The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-01-29
WASHINGTON, ID. G.
For the National Era.
MIR. RENwICKs STORY.
BY MARTHA RUSSELL.

has long since lifted the Durueu rum 'i"'
heart and unravelled all that was dark and in
tricate in his experience, else pen OF mine would
never have written his name as above. lie
was our boarder reader-all the one we ever
had: and why he should have chosen to make
his home among family of orphans, when ms
wealth and standing would have commanded
far other accommodations and society, was
what never rightly understood. Perhaps he
thought the wisdom gained by sixty-odd years
of buffeting with the world would not come
amiss In a household where the united ages oil
all the members scarcely exceeded his own.
He had been our landlord ever since we had
lived in the city, and we knew him chiefly as
an eccentric sort of a person. very strict IN all
business details, and very independent in his
opinions We were therefore not more SUR
prised than amused when he called on US one
day and, expressed his desire to be admitted
into our fap'ilv,
~ - - , - .S.s-~
neither kith nor kin to care whether NE hved
or died. That was not of much consequence
but the house where he had boarded, while in
the city, for great many years, had changed
hands That might be borne, perhaps; but
the new proprietors had changed the dinner
hour; and he would be hung if he eat his din
ner moment after two o'clock, for all the
landlords this side of Paradise
81 might 60 to hotel" he went on, and
scold the servants for the rest of my lifetime
but was always a careful, saving sort of a
body and have no desire to spend my breath
for nothing Now, | fancy that can scold you
here to some purpose. Besides, have watched
Won children, and there is a sort of a home
feeling about you that one does not find every
where"
As no family circle is complete, unless age
be there to mellow down, by its calm wisdom,
the hot impulses and hayward schemes OF
youth, this arrangement was very pleasant to
us We soon found that, under that dogmatic
imperous, somewhat cynical manner, lay a
good large fund of human sympathies, and
nothing occurred to disturb our relations, save
when Mr. Renwick in his zeal for our welfare
took it into his head to play the part of PrOvi-
dence towards u.s. Then, certain fixed princi-
pies with regard to mourning debts and obi
cations, which my brother Fred, as the head
of the House, had laid down as our rule of life,
stood in his way like rocks; and when he
found that he could never get round them nor
over them, there sometimes followed a storm,
in which expletiyes and adjectives were show
As the time went on, however, we began to
grow wcatherwise, and learned, by careful
management and a sharp lookout to avoid
these tornadoes; but sometimes they would
come, in spite of our care; and there was nc
help but to sit still until the fury was past, and
then sue for peace. Our younger sister, Re-
becca, whose chaotic tendencies made her a
great favorite with the old man. usually acted
IA narfa Until bp
chess board in her hands as "a corps de reserve
in case Of need for she well knew his weakness
towards his favorite game would besiege him
in his own room, to which he always retreated
on such occasions; and, though the prelimina-
ries were often rather stormy she seldom failed
Of success. ! cannot but smile, even now, when
recall some of these scenes
Don't come here to bother me,n would be
her first greeting "fve done with you all
Satan himself couldn't match you for pride
and obstinacy. BOUNDS to think that have
lived till this time, to be told shant do what
please with my own money!"
d" But you shall, dear Mr. Renwick," would
be the reply; "only don't be angry with Fred
and Mildred, and you shall lay every cent Of
it out on me, if you choose. You shall buy
me - let me sea crimson velvet dress; a
real Cashmere shawl saw one up the street
the other day, at Stetsons, that they called
cheap at three hundred and fifty dollars; a
thousand dollar piano-ah, there will be no
trouble at all about spending your money. You
can make me a life member of the various be-
nevolent societies, the Colonization Society, and
the -
Life member of Purgatory Crimson vel
vet devil Do you think ! am going to rig you
out like a turkey cock The dress shall be
black, ! say-black as your hair 1t is the
only color fit for women the old man would
thunder There, give me the chess-bOard,
and see If you can play game like rational
The old gentleman had seen u great deal Of
the world, for much of his life had been spent
abroad, and during the long winter evenings
we could sometimes coax him to give us some
of his "reminiscences of life amidst the tropics
where both man and nature wear strange
fantastic aspect lie seldom spoke of his birth.
place amid the New Hampshire hills. though
sometimes our praises of our native village
towards which our thoughts ever turned with
pleasant longingS would seem to pique him
into speaking Of his own, and we were sur.
prised to see how clearly, after years and years
spent in the busy speculations of commercial
life, his heart retained its image-how yiyidly
he would picture forth its lakes and hills Il,
clouds and streams and dwell upon them with
the fondness of a home-sck maiden.
There was to a close observer. ALWAYS n GER
tain tinge Of sadness in the old mans tone
when he referred to his chidhood's home tina,
led me to suspect that the key to that bitter
sarcastic cynical humor under which il pleased
linn to conceal his natural kindness of heart
must be looked for amid those hills
This was more than usually apparent one
evening, when after an enthusiastic description
of certain mountain lake in c. he added
after pause
1t is more than thirty years since looked
upon it last, and | have seen MANY a famou,
lake and mountain since, but none that would
compare with that. ! never shall see it's Ike
again-never
But why not look upon that 90 remarked
" Here you are running off TO Brazil or Guiana
every two or three years, and yet talk as ii il
Were not possible for you to reach New Hamp
Shire Thirty years is great while, to be
sure to stay away from ones birthplace, but
you must surely have many old friends living
there YETI
Friends ~ he exclaimed, with tinge OF
us usual sarcasm; then, checking himself hs
M:u m' seriously: "You are goose, Little
Iihiy aud should be fool TO think that
, stes The ghost of friendship could survive
10y years absence. Such friendship exist
!" woman's brain. One or two persons
. ."sse might have been there, who had some
h". ~ 20 remember kindly Simon Renwick
~ 'nsy nave changed one-half rs mpch IA,
ne mas mere would be little pleasure in the
meeting Besides, have grown old, and should
see WITH boys eyes no longer the place il
probably changed, and instead of the pjcture
winch have kept for 30 many years. should
re. only miserable modern ds1b-s bad bar.
gain, at the best child,
NOW, that is too bad" cried Rebecoa,