Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-07-10
The Mysterious Guests.

About sixty years ago, two Enaiishmen ar
rived one day at Calais, in the Dover packet
Ehey did not take up their quagte.i ~ the Ho-
lei Mons. Desseiu, on whom the author of the
Sentimental Journey bestowed such celebrity,
but went to an obscure inn, kept by a man of
the name of Du Long. They desired 10 have
his best apartments, spent great deal of mon
ey, relished the produce of his wretched kitch-
en-, and thought his adulterated wine perfectly
genuine. From day to day Du Long supposed
they would continue their journey, and proceed
to the capital for that they had come merely to
see Calais, was an idea to absurd too enter any
body's head But SO far from continuing their
journey, and proceeding to the capital, they did
not inspect what was worth seeing in Calais
for, except going out now and then to shoot
snipes, they kept close at home, eating, drinking
and doing nothing.
"They may be SPIES" thought the host, "or
runaways, or fools. No matter What is that
to me?" They pay honestly"
When he was sitting of an evening, over
pint, with his neighbor and relation the grocer,
they used to rack their brains about the myste-
lious guests.
"They are spies," said the grocer, como of
them squints with his left eye"
GA man may squint without being spy" re-
Joined the host 81 should take them for run
aways for they read all my newspapers, probUb-
for the sake of advertisements.
His knsman then assured him that all Eng
Iishmen spend at least twelfth part of their
time in reading newspapers. The conclusion to
which they generally come was, that as the said
foreigners were apparently neither spies nor run
aways, they could not possibly be anything else
than fools.
Here the matter rested, In this opinion Du
J Long was still more confirmed, when at the end
of few weeks, one of his guests, an elderly
man, thus addressed hm:-
Landlord" said he, eve like your house,
and if you will acqutesce in ceran whim, it
is probable that we might continpe for long
} time to spend our money with you"
"Your honors have only to give your COM
mands an inn-keeper is by profession the slave
d of all the whims that throng to him from all the
four quarters of the globe"
: "You have, to be sure," continued the Eng
= lishman, "had prodigiously large beast paint
J., ed on your sign; but your house is only fly
c among inns, it scarcely contains three tolerablt
: rooms, and unfortunately they all look into the
: street. We are fond of rest; we want to sleep
g Your watchman has very loud voice, and thel
coaches roll the whole night along the street SC
" rs TO make all the windows rattle. We awake
e every quarter of an hour to curse them, and fal
p asleep again to be walked in another quarter o
!" an hour. You must admit, my dear fellow, tina
Y, this is enough to destroy our health, and exhaus
our patience
'e The host shrugged his shoulders.
q. "How can it be helped 7"
'g "Very easily" replied the stranger, "if yo
$, are not afraid of little expense, in which W
e, will go halves, without requiring, at our depart
x ure, the slightest compensation"
us Du Long, whose barren field had, since tn
no arrival of the Englshmen, been daily feltiIize
ly with shower of guineus, promised to do a
ht that lay in his power to satisfy his worthy guest
he but he could not help the rafting Of the coacl
cs and believing of the watchman,
to "Neither is il necessary, answered the stra
IT, ger Behind your house you have little ga
den, though you are no lover of gardening;