Tales of life and death

Contents

—_—_+ —- THE FAIR DOE OF FERNDITCH THE COLLEEN RHUE bo me pf

INTRODUCTION. a

Many actors on the mundane stage, feign farewell addresses, and rant all sorts of random adieus to a kind and listening audience, warning the play-going world of their “last appearance on the boards,’”’ and taking a grateful leave of the hands which had so often applauded them. An author, however, cannot avail himself of these touchstones to a treasury. He has, in reality, no personal appearance to make, like the man with the puppets in “ Punch ;” it is his hand that induces all his characters to move, and there,on the paper wall, his ideal photography remains, a standard monument of success, or a myth with but stability enough to give a date to time. :