some men, and plunged without a word into a strange sort of thing called a machine, which knocked me about till I was quite giddy, and very much frightened. This was done to make me clean, and also to change my shape into that of a long brass rod.

'I was next seized by a man whose business it was to draw me into wire. This was done by pulling me through a succession of holes in hard steel plates (each hole being smaller than the previous one), until I was as thin as required. When the man first began doing this, I commenced shrieking most piteously for help, but the thing I was in either could not or would not hear my cries. I was hurried along at such a rapid rate, that I expected to be drawn asunder. I very soon lost my breath, and I verily believe I swooned, as I recollect nothing distinctly, until I found myself in a large cast-iron pot, in company with many other pieces of wire coiled up like myself. The worst must surely be over, I thought to myself; it is not possible for anything more dreadful to happen to me than that of being drawn into wire.'

Lucy felt as if she must laugh outright when the poor pin gave a droll little shudder; but she wisely checked herself, as she feared if she did so he would not continue his tale; she merely said, 'Oh! Mr. Pin, I certainly should not have envied you then; how much your body must have been squeezed!'

When I had been in the iron pot a short time,

I began to feel warm and more comfortable than I had done since leaving my home. The rest eased my pains, and I felt inclined to doze, but I soon remarked to my friends that I began to feel a trifle too warm. Those pieces at the bottom of the pot soon shouted out that they were getting so very hot they feared they would be burned. I was nearly at the top, and did not yet feel the heat so much; but by and by I began to find out what it was my friends complained of, for I, too, became heated through and through-my whole length was fast becoming red-hot. Oh! how shall I describe the horrors of that cruel fire, or my terror. Only imagine what I must have suffered, being compelled to endure its furious heat for seven long hours, and without even so much as a drop of water.'

The pin was so overcome with the remembrance of his sufferings, that he became silent; and it was some time before he could go on with his story.

THE STORY OF A PIN-(continued).

At length the pin began again: 'I was served in the manner I have described in order to make me hard; and most thoroughly was that piece of work done, for I became so very hard that I was not easily broken, I can tell you. Try your best, 'Miss Lucy, to break me in two, just by way of a little fun.'

'Oh, no! I might hurt you, and then perhaps

you would not be able or willing to tell the rest of your history, which I like so much.'

Ah, ah!' said the pin, with a merry chuckle, 'talk of hurting me'; then turning to a needle he saw lying near, he said, in a whisper not loud enough for Lucy to hear, Do you think, friend needle, that her small fingers could snap me in two?'

"Certainly not,' said the needle, with a twinkle of his sharp eye; I know better!'

6

No, no! little woman; perhaps you might bend me more than I am at present, which I should not care a button about, I have become so hardened; but you would not easily divide my old body! Old and lame I am indeed getting. But to come back to my story. When I was released from this burning pot, as I called it, I hoped I should be allowed to lead a quiet life. This hope only lasted till I was cool, for then I was taken and placed in some acid liquid, which, however, did not hurt me at all. "What a good thing it is I am so hard," said I, "otherwise I might have been in great pain.' When I examined myself (which, by the way, I always took care to do after every new process), what was my delight to find myself perfectly clean and quite bright. I was so vain of my good looks that I resolved not to become dull, and also to keep free from stains or ugly marks. I felt extremely pleased with myself; I was beginning to lose some of my dislike towards those strange things named machines.

دو

"I must tell you that after being made bright I

was coiled round a sort of wheel, and by and by I was again startled to find myself being uncoiled once more, and drawn away by the motion of another machine. This machine drew me through some upright rods, and when, by so doing, it had made me nice and straight, it cut me and thousands of others from the wire of which I had hitherto formed a part.'

'The cutting, I suppose, gave you great pain ?' said Lucy.

'Oh, no!' replied the pin, 'I scarcely felt it. You see it was done so very, very quickly, and I was so hard. I just said "Click," and it was done; I was then carried along at such a rate I had not time to rest for an instant; it seemed as if I was caught hold of, then let go, then snatched up again, twisted and twirled, one end of me rubbed against something, whilst the other, where my head is, received a blow which nearly stunned me. I gave myself up for lost; when lo! to my surprise, I found myself with numbers of others pattering like rain through a hole at the bottom of the machine; hundreds a minute escaped, and leaped with me into a box underneath.

"When I was able to look at myself, I was quite surprised to see what a pretty shape I had. My head was the first thing that struck me as being wonderful, so round and perfect. But on looking below I found my point, which was so sharp that at the slightest touch it would pierce or prick the flesh. Soon afterwards I was bathed in

a hot liquid made of tin, and so was whitened or silvered, as they called it; I was then stuck on paper with a lot of other pins. I was much amused at the way in which this was done. Thousands of us little shining things were thrown into a machine, when at once two dozen of us presented ourselves points foremost, with an equal space between each (like so many soldiers in line), towards the paper, which a person held folded ready to receive us. As soon as one row of us was stuck on, up came another two dozen in the same order as before, so that in a few minutes a whole sheet was filled. This was the last process I went through. I was now a perfect pin, and ready for market, whither I very shortly went, anxious to perform my duties in the wide, wide world.

I have many relations, whom I dare say you have come across at some time or other. There is one set whom I am truly sorry for. They are not liked half so well as pins like myself: indeed, now they scarcely get noticed. I refer to those whose heads are made separate from their bodies, and have to be fastened on by a fearful blow, enough to stun them for the remainder of their days. Very often a pin of this class loses its head; it is then cast aside as useless.

Others of my relations are always dressed in deep black, which dress they obtain by taking a bath in a japanning mixture.'