Being in a tranquil mood the other evening, and indisposed for the
rollicking fun and tomfoolery in which, we are glad to say, we have so
often indulged, we called upon our friend Nix to pass a quiet hour or
two. When we had explained the object of our visit, Nix replied that it
was well, for although he could not entertain us himself in the
character of host, he could introduce us to a family to whom he happened
to be engaged himself that evening.
"They are," said he, "the most charming people in the world--all ladies,
excepting a little pickle of a boy, a child after your own heart, by the
way; not one of your impulsive, high-spirited humbugs, who does all
sorts of vicious things for twelve hours, and is sorry for them for five
minutes; not one of your easy penitents, who is never ashamed of owning
himself in the wrong, and at the same time never too proud to do wrong;
but a stubborn, sensitive, ingenuous, affectionate, fun-loving little
fellow. Do you know I like people who, when they are mad, get sulky? I
have found they make the best of friends, the best servants, and the
best members of society generally. I wonder who started the admiration
of _impulsive_ people? 'Oh!' you hear a young lady say, who never really
gave the subject five minutes' thought in her life, and is quite
unconscious that she is repeating a hackneyed sentiment which has been
knocking about the world for the last fifty years; 'oh!' you hear her
say, 'I like quick-tempered people, who get into a passion and are over
it in a minute.' Then you hear some one else: 'Oh, yes, he does wrong,
but he is full of fine impulses!' For my part, I think these impulsive
folks are the greatest humbugs in the world. In the first place, there
is scarcely any villany which cannot be perpetrated in a moment, if you
have only the necessary impulse; but then, to look into the origin of
this impulsiveness, it arises altogether from a lack of self-control, a
violent, self-indulgent spirit. Then, as to ready repentance and
confession, that, to my mind, is the worst sign man, woman, or child can
show; it simply shows they do not fully appreciate the seriousness of
their offence, or are so devoid of pride that they do not care in what
estimation they are held by others; or, as is often the case, it is a
cheap way of squaring accounts and starting afresh, perhaps on better
terms than before, with people who like _impulsive_ characters. Bah!
Confession and repentance ought to come out of a man with tears of
blood, and----"
"But about the ladies?" we broke in. "Your dissertation on character is
very good, but I think you made use of the adjective charming in
connection with the noun ladies."
"Oh, yes," answered Nix, suddenly changing his manner, for he had grown
quite fierce and enthusiastic in his tirade against impulsive persons.
"The ladies--'that man who would lay his hand on a lady in aught save
kindness, is unworthy the name of a British officer and a gentleman.'
"'A wife, a dog, and a walnut-tree,
The more you lick 'em, the better they be.'
"Arguments _pro_ and _con_. But you said something about the ladies.
Well, this family comprises a widow, three daughters, and little pickle
aforementioned. These ladies, I may tell you, are not only ladies, but
gentlewomen--a very, very rare article, I can assure you."
"True," we responded; "painfully true."
"These ladies have found out--no, there I am wrong; they never gave the
subject a thought. But they are illustrations of the fact, though they
are ignorant of it, for their good-breeding came to them partly by
nature and partly by careful, motherly, Christian training. They are
illustrations of the fact, that to be gentlewomen it is necessary to be
gentle women."
"Women do not appear to be generally aware of that fact," we chimed in.
"These ladies, although full of intelligence and _esprit_, besides being
highly educated and accomplished, could not, I believe, give a smart
retort to--to--to save their eyes; and when you see their eyes you will
be able to judge of the value of the stake. If any one were to make a
rude or impertinent speech to them they would not understand him. As
they never wound the feelings of others, they cannot imagine any one
else doing so."
"But," said we, "there are certain forms of words which no one could
possibly mistake--not even the simplest of human beings."
"Oh, of course, I don't refer to such cases as those! Under such
circumstances, my friends would feel deeply grieved, and even rebuke the
offender. But as to making one of those sharp retorts in which
underbred young women so greatly delight, why, they could no more do it
than fly!"
Fortunately, at this point in Nix's harangue, we reached the door of the
ladies under discussion; for be it understood that most of our
conversation had occurred on our way thither.
We doubt whether it is a good plan to praise one's friends too highly
before an introduction; it is calculated to produce a reaction. At
least, we felt just the least shade of disappointment on being ushered
into the presence of the subject of our companion's eulogy. Four
plainly-dressed, oval-faced, soft-eyed ladies, seated round a large
centre-table, on which were strewn water-colors, albums, scissors, and
scraps of paper.
"Mr. Nix has told us all so much about you," said the eldest, "that I
feel as though we were old friends. My daughters are now enthusiastic on
the subject of transparencies, and I've no doubt your ingenuity will
enable them to solve many knotty points beyond their amateur capacity."
We soon found, however, that we were the one to learn, for the work on
which the white fingers were engaged was something entirely new to us.
There were beautiful transparencies, mostly representing landscapes, and
cut out of writing-paper. We immediately became a devoted student of the
art of transparent picture-making, with a single eye, of course, to
the amusement of our readers. The soft, brown eyes, the taper fingers,
and the gentle manners, had nothings to do with our assiduity, upon
which we pledge our sacred honor, as a Calmuc Tartar.
[Illustration: PAPER TRANSPARENCIES.--_See page 143._]
We will now proceed to explain, if those white fingers do not get in the
way, how these pictures are produced; and first, according to our
custom, we refer the reader to the annexed diagram (No. 1)--a diagram is
a good basis to start upon. Before you look at the diagram, it would be
well to collect the necessary materials, which are as follows:
Several sheets of writing-paper.
One piece, say four inches square, of thick paper or card.
A pair of small fine-pointed scissors.
A sharp-pointed penknife.
A small piece of charcoal. Burnt grape-vine or cedar makes the best.
A piece of transparent tracing-paper. A black lead-pencil.
Pen and ink.
A thick pasteboard, or thin pine board, about the thickness of an
ordinary book-cover, and at least two inches longer and wider than the
picture you are about to make. A sheet of glass will answer as well,
perhaps better.
A small quantity of thin, fine paste, free from lumps, made of flour and
water boiled. Mind that it is boiled and free from lumps.
Now see the diagram No. 1. This is the picture you wish to produce in
the transparency. Take your tracing-paper, and with a pen and ink make
an outline of this picture, having done which, rub the charcoal over the
back of the tracing, then lay the tracing-paper on a sheet of
letter-paper, take your lead-pencil in your hand; now, every mark you
make on the tracing-paper with the pencil will leave a corresponding
charcoal mark on the paper beneath it. Bearing this in mind, you will
draw your pencil carefully round the outline of the moon, the window of
the old castle, and the bright light in the water. Now carefully remove
the tracing-paper, and you will find the forms of these objects faintly
marked in charcoal lines on the writing-paper. Now, with the fine point
(it must have a fine point) of your lead-pencil, travel over the
charcoal lines, so as to make them distinct and permanent. You do so
because the charcoal easily brushes off. You will then proceed to brush
off the charcoal with a soft rag as soon as you have made your pencil
outline. You will now, with the scissors or penknife, whichever is most
convenient for the purpose, cut out the parts you have traced--that is
to say, a round hole for the moon, a small square patch for the castle
window, and a few irregular slits for the water. Then you will have a
piece of paper like diagram No. 2 (page 152).
There now, we think we managed to keep the white fingers out of that
pretty well, though it was pretty hard work, rest assured. So far so
good. Now you want to cut a piece of paper, which shall be your second
tint, to represent the clouds and water. To this end you again lay your
outline tracing on the white paper, and trace the shape of the clouds,
the castle window, and the lights on the water, which will give you a
form similar to that represented in diagram No. 3 (page 153). This you
will cut out as before.
Now you wish for a tint to represent the distant mountains and the
reflection of the old castle; therefore, trace and cut out as before
directed a piece of paper corresponding with the outlines of these
forms, which piece will correspond exactly with diagram No. 4 (page
154). Now you will cut out a piece of paper to represent the nearer
mountains and the castle, which will correspond with diagram No. 5 (page
155). After which you will cut a piece to represent the castle alone;
and lastly, you cut out of your card the form of the fir-tree and old
railing in the foreground, and the chief part of your labor is done.
Again we must congratulate ourself on keeping those little fingers out
of our description, though they have been playing about like white mice
among our ideas all the time. We only trust we have made the process
clear to our readers.
We will now presume you wish to mount your transparency on a sheet of
glass. First take the piece of white paper corresponding with diagram
No. 2, and cover it with a thin coat of paste, being careful that it is
free from lumps, and lay it on the glass, pressing it evenly all over
with a soft handkerchief. Over this, in its proper place, paste No. 3,
over that No. 4, and so on, one over the other, till they are all on.
You can now hold it up to the light to see if the reflected lights in
the water are correct; if not, wait till the transparency is dry, and
brighten them up by cutting the necessary pieces out with the sharp
point of a penknife. All that needs doing now is to paste over all a
thin sheet of white paper. This need only be pasted round the edges just
enough to make it keep its place. To give the picture a finish, it
should either be put in a frame or have a border of gilt paper or other
untranslucent material pasted round it to conceal the ragged edges of
the picture. Now your picture is complete. Hold it once more up to the
light, and you will be surprised what a beautiful effect is produced.
If the transparency be not to be mounted in glass, the process is as
follows: Cut a square hole, a trifle smaller than the picture, in the
board you have provided; cut a piece of white paper of the same shape as
the hole, only about one inch larger each way; moisten it slightly with
a wet rag, then put some paste all round the edges of the paper, and
paste it over the square hole in the board; keep the paper slightly
moistened till the paste has thoroughly dried; then you can allow the
paper to dry, when it will become smooth and tight like the head of a
drum. On this you can paste the transparency in the same way you did on
the glass.
Our young lady friends had a number of wonderful things produced in this
way, into some of which they had introduced color with remarkable
effect. In the design we have given as an example, being one of the
simplest in their collection, the light in the castle window was red,
and threw long rays of red light across the rocks, with a red reflection
in the water. This was easily done with a little water-color (crimson
lake); but we refrained from introducing it into our description, for
fear of complicating the matter and puzzling the reader. However, when
you have made the one we have described, you will soon see a number of
other effects which can be produced--sunsets with a moving sun,
rain-storms, floating clouds; skies and water painted blue, and trees
green, etc., etc.
Little Pickle did not take any active part in the transparency business,
though he looked on admiringly, occasionally throwing in a few words of
applause or advice, something in this style:
"Oh! I say, Lucy, couldn't you put a cow in there; it would look
fust-rate. I can draw a cow, all but the feet, and you can hide them
behind the rocks, you know."
Or:
"Yes--ah--yes--that snow is pretty good, only that feller has only got
one runner to his sled!"
It is strange that boys will always say _feller_ and _fust-rate_.
Little Pickle was not, however, idle in his way. While we were studying
white fingers, brown eyes, and transparencies, he had cut out a sled, a
wheel-barrow, and manufactured a dancing-pea. The latter he made by
running a pin half way through a pea, one end of which he stuck into a
broken piece of tobacco-pipe. He then threw his head back till the
tobacco-pipe attained a perpendicular position, when he commenced
blowing, which made the pea dance in the air in the most amusing manner
for nearly a minute. The mode of arranging the pea, as well as of using
it, is illustrated in the accompanying sketch.
[Illustration]
He likewise horrified us all by suddenly appearing with a hideous double
row of protruding yellow teeth, which he coolly dropped into the palm of
his hand, when he thought our feelings had been sufficiently outraged.
"They are only made of orange-peel," he explained. "You just cut a slit
there, and notch them along like that, and then put them into your
mouth."
[Illustration]
Now, in order to convey to your mind, dear reader, the method of
constructing this ornament, shall we tell you to cut an elliptical piece
of orange, and then make a longitudinal incision here, with transverse
incisions there, etc., etc.? No, we will not; we will fall back to our
old friend the diagram, and if you cannot make yourself a set of false
teeth after that, then remain in heathen darkness on all matters of
dentistry, as you deserve. Cut a piece of orange-peel in the shape
represented, and at the foot of the preceding diagram you will see how
they look when you put them on.
[Illustration: Diagram No. 2.]
[Illustration: Diagram No. 3.]
[Illustration: Diagram No. 4.]
[Illustration: Diagram No. 5.]
[Illustration: Diagram No. 6.]
[Illustration: Diagram No. 7.]