Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1855-05-02
Our Contribution Rof
Written for the Monmouth Weekly Herald.
GRANT*THORBURN.
WINsTED, Conn, April 10, 1855.


a few days in this village, / called yester-
day on the eccentric and venerable Grant
Thorburn, alias Laurie Todd | found
him writing, at small table, where | am
told he spends most Of his waking hours
his calls being confined to the Post Office
regularly every week day, and his visits"
to the Sanctuary on the Sabbath. He
looks very little older than when I saw
him last in N. York, near ten years ago.
He received me with that politeness and
cordiality, which is characteristic of the
man, and in a strange place, truly refresh
ing. A young woman came in from anoth-
er front room, where he sells garden and
flower seeds, toys, his own autobiography,
Laurie Todd, &c. | was curious to know
if this was his young wife | had heard so
much about. Her hair was little grey,
otherwise she looked about thirty 1t
was even so. Mr.. T. took her by the
hand and presented her to me as his third
edition, adding this is my .'bonnie Yankee
lass"-looking as fondly on her as if only
in his twenty-ffth year. am afraid my
countenance fell. She appeared to be
much attached to her little husband, and
one sees that he dotes on her; but |
thought she appeared like regular Yam
kee or rather like Martha, careful and
troubled about many things.
Every one knows Mr.. Z. is below the
medium height she looked the head taller
than him, with by no means a trim figure
as a liberal supply of flesh and blood pre-
vents it; has dark hair, blue eyes, full
| fao
well turned ankle, tolerable fair complex
ion, and an intellectual expression Of
countenance. But the most striking pc
culiarity is her wel-set, handsome front
teeth-a rare thing in these days.
Mr.. L. informed me they were weighed
last New Years day for the fun of it his
weight 119 hers 143. She remarked he
acas aoort more a pound.
| After all, | think she is well calculated
to please Laurie Todd, being fond of read
ing and conversing about what she reads.
| sat listening with much interest to the
quaint old gentleman, who told me funny
story of his meeting lady in Church ST.
Ny, soon after his visit to "Jenny Lind"
IAN account Of which | read in the news
papers,) who coolly put her fine arms
round his neck, and kissed him by the
wholesale, as he expressed it. Being very
genteelly dressed and holding little boy
by the hand, he thought she must be either
drunt or crazu, and said, Madam, why
do you stop me in the street? this is no
place to kiss-telI me who you are, and
where you live, and TIL come tomorrow
and kiss all day if you like"
No matter who | am, Mr. Thorburn :;
know you, and resolved the first time I
met you, to kiss the lips that had kissed
Jenny Lind"
The hour was p NJ, and the street
presented cheerful aspect, filled with
gentlemen con their way home from bust
ness down town-all having broad grin
on their faces. The lady, nothing daunted,
gave Mr.. 7. her address, and passed on.
Mr.. 7. soon after stopped at corner
grocery, near the lady's residence, and
learned that she was very respectable
lady of American birth-not given to wine
or insanity-that her husband kept a store
on Broadway, and was Spaniard Not
having his life insured, he did not think it
prudent to call on the lady, and has never
seen her since.
| always admired his manner of telling
a story, and the pleasing, funny way he
related this curious adventure, was really
treat. | would gladly have stopped all
day hearing his curious relations of men
and things, but had an engagement at
eleven and was obliged to shorten my stay
| asked if he did not feel lonely away
from New York, where he had spent so
many years. No, said he, was glad to
get out of the crowd and noise-here /
find rest, and with my young wife to boil
my coffee, make pumpkin pies and apple
dumpiugs, and read to me every leisure
hour, I have not another wish.
| rose to take leave" stop, Mr.. S.. one
moment said he, "are you married ~
mot yet" said I, laughing. Dog on it,
if an old man like me Of 80 could get a
wife.such handsome, good-looking fellow
as you might find half dozen p
Thus ended my visit to the eccentric,
kind hearted old gentleman. Would we
were all more like him, viewing the hand
of Providence in each euent of life. On
perusing his very interesting autobiogra-
ply. who is not struck with the peculiar
applicability of the Dist Psalm to his case,
while nursing the sick, during the yellow
fever in 1893? He realized the promise,
F." A thousand shall fall by thy side, and ten
thousand at thy right hand ; but it shall
not o0rn0 nis3r thvsSs With long life will
[ satisfy thee, and show thee my saliva
ton" Happy old man may he be spared
many years to the world, and to his young
wife, whose life seems bound up in his
and may those who spend an hour with
him, depart, feeling desire to be wiser
and better for the interview.
Yours, truly,
A LONELY BACHELOR.