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The Novelist a Little Biassed. In a recent English novel this desciiption of nn American girt w found:—"The cold-blooded, cut. throat American girl, calculating her rr mance by the yard, booking her flirtations by double-entry, and marrying at compound interest, with the head of a railway president and the heart of an Esquimaux.

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i ALL rUGHTS RESERVED.] A NEW YEAR'S GLEE. -0 BY HEBER K. DANIELS AUTHOR OF" MB AND JIM.1 Done oaredasolitary rap for old" Dad- die" Eels. He might they did, perbaps-but they didn't, and that was the amusing part about it. A t first sight his appearanDe and voice oalculated to frighten any number of children into a series of fits, and actually did .0 at times, but, bless you f when they came to know him, M ever. they could see through it all with that wonderful moral insight of theirs, and knew that it was only a blind to hide the big heart that bubbled to overflowing under that shabby old waistcoat of his. Why, even the tiniest girl-toddler in the terrace would go and knock on his door and cry, Daddie Eels! Daddie Eels I" and when he came tumbling out, threatening to skin every one alive within a mile of the place, she would clutch hold of his great bony fore- finger, and crow into his face until he roared out one of his terrible langhs, and sent her away with a blessing on her towsled little head that sounded in the distauce uncom- monly like anathema. And talking just now of waistcoats, I would have given anything for you to have seen Daddie Eels's coat. It beat anything you ever came across as an article of apparel that had struok out in an independent line of fashion for itself. Indeed, common rumour had it that Mr. Eels, who was formerly a sail- maker by profession, had planned and made this outrageous-looking piece of dress him- self, and, if common rumour was to be believed for once, it was more than suffioient to account for a. garment that was neither a frook, dress, morning, over, under, nor any other kind of a ooat that had ever been seen or thought of before, though it might, per- haps, have borne some affinity to each of them in turn. And the trousers were confessedly of a family; for, besides being roomy enough for an elephant, they were a mile too long for him, and had to be rolled up over a pair of seafaring boots to prevent their coming down and tripping him up. A pair of trousers, indeed I As far as Mr. Eels was concerned, thay were at least two pairs and a half. The same in regard to his hat, a juigh- conBTOHCH Of DT1CK— layer's labourer pattern,which (unlike the coat, that was only worn outdoors), he retained on his head, both morning, noon, and night-yes, night f for it was generally conceded that he slept in it. Oh I and what a face the man had! It was austerity itself. If Daddie Eels had ever lived in an earlier century, he would have taken to the calling of moss-trooper as naturally as you or I would to lampooning and intrigue. And a stem-looking marauder he would have made, with bis terrible voice, and the fierce little grey eyes glittering from under those shaggy brows; though, perhaps, with a moustache on that long, shorn, upper lip of his, he would have looked less like a Manchester broker or a publioan on the rampage. What "Daddie''Eels did for a living was purely his own business, and has no more to do with you or I than his religion or morals had to do with his greengrocer. 1 only know this muoh, that there was not one inch of available space in his house in the Park-road, at the foot of the terrace, that hadn't some article of furniture-whether first, second, or third hand-crammed into it; and that if you had attempted to make your way into the garret, you would probably have had an avalanohe of old magazines, crockery, pictnre frames, and paillasses come showering down on the top of you before you would have known where you were. Daddie" Eels bought and "Daddie" Eels sold, and so long as the margin of profit enabled him to keep out of the workhouse, what on earth have the methods whereby it was obtained to do with us ? Absolutely nothing. With his family affairs, now, of course, it was quite different. That always is more or less common property, or how could your society journals ever hold their own over those that treat purely of finanoe? No, on that point you may command me until further notice. But, as it is impostible to touch on these per- sonal matters without reference to certain events that took place on a certain New Year's Eve in Daddie" Eels' house (in which, by-the-bye, he lived entirely by himself), I shall confine myself solely to the occurrences of that night, and by 80 doing obviate a.. further rtiference to the doings of Daddie Eels, either in the past or the present. I can't tell you what time of the night it was, because there wasn't a clock among the half dozen that ticked about the kitchen that could have told it within an hour, and if they had, no one would have believed them. But the last post had gone by fully half an hour ago, when Daddie Eels came in with the supper beer and cheese, and, depositing them on a card table by the fireside, sat down in his shirt sleeves and hat to discuss their respective merits. It was snowing hard outside, to judge by the large feathery flakes that came whirling down the old-fashioned chimney at intervals, and blowing, too—great guns, if the booming that was being kept up in its cavernous depths went for anything. A night for the barred and bolted shutter, the close drawn curtains, and the bevy of eager young faces bending over innumerable bright fires to listen to the good deeds of Santa Claus, and his jolty old English prototype in snow and wig-Father Christmas. But for the outcast poor God help them—not such a night as that was! Havingdisposed of his supper in meditative silence, and smoked three pipe& in rapid suo- cession. Daddie Eels arose and banked up his fire with the remainder of the coals and the cinders from the grate, and than stretched himself out at full length on a small sideboard, as was his custom, for the rest of the night. Let'm keep their new yeara, he growled at humanity at large, as he drew the brim of bis hat down about bus head, after the manner of a night-oap, and lay back on the sideboard watching the fire like some ill-proportioned effigy on a tombstone. Let 'em keep them and welcome, for all the good it will do them, with their cellars full of money, and their pockets full of and he dropped off to sleep so suddenly that anyone not knowing his accommodating habits would have called in a doctor at once under the alarming im- pression that he had bad a stroke. Phew what a gust that was It turned "Daddie" Eels's handcart clean over in the back yard, and, extinguishing the street lamp by his door, roared and rumbled away in the old chimney,like distant cannonade. The snow, too, was coming down ever so much faster, and kept up an incessant hissing on the coals as the flakes entered with the wind and were lapped up by the little spurting flames below. The half a dozen assorted timepieces ticked away incessantly about the room, and struck all manner of hours of the day and the night, according to their own independent calcula- tions on the subject, and the oil lamp on the mantelpiece shed a smoky light over the chaotic dispositions of the odd furniture, and, together with the fiitful glare frem the fire- place, throw such preposterous shadows of the sleeping Mr. Eels on the wall behind him that it was a wonder to goodness that be didn't awake and protest. Suddenly, and with a lull in the storm, came the shuffling sounds of feet on the door- step outside, and, aftrr a preliminary ahem or two, a pair of child voices began I wish you a merry Chrias-er-mus. I A happy New-er-year." I'll smash yer head if ye keeps shovin. A pocket full of Here they came to a full stop, for "Daddie"Eels was sitting up on the side- board with his hat drawn down over his face like a condemned felon, and shouting at the top of his voice Hello f hello f there. Just you wait till I gets my boots on, you young rats. Only one minute, and if I don't give you aeoh a Chrissermuss box for wakin' me up, as will last you till this time next year, my name ain't John Eels I Now then!" And he sprang to the door and suddenly opened it. On the step were two wretohedly clad children, half covered with the drifting snow, and shivering with cold. "A boy and a gal," cried old "Daddie" Eels, as he pounced upon them and dragged them into the room. "A boy and a gal, half frozen to death, and wishing me a merry Chrissermuss I Ha ha ha! and a happy New Year, with starvation staring out of both of their faoesl What do you mean by it P Come over to the light—you're curiosities— and let's have a look at you And he turned up the lamp and poked the fire into a roaring blaze. 1 ou're a nice oouple to pass any one the compliments of the season, ain't you?" he went on, as he shook the snow from their His daughter and her husband were constrained to smile at the ridiculous figure he cut. garments, and tnrned them around before the fire as if with some dim notion of thawing them out. Wasn't you afraid that old Daddie Eels might have b'il"d yer, and cut ye up, and then killed yer afterwards for supper ?" Not they they weren't. It was the same old miserable failure at intimidation that it always was, and always would be. Indeed, the girl, a little red-headed, blue-eyed mite of nine had already got a firm hold of his shirt sleeve,and was looking up into his face with the utmost confidence imaginable; and as to the boy, who was a year or two older, he might have been born and brought up in the house for all the fear he exhibited. You sit there continued Daddie Eels, after an unsuccessful endeavour to frighten them out of countenance, as he perched the little girl on a revolving book-table that he had dragged to the fireside. And you- there!" and be thrust the boy on to the fender. Now tell me," he went on, as he turned his back to the fire and frowned por- tentously down upon them. Which would you rather have, supposin' it was a matter of free choice? A happy New Year, or a half pound of steak for two, with a cup of scorch- in' hot tea to help it down with, and chance the year that's coming ?'' Chance the year 1" oried both the children in a breath. Then," said Daddie Ec's, with tremendous deliberation, as he handed the boy a shilling, tako this down to Mr. Bullookwortby, the butcher, at the corner,, and tell him, with old Daddie Eels's compliments, that if be don't give him half a pound of the best fillettea English steak he's got in his shop, he'll come over himself the first thing in the morning, and pull the whole roof off his house i Do you think you'll remember that?" Yes," said the boy, and went off like a shot. "And you," continued the old man, turning sharply on the little girl, who was staring around her in wonder at the miscellaneous nature of the furniture in the room "Take what's left of them shoes off you at onoe, if you vally your life worth a brass farthing! —d'ye hear !—What d'ye mean by oomin' out in shoes that's only got uppers to 'em, like tbat for ? Hey ?—There there! don't you start a cryin' now, or else we two '11 have sech a row!—That's it—now off with the wet socks I-Derr dear! dear! I never see such plates of meat in all my hie r Why they're like half-biled trotters with the cold I Don't put them too near the fire, for fear they'll get chilblained. What's yer name ?" I. Lizer [ had a daughter called Lizer once," said Daddie Eels, as he dropped his voice i^t^* lovrer and softer key, but her b,*v »\« ourly and black, where yours is straigh' It looks as if it had been out in a shower rain and Tot rusted all over, .Excuse me, dear, but it ain't fashionable to give your coloured hair the right name, and I always keep3 in with the fashion. Now, then and he got up and answered the door, and brought the boy and the steak in together. "Hold on a minute," said the cautions Mr. Eels, as he turned the meat over in its paper and smelt at it, and then brought it to the light for critical inspection. It's all right-; 1 thought it was a foreigner, but it ain't. And now for business. You'il find the fryin' pan along with the drippin' and the salt in the lower shelf of that bookcase therfe. Bring them here on to the sideboard, and then go and fill the kettle at the tap in there, and set it on to bile. You stop where you are," he added to the girl as he turned the book table on which she sat around, after the fashion of a bottle-jaok. And not a word out of you till I tells you to speak." Then the way the old man bustled about that kitchen in the course of the preparation for the supper was a lesson to all house- keepers, whether young or old. To use his own words, his two little protegSs couldn't possibly have been got served quicker if they had tried every cook shop in the Park-road, or, indeed, in the whole of London itnelf. And the way the latter polished off everything on the little card-table, except the hardware, reflected the greatest credit on Daddie Eels's culinary abilities, besides affording that indi- vidual a vast deal of pleasure, as he sat smiling grim approval at their prowess over the viands. Ii And row," said Daddie Fela, after he had cleared away the things and got back to his old place on the sideboard, c, tell me where you lives!" Wessminster! said the boy who bad acted as spokesman throughout. Wesaminster echoed Daddie Eels, in surprise. "And you're going back there to-night ? Yes said the boy. Father and mother lives there, and we've settled to meet at the bottom of Undersbott-terrace to-night, after the New Year comes in, and go home with what we all of us can get at singing, for we're waits. "And you're going to walk it, are you," said Daddie Eels, rising slowly from the side- board and looking the lad fixedly in the face. All the way," replied the boy, cos' we're very poor I Then," said the old man, ag be lay quietly back in his place, all I've got to say is that yon don't stir out of this house except to go baok by the first train in the morning. If your father and mother likes to come and pass the night with you, le", lem, and welcome; but not a step do you move out of here till I see them first. So when you hears the New Year bells a ringing, you can go out and fetch 'em. That's settled!" And until such time as it does come in," continued the old man, in further reference to the new year, "perhaps I'll tell you a story, the two of you, perwidin' you keeps quiet, and don't ask no outrageous questions." The requisite promise having been given, old Daddie Eels sat up for the third time on his extemporised couch, and, pushing his hat off his brow, began as follows:- "Once upon a time there lived in the East I End of London a miserable old curmudgeon of a man named Snakes. And this old man had an only daughter living with him that he loved more than all the world put together. He doted so on her that he wouldn't allow anyone to speak to her even, unless he was near by and heard all that was said. And he was so jealous over her leaving him some day and watohed her so to prevent it that, fond as she was of him, she came to get tired of it at last. So, by-and-bye, when that daughter of his went and took up with a young man, and tflldiuac b^»'- oltl that they were going to be married, yod woW I»TC thought that unreasonable old ruffian would have gone clean mad with rage. He cussed and he swore, and threatened that if she ever did seoh a thing she might stop away for ever out of his sight. And that not a penny of the money he had been saving up all these years for her would he leave to her in h:s will when he died. Now she, of course, being a free spirited young woman, told him to keep his fortune tu himself, and paoked up her things and left his house there and then, and went and got married. But she swore she'd never offer to come near him again, nor even mention his name to any of her children nor relations as long as she lived; and she kept her word. And the old man by the name of Snakes sold up his home and went away into another part of the town, and lived on, and lived on, and lived on, all by himself, till he got so old and miserable that he often wished himself dead, and I am sure everybody else must have wished the same. And when, added Daddie Eels, as he looked meaningly at the boy, 1 bear any young boy, as it might be yourself, say to hi's little sister, as it might be her, 'I'll smash yer head if ye keeps ihovin'thtn I says to my- self, 'That boy will grow up into a selfish old ourmudgeon like Snakes some day, and got to be hated by everybody around him, like old Snakes was, and come at last to wish he was dead.' Hark! There's the bells Away you dead.' Hark! There's the bells Away you go, and tell them that's waiting to come up if they wants to fetch ♦his little gal away with them, for I've got so taken to her that she 11 never leave this house of my own free will. Go on, and leave the door open for the year to come in along with you." They must have been almost outside the door, to judge by the length of time the boy was away uniil he was again by the old man's side telling him they were waiting in the street. "And why don't they come in!" cried H Daddie" Eels, getting up excitedly, and going for the door. You're to come in the lid called out in the darkness. And then, with the clashing of the bells, the tooting of steam whistb s, and the loud greetings in the streets, a woman entered. "Father!" Lizzie daughter ho no darling, you must never leava nmo and the old man wrs holding her tightly in his arms, and endeavour- ing to bring her up to the fireside. Come, dear! Let the past go with the year that's gons out, and with your forgiveness, bring back some of the happiness that's been a stranger to my heart since the morning you left me!" But you were unreasonable, father," she said, with that love of non-oommittal so dear to the sex, as she tried to bold back, and looked half smilingly, half tearfully into his face. You were unreasonable—now own to it, and perhaps I'll say the same of myself. Do you own to it ?'' Do I not!" oried Daddie Eels as he kissed her cold lips and oheeks, and tucked her up on the sideboard by the)ire, Do I not, my dear?" And he took down his nondescript coat from behind the door, and threw it over her shoulders. "But, bless my soul! I'm forgettin' all about him?1 And "Daddie" Eels plunged out into the darkness, and appeared dragging in a protesting little man in a sou'wester hat and overalls, and never stopped until he had removed his outer gar- ments and ensconsced him by the side of his wife. Hullo I" said the old man, as he removed the sou'wester from his son-in-law's head and revealed a shock head of red hair. Carrots So that's who you took after," he said, turning to the little girl, though there was a some- thing about you, for all that, that spoke to my heart of her — my daughter. Yes, my dear.for I'm no more nor less than Old Snakes' I told you about, and that's Old SnakeW daughter—and, far from wishing himself dead now, he hopes to live to see another twenty years Whoop t" And after that old Daddie Eels appeared to go clean, stark, staring, raving mad. Without the least shadow 'of a pretext or the ghost of a reason, he took up a position in the middle of the room, between two ward- robes and a pedestal table, and, with his pipe in his mouth and his hat cocked rakishly over one eye, be went through a series of movements so utterly unlike any thing seen in any danoe, either ancient or modern in their wild absurdity, that the children fairly screamed with laughter, and even his daughter and her husband were con- strained to smile at the ridiculous figure he cut. "I'm on the job now yelled old Daddie Eels, as he danced all around the room, and brought half a dozen towel-airers, four butler's trays, and a olothes-horse to the ground amidst a cloud of dust. Ft) never tell 'em to keep their New Years to themselves again after this night. Here, young un dUIVn to the corner with you at once with the3e three bottles and the jug, and tell 'em if they're olosed that it is for Daddie' Eels— the usual, tell lem. And look out for the copper that's waitin' around for his late drop, or perhaps he'll take thj lot from you. Whoof 1" And he went off spinning around the room again in a way that made his guests tremble for the furniture. But he recovered himself suiffciently to ransack the larder for all the eatables that yet remained in it. lnese ne piled on the card-table again for the benefit of his daughter and her husband; and then, without another word, he darted out into the street, and in a few minute3 came in with William Rudge and his wife, Dollie,' and Mr. and Mrs. John Earwaker, and Telfer and Garbutt and their wives, all of whom (who really respected and liked the old man with all his rough ways) he bad persuaded to leave the scenes of their respective festivities and celebrate his good fortune by a general wind up at his house. And what a wind up it was He wouldn't hear of his daughter or her husband moving a hand or foot in their exhausted state; but with the help of the male portion of his guests, he soon cleared the whole of the furniture out of the kitchen, and when the couple were formed, and Telfer had got his cornet under control, such a scene of rio- tou?, independent, go as you please dancing took place, as had never beeu seen in or out of the Park-road either before or since. And throughout it all was the host-who couldn't dance one single bit-with hit bat every two minutes on every conceivable angle on bis head, and his long clay pipe in his mouth, shouting and whooping like a mad- man as he spun around the room and came into collision with everybody and everything in it in a manner that, under other circum- stances, would have constituted him an unmiti- gated nuisance, and, as if there wasn't festivity enough within, he would rush out every now and again into the street and greet all he met iu the same hearty, indiscriminate manner as he invited them in. It was a New Year's Night to bo remembered, I can tell you And, now, gents and ladies all," said Daddie Eels, as he saw the whole party to the door, amidst the hearty New Year's greetings that resounded on all hands. Before you go, let me introduce you to my new partner in the furniture business," and he pointed to his son-in-law, who from this day out, together with my girl here," and he placed his arm round her waiat, takes up their home under my roof for good and for all."

TERRIBLE OU TRAGE, This is why there was no delivery of Christinas boxes at Little Peddlington.

"Humph sneered the ass as he encoun- tered the zebra, "You look like an escaped convict." Possibly," retorted the zebra, but no one ever takes me for an ass." You ought to take more exercise. Play tennis." I can't play tennis." That don't make any difference. Yeu can get just as much exercise trying to play." He: Hemember you're taking my heart with you. She: You are the fifth man that has told me the same thing. You all must think I am a pork-packer. When a wise man said, Fine feathers make no birds," he puts a sarcasm in the mouth of every scarecrow in the country to fling at every Bird of Paradise that flies by. There is no bigger fool than the man who marries a girl simply because she is pretty, unless it is the man who wou't marry a girl simply because she is pretty. Winifred (insiuuating!y)_"Mr. Randolph comes to see you every day, doesn't he F' Julia (with the sailor hat)—"Oh, yes; but he's very easily entertained. Winifred- He must be." The poet and the editor were playing ten- nis, and the latter was beaten. You serve well, but you cannot return," said the poet. Can't IP" asked the editor..1 Send me a poem and see." Indignant Maiden What did you mean, sir, by trying to kiss meP Commercial youth (who was going to pop): Business. It is customary to sample goods before bidding on them. Ethel: How do you manage to distinguish the men who wish to marry for money from those who really love you?" Maud: Those. who jeally love me make such awful fools of themselves. He (bitterly): It is curious to nolioe the strange affinity between women and cats- She (sarcastically): Do you really think so ? But how about the affinity between some coaO and puppies ?

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fain U8f. milder measures—sweet persuasion, and all that kind of thing. But if you do not y eld, why there you are now. There is no la-r to prevent a man taking his wife to his liom j." You express yourself very confidently," 6ail Winifred, speaking with more calmness than she felt, but you cannot expect me to r,hare your confidence. I think I have heard that when a husband has ceased to live with his wife, and has contributed nothing to her maintenance, the law protects her home and earnings. I mean to avail myself of all the protection that can be obtained in a case like mine." Sir Reginald was startled by this new method of viewing the situation. He could not tell whether Winifred was right or wrong in her surmise, but he knew that she could carry her case to a hearing, and whether she won or failed in her suit the prospect opened out in either case was equally disagreeable for him to con- template. He was impervious to other con- siderations, but he was sensitive to soandal. A recital of Winifred's wrongs, beginning from her marriage, and including indiscreet revelations of his vices, and the gambling establishment in Cavendish-street, formed too Alarming an outlook for him to faoe. He felt that his wife had succeeded in turn- ing the tables upon him, though he endea- voured to conoeal his chagrin under an out- ward show of bravado. You are scarcely the woman to carry things so far/' he drawled out. You will not disgrace yourself by courting publicity for our unfortunate disagreement. Some women could, but you are not one of them." "The disgrace will be yours, not mine," was the firm reply. II I will brave anything rather than submit to your will." The idea of resorting to force and com- pelling Winifred to travel with him to Alver- thorpe, there to be immured until her spirit Was broken, occurred to Sir Reginald, but only to be dismissed immediately. Men do not often resort to foroe in free England. Sir Reginald began to think that after driving Winifred into a oorner she had succeeded in delivering herself from his toils by a master-stroke that upset all his calculations, and his attention became concentrated on devising means for beating a retreat with as little less of dignity as possible. He was Itrengthened in his purpose by the hope that if he retired now he might be able to return to the attack with more advantage another day. Already a new scheme was taking shape in his mind, for he did not slacken in his re- jolve to claim the wife whom onoe he had despised, but whose beauty now enthralled him but he wanted time to mature his plans, and he quickly decided that it was necessary to the success of his new scheme that he should bring about his withdrawal without loss of time. He rose from the couch on which he had been lying and flung his cigar under the grate,' And proceeded to put on his coat. Winifred watched his movements with eager interest, doubtful of the meaning of this new develop- ment. "I am going," he^said. I will not intrude where my presence is not wanted. Some day, perhaps, you will regret your prejudices, and wish that you had accepted the olive branch when it was held out to you. Pray accept my apologies for carrying things so far." And with a bow he turned on his heel and left her. Winifred's suspicions were aroused by the sudden departure of Sir Reginald. But, though she felt convinced that he had left her in order to devise fresh measures for bringing to pass his odious determination, she was too sensible of the relief afforded by the relaxa- tion of the strain imposed upon her by the exoiting interview she had passed through to conjecture what the next step might be. {To it continued.)