United States or Madagascar ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Sad affair, indeed, Miss Firkin," said Dick, aloud, in a soft, sympathising tone, and with a most condoling countenance; "it's unknown what obstropolous creatures cows and donkies are, and what mischief they do amongst gim-cracks. A brute of a donkey got into our garden last summer, and ate up half-a-dozen rose-trees and fuchsias, besides trampling over the flower-beds.
We broke into the boxes, and arrayed ourselves in various garments which speedily fell to pieces and appropriated gim-cracks of all sorts. There were some arms, but the ammunition had gone bad. Perdosa, out of forty or fifty mis-fires, got one feeble sputter, and a tremendous bang which blew up his piece, leaving only the stock in his hand.
And Billy's had his first aid case!" Pete clapped Billy on the shoulder. "Wal, I jes' calculate now that it was them gim-cracks Billy here put you through, missy, that brung you to!" "I always wondered if I could do it," Billy said with pardonable pride, "and, say, that'll mean a medal from the troop!" Alice had run home to tell Mrs. Lee of the accident.
Yes; a good fellow is Parker; and, Locker," to his own man, who was also in the boat; "mind you send him two of the best pieces of that brawn hey! hey! hey! what the d l has Lord Morganic" a descendant from royalty by the left hand, "been doing now! That ship is kept like a tailor's jay figure, just to stuff jackets and gim-cracks on her Achilles, there!"
I always know it, 'being a victim of dyspepsia from the bonbons and other gim-cracks which are served out at my family table after these lunches and teas, and which are persistently served out until, as my wife calls it, they are "finished." Had I not that very evening had served to me a piece of fruit-cake made, I believe, when our eldest girl was in short dresses!
He had his rattle and his rubber-doll and his blocks and the rest of his gim-cracks; and after he had howled long enough to satisfy himself that there was no deliverance from his prison, he settled back and accepted his tragic fate.
Instead of which he lets it all run to waste for nothing but to breed a few hundred birds that wouldn't keep a single family alive; while he works from morning till night at humbugging people in a beastly hole in the City, just to fill his house with a host of silly gim-cracks and dress up himself and his women-folk like peacocks.
I believe they do too. Why our Jack, the plow-boy, spends half his time in going to a shop in our market town, where they let out books to read, with marble covers. And they sell paper with all manner of colors on the edges, and gim-cracks, and powder-puffs, and wash-balls, and cards without any pips, and every thing in the world that's genteel and of no use.
I suppose when we're gone, he'll just get wrapped up in his fiddles and books and old gim-cracks, as he always does the minute my eyes are off him." Gwen made no comment upon inconsistencies, becoming reabsorbed in her letter. But surely a Countess whose eyes prevent an Earl getting wrapped up in fiddles is not absolutely without influence over him.
Now this very asperity made the portable shopman say to himself, "wants me out of the way perhaps buy me out." So he stuck where he was, and exhibited his wares. "We don't want your gim-cracks," said mephistopheles quietly. The man eyed his customers and did not despair. "But, gents," said he, "I have got other things besides gim-cracks; something that will suit you if you can read."
Word Of The Day