The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1857-03-19
John Phenix in Boston,

|
by the window, which commands cheer.
fu view of a grave yard, musing OIL various
matters and things in solemn state Of
mind well BETTING the place and the occa.
sion. Seventeen inches Of snow fell last
night, and Boston looks white, like the Is.
land OF lchabod, and to the full as desolate
Through the hollow and reverberatinp pas
sages OF this ancient building, around the
corners OF the sinuous streets, from each
door and window, in every private and pub
lie building, and from the houses of God
resound the peculiar sharp hacking cough
OF the population Of Boston. Every soul of
them has 1t. II is the disease of the coun
try. When | meet an acquaintance in the
street, l abstain from the usual greeting,
and invariably say, How is your cough,"
and the reply invariably is, About the
same" Coughing, and the ancient pastime
of hawking followed by expectoration) are
the principal amusemen,s in this cold CITY
In the graveyard beneath my window, on
slate tombstone, may be found, an, in
formed, the following touching inscription:
Here lie, bcr.it OF breath,
| Because n cough carried me Off
Then cOfin they carried me off in;"
which doubt not describes the case Of the
majority Of the silen, incumben,s of that
| place OF rest.
The fremont House is, in many respects,
good institution; il is perfectly clean and
well arranged; the attendance is good, and
the fodder excellent; but there is an indes.
crlbable air Of gloom and soemnity per
vadlng the entire establishment we'll suited
10 Boston, but chilling to a stranger 10 the
last degree The walters, dressed in black,
win whlte neck cloths, move silently and
sadly about the tables, looking like SO
many ministers with thirteen children, four
hundred year, and two donation parties;
the man in the office never smiles in anv
point OF view; large Bible, with the name
o' 'he house stamped upon it in gilt letters,
ITO prevent religious strangers from bottling
~ lies on every table; and the chamber
maids attend family prayers in the basement.
All Is grand, gloomy" and, it must be
confessed, exceedingly peculiar. have at.
tempted but two jokes in this solemn place.
and they fell like the flakes of snow, silent
and unnotced. An unfortunate individual
IN the reading room last evening was seized
with m unusually violent fit of coughing
which, II man could by any possibility
have been turned inside out, would have
done III and ~ " partial cessation OF it oc-
| CURED, with bis hair standing on end, (he
had coughed bis hat off, his face glowing
with exertion, and the tears standing in his
unhappy eyes, lie very naturally gave vent
10 Il proiane eXecration. Every body looked
| shocked. | remarked in an audible tone
to my companion, tha, the exclamation
was Golfer dam-an admirable coutrvance
Tor raising distractions from tile bottom OF
streams, and probably adopted by the gen
Ileman 10 clear his throat; but no one
laughed, and incontinently went TO bed.
lhls morning, on arising, discovered
that my boots, left outside the door 10 be
embeIllShed with blacking, had, like those
OF Bonbastes, not been displaced; so said
10 the porter, man Of grave and solemn
| aspect: You have very honest set OF
people about this house" "Whym said the
porter, with a somewhat startled expression.
Because" rejoined, Il left nv boots out
side my door last night, and find this morn.
ing no one has touched them" That man
walked oil slow and stately, and never
knew that had been humorous. Disap.
pointments have been my lot in life.
remember in early childhood going TO the
theatre to see Mrs. w. IL. Smith appear
IN two new pieces; the bills said she would
DO II, and she came upon the Stage perfect
y whole and entire like any other lady.
Opon the whole, II is my impression that
Boston Is dull, gloomy, precise, and sol
emn city, which take 10 be owing entire.
~ 10 the intense cold that prevails there in
the winter, which chiIs and freezes up the
warmer nature of the inhabitants, who
don't have time 10 get thawed out before
tie cold comes rack again. have met
many Bostonians in more genial climates,
who appeared 10 be very hearty and agreea.
O'e fellows. took short ride Yesterday
III the Metropolitan Railroad cars, which
are dragged by horse power from the Ire.
mont House to Roxbury. The only other
occupant of my car was young and lovely
female IN deep mourning. She wore a
heavy black veil, and her thick and beau,i
iui auburn har was gathered up on each
s'dt % nof face, beneath r spotless cap-a
! widow cap OF snowy muslin. had al
ways feeling for widows; young and
pretty widows particularly always excite
my deepest interest and sympathy. gazed
"'t' i'O'S'eHeu cy Z on lhe sweet specimen
before me, so young, so beautiful, thought,
and, alas! what suffering she has expehen.
ced pictured to myself her devotion to
her husband during his last illness, the un.
tinng waichfuIness with which she hung
over his pillow, the unwearying and self
sacrificing splri; with which she hoped on,
hoped ever, I'LL, in despite of her care, her
love, he sank forever, and her agonized
shrek rang in my ear, as with hands clasp.
ed and up turned eye, she felt that he was
dead-Ler dream of life was over-her
strength was gone-her heart was broken.
The young widow had been regarding
me earnestly during this time, and probably
Imagined what was passing in my mind;
for, throwing her veil over her hat, she
turned parllY AROUND towatd me and lnnL