The notary's nose;

THE NOTARY'S NOSE. 91
stantial sort of a man, the most clownish
fellow in the world, and at the same time
the best disposed.
He was the oldest of ten children, boys
and girls, all living, thriving, swarming
under the paternal roof. His father had a
hut, a bit of land, a few chestnut-trees on
the mountain, a few dozen hogs year in
and year out, and two arms to delve in the
earth. His mother spun flax. The little
boys helped the father, and the little girls
took care of the house, and brought each
other up, the oldest girl acting as nurse
to the girl next her, and so on to the bottom of the ladder.
The young Sebastian did not actually
blaze with intelligence, or memory, or any
other gift of the intellect. But he had
heart enough and to spare. He had been
taught a few chapters of the Catechism,
just as blackbirds are taught to whistle
" Polly Put the Kettle on." But he really