Notes.—­1.  Mr. Squeers is represented as an ignorant, brutal teacher, many of whom were to be found in Yorkshire, England, at the time of this story.

Nicholas Nickleby is a well-educated, refined young man, who has just obtained the position of assistant teacher, not knowing Squeers’s true character.

6.  Smike is a poor scholar, disowned by his parents, and made almost idiotic by harsh treatment.

The novel from which this story is abridged, aided greatly in a much-needed reform in the Yorkshire schools; and the character of Squeers was so true to life, that numerous suits were threatened against Mr. Dickens by those who thought themselves caricatured.

LXXIX.  THE GIFT OF EMPTY HANDS.

Mrs. S. M. B. Piatt (b, 1835,—­) was born near Lexington, Ky.  While still a young girl she began to write poetry, which was well received.  In 1861 she was married to the poet John James Piatt.  Mrs. Piatt’s poetry is marked by tender pathos, thoughtfulness, and musical flow of rhythm.  The following selection is from “That New World.”

1.  They were two princes doomed to death;
   Each loved his beauty and his breath: 
   “Leave us our life and we will bring
   Fair gifts unto our lord, the king.”

2.  They went together.  In the dew
   A charmed bird before them flew. 
   Through sun and thorn one followed it;
   Upon the other’s arm it lit.

3.  A rose, whose faintest flush was worth
   All buds that ever blew on earth,
   One climbed the rocks to reach; ah, well,
   Into the other’s breast it fell.

4.  Weird jewels, such as fairies wear,
   When moons go out, to light their hair,
   One tried to touch on ghostly ground;
   Gems of quick fire the other found.

5.  One with the dragon fought to gain
   The enchanted fruit, and fought in vain;
   The other breathed the garden’s air
   And gathered precious apples there.

6.  Backward to the imperial gate
   One took his fortune, one his fate: 
   One showed sweet gifts from sweetest lands,
   The other, torn and empty hands.

7.  At bird, and rose, and gem, and fruit,
   The king was sad, the king was mute;
   At last he slowly said:  “My son,
   True treasure is not lightly won.

8.  Your brother’s hands, wherein you see
   Only these scars, show more to me
   Than if a kingdom’s price I found
   In place of each forgotten wound.”

Definitions.—­1.  Doomed, destined, condemned. 2.  Charmed, bewitched, enchanted. 3.  Blew, blossomed, bloomed. 4.  Weird, tainted with witchcraft, supernatural.  Quick, alive, living. 6.  Im-pe’ri-al, royal. 7 Mute, silent.

LXXX.  CAPTURING THE WILD HORSE.

1.  We left the buffalo camp about eight o’clock, and had a toilsome and harassing march of two hours, over ridges of hills covered with a ragged forest of scrub oaks, and broken by deep gullies.