Page:Doom of the Great City - Hay - 1880.djvu/65

 There is no magic in it; and yet where may not so priceless a gift find its way? The dumb treasure is made to tell its own adventures: we find it as a gift in humble life the sport of many a strange scene: then an ornament prized by one of gentle birth; it is caressed with affection, carried away from home, midst scenes seldom witnessed by even those that travel far. The gem, of course, is often lost and found again—strangely, still so naturally; it lives the life, as it were, of a silent witness telling its own history. Last of all, we find it held in memory of one whose young life spanned but a lasting sorrow. These are mere faint shadows of the many pictures depicted in the little book, each, indeed, being a story in itself, sweetly told,—carrying a charm we must commend, for the youthful mind is led to reason whilst reading. Here it will find many a wise word spoken in earnest, kindly meant and admirably expressed. Its very title is romantic. If our young friends are curious to know, in confidence, we would tell them—lose not a day to possess ‘Ysobel’s Thimble,—Sunday Times.

Ysobel’s Thimble,’ by Minnie Young is a simple, unpretending little tale of merit.”—Era.

“A pretty and interesting little story in which a gold thimble is, with the licence permitted in fiction, made to recount its own adventures, which are many and various. The tale is none the worse for embodying a wholesome lesson for which no juvenile reader can be the worse, while many may profit by it.”—Scotsman.