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"Fifty blankets, each with yellow strings and yellow trimmings; ten iron pots, four gallons each; forty pounds of gunpowder; seven muskets; twelve pounds of small beads; ten strings of wampum; fifty gallons of rum, pure Jamaica, and of high proof; a score of jews-harps, and three dozen first quality English-made tomahawks."
"Three cabs and five—or was it six?—jews-harps?" continued Mitchell dreamily. "It must have been six, five for we five, and one for Lord Chesterfield—but where is Lord Chesterfield?" he asked suddenly with a disturbed glance around. "I hope he hasn’t deserted and gone home." "Come on, come on!" said Burnett.
Some of them yet remain what the old Puritans called 'boxes of whistles' that is, they are all pipes; but many of them might with equal propriety be called 'boxes of Jews-harps, being all reeds, or rather vibrating metal tongues and more still are of a mixed character, having pipes for the upper notes, and metal reeds for the bass.
Just the time for a drive. We’ll take three cabs and sally forth and drive up and down and back and forth in the cool night air." "And jews-harps!" cried Burnett. "Oh, I say, there’s a bully idea! We’ll go to a drug store and buy some jews-harps and play on them as we drive along. We’ll each sing our own tune, and the effect will be so novel. Let’s do it."
"Jews-harps—" said Clover thoughtfully, "jews-harps for three cabs—that’ll make—let me see—that’ll make—" he hesitated. "Oh, the driver will make the change," said Burnett impatiently. "Come on. If we’re going to have the cabs and jews-harps it’s time to get out and take the stump in the good cause." "Where’s my ear-trumpet?" said Aunt Mary, blankly,—"it’s been left somewhere."
Of course, these bands were made up of divers instruments, but the national harp was head and chief of them all, as might naturally have been expected in such a place and at such a time. There were harps of all sorts and shapes; some of the Welsh urchins had even Jews-harps between their teeth. There were Irish harps, English harps, and Welsh harps.
Having advanced to meet this august personage, conducted him to the desk, and placed for him the official chair, which he shortly refused, I lifted my eyes, "prepared for any fate," to observe what might be the condition of my turbulent flock, and lo all the tops, and Jews-harps, and apples, and whirligigs, and miniature buzz-saws had disappeared, and there was an array of pallid faces bent over another array of books many of the latter were upside down, but the effect was unbroken.
He was interrupted by the return of the embassy, Mitchell bearing the jews-harps. "What’s the matter?" Burnett asked. "Nothing," said Clover; "we were so worried over you, that’s all." Burnett called for the bill and found that he had run out of cash; "Or maybe I’ve had my pocket picked," he suggested. "I’m beginning to be in just the mood in which I always get my pocket picked."
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