The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1849-01-16
MISCELLANY.
From Blackwood's Magazine.l
THE FIRST AND LAST DINNER.
A TALE OF LIFE.

nexions, and other local interests, as peima
nent inhabitants Of the metropolis, agree
one day, when they were drinking their win
at The Star and Garter, at Richmond, 10 in
stitule an annual dinner among themselves
under the following regulations: That the,
should dine alternately at each others hous
es on the first and last day OF the year; tina
The first boule Of wine uncorked al the hrs
dinner, should be re-corked and put away
10 be drank by him who should be the las
OF their number; that they should never ad
init new member, that when one died, e.
leyen were 10 meet, and SO on; and tina
when only one remained, he should, or
those two days, dine by himself, and sit tint
usual hours at his solitary table, but the frs
lime he so dined alone, lest il should be the
only one, he should then uncork the first bot
lie, and, in the first glass, drink 10 The MEM
DRY Of all who were gone. -.
There was something orr ginal and whimsl-
cal in The idea, and il was eagerly embraced.
They we're all in the prime of lille, closely At
tached by reciprocal friendship, fond ofsocial
enIoyments, and looked forward to their iu-
ture meetings, with unaloyeG feelings oil
pleasure. The only thought indeed, that
could have darkened those anticipatons, was
one not likely 70 intrude itself at the moment,
that Of the hapess wight who was destined
10 uncork The first glass at his lonely repast.
Ii was high summer when this iroic eem>
pact was entered into; and as their pleasure
yacht skinned along the dark bosom Of the
Thames, on their return 10 London, they
talked OF neihing but their first and last ieasts
of ensuing years. Their imaginaIions ran
riot with ID thousand gay predictions Of tes-
tive merriment. They wanoned 10 conIect-
ure Of what changes time would create.
"As for you, George" exclaimed one Of
the twelve, addressing his broIEer-in-law' 81
expect shall see you as dry, wilhered and
shrunken asa an old eel-skin, you mere outside
of man - And he accompanied the words
with hearty slap on the shoulders.
George Fortesque-was leaning carelessly
over the side of the yacht, laughing the loud
est Of any at the conversation which had been
carried on. The sudden MANUAL salulalion
of his brother-in-law threw him off his bal
ance, and in IL omeDt he was overheard.
They heard the heavy splash of his fall be-
fore they could be said 10 have seen hun fall.
The yacht was breeding swiftly along,bu
il was Instantly stopped.
The utmost CONSERVATION now prevailed.
1t " as nearly dark, but Fortesque was known
10 be an excellent swimmer, and startling as
the accident was, they felt certain he would
regain the vessel. They could not see him.
they listened. They heard the sound of his
hands and feet. An answer was returned,
but in faint, gurgling voice, and the excla-
nation .'Oh God!" struck upon their ears.
In an Instant, two or three, who were expert
swimmers. plunged into The river and swan
towards the spot whence The exclamation had
proceeded. One OF them was within
arms length of Fortesque; he saw him be
lore he could be reached, be went down, and
his distracted friend beheld the eddying cir
cles OF the wave just over The spot where lie
had surk He Owed after him, and touched
the bottom, but the tide must have driited
the body onward for it could not be found !!
They proceeded TO one Of the nearest STA
lions where drags were kept, and having
procured the necessary apparatus, repaired
10 the fatal spot. Alter the lapse OF above an
hour, they succeeded in raising the lifeless
body Of their lost friend. All The usual rem
edies were employed for restoring suspend
ed animation, but in vain they now pursued
the remainder OF their course to London, in
mourniul silence, with the corpse oihim who
had commenced the day of pleasure with
them in the luIness ofhealth, of spirits, and
OF life And in their severe griefthey could
not but reflect how soon one Of the joyous
twelve had slipped out of this little iestive
circle.
The months rolled on, and cold December
came with all its cheering round of kindly
greetings and merry hospltallties; and with
it came a soilened recollection OF the Tate Of
poor Fortesque; eleven of the twelve as
sembIed on the last day Of the year, and it was
impossible not 10 feel their loss as they sat
down TO dinner, The very irregularily OF
the table-five on one side and six on the
other forced the melancholy event upon
their memory.
A decorous 81 Oh or two, a low. becoming E.
Ejaculation, and an instructive observation 1p-
on the uncertainty Of lille, made up the sum
OF tender posthumous offering to the name
OF poor George ForIesque,' as they proceed
ed TO discharge tho more important duties
for which they had met. BY the time the
third glass Of champagne had gone round,
IN addition 10 the rotations of fine old hook,
and capital madeira they had ceased 10 dis
cover anything SO very pathetic in the Inc
quality Of The two sides oil the table, OF so
melancholy in their crippled number of E.
leven.
Several years had elapsed, our eleven
friends kept up their double anniversaries as
they might APPLY enough be called, with
scarcely any p:rceptible change. But, alas
there came one dinner at last, which was
darkened by calamity they meyer expect
ed TO witness for on that day, their friend,
mpanion-brother, almost-was hanged
Yes, Stephen Rowland, the viii, the oracle,
tie life of their circle, had on the morning
of that day forfeited his life upon a public
scaffold, for having made one single stroke
ofhiS pen in wrong place. In other words,
bill of exchange which passed INTO his
hands for 500, passed out OF it for f4,7O0-
1t would be injustice TO the ten TO say, that
even wine, friendship and merry season,
could not dispel the gloom which pervaded
this dinner. 1t was agreed before hand
that they should not allude to the distressing
and melancholy theme and having thus in
lerdic;ed The only things which really occu-
pied all their thonghIs, The natural conse-
quence was, thai silent contemplation took>
The place OF dismal discourse; and they sep
arated long before midnight,
Some fifteen years had, now glided away
since the fate Of Rowland, and the ten re-
manned but the stealing hand of time had
l.. 10 oh