tricks. One day he went to a tailor to have a coat made. When the tailor measured him he had a huge hump on his right shoulder. When he went to try on the coat, the hump was on the left shoulder. The tailor was greatly astonished――begged pardon for his blunder, and straightway undertook to alter the coat. When Clark went again to try it on, behold the villanous hump was in the middle of his back! Fire-works at Rome. All my little readers have heard of the great city of Rome, in Italy. It was begun about 2500 years ago, and a great many wonderful events have taken place there. Rome is not so large and splendid as it once was, but it is still a great city. The pope, who is the head of the Catholic church, lives there, and the ceremonies of that church are very grand and imposing in Rome. I could tell you a great deal about these ceremonies, but I have not time now. I will, however, say a word of what is called the _Carnival_. This is a time in which the Catholics have feasts, dances and frolics. Some of them dress up in strange attire, and go about, making a great deal of sport. The carnival in Rome is really a great time. Thousands of people, from all the countries round about, flock to the city, where they amuse themselves in various ways. One of the most wonderful things that takes place, is the fire-works. Perhaps you have seen fire-works on Boston common, but those of Rome are far more splendid. St. Peter’s Church is suddenly illuminated, and the great castle of St. Angelo sends up a vast flood of rockets,――red, blue, purple and yellow. The air seems filled with golden lights; the skies appear to be showering down stars of every hue; and while all this is going on, the glad voices of thousands of people are applauding the scene. [Illustration: _Fire-works at Rome._] [Illustration] Careless Nancy.