Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1858-02-26
) How NellieIee was P avn = ed.

nave you ever paWueQ Watcl! Dons
start. reader. I'know you are highly re-
spectacle. that you have a house in Ora.
mercy Park. and a balance of several
thousands at the Merchants bank, never.
theless you may have been placed in!cir-
cumstances which rendered it necessary
for you to pawn your watch. have
known men as rich and eminent as you,
sneak into temple Of barter where three
golden balls shone conspicuous. and. I'M.
der the name Of John Jones, deposite GER
tain articles of jeWelry as security for
certain trifling sums of money.
I have known a clergyman pawn a 'dia.
mond breast.pin on rainy day, in order
to raise enough Of money to pay his cab
fare. 1 have known lot of literary Bo.
hemians, 10 London and Paris, sup of an
evening coat. or a Spanish mantle. 1'once
pawned two Dresden china shepherdess-
es, and a vase Of the same material, that
ornamented my mantle piece. in order to
raise the money to buy the paper on
which I wrote an article for Blackwood g
Magazine that brought me in fifty
pounds. have been acquainted with
the descendan Of the Medici in L ondon,
Paris. Vienna, and now am going to tell
you the result of my acquaintance with
them in New York. 30 .' ','
There is certain side street running
across Broadway which will. with your
permission. call Chicory street. Chicory
street is not It's name, but as | am about
to relate some private matters in connec-
ton with it. it would not be either deli
cate or judicious if l were to be geograph-
ically correct.
In Chicory street resides gentleman
named Lazarus Levi, Esq, whose spa.
cious old fashioned house is the reposito-
ry Of various articles of property belong
ing to numberless enlightened but dis
tressed citizens Of the United States. The
lower story of Mr.. Lewis dwellings is ft-
ted up with glass front, very dingy and
dusty, so that the several articles exposed
to view in the window are but dimIy
seen. There are flutes. with tarnished
keys, that have lain silent for years. The
dust lies thick on the embouchure OF
each; for the lips that blew there the
graduated air have shrunk into mere skin
long ago. aud the agile fingers that ran
over the holes are now loose bones, that
lie here aud there, never to hang togeth-
er on earth again.
You can see all sorts Of things in Mr..
Lewis window. California diamonds;
real diamonds. very rare; banjos, relics
Of disappointed mnstrels; guns, sugges.
tive Of sporting Englisbmen hard up; sill
yer tea-pots. now black and uncheerful,
limiting at terrible domestic distresses in
some poor fellows home. and making
you see the thin wife stealing out at night
to raise money on the fatniIy valuablcs
to feed the children. sat-
The Interior of the shop is devoted to
dry goods. The details. however, can be
but dimly made out. owing to the ex
tremely dubious light that pervates the
store. Even in the broad Gay light ju>
dicious twilight exists in Mr.. Lewis.
What the French call demijour, is much
affected by lovers and gentlemen who
spout their watches. Through this mys-
terious atmosphere one can feebIy distin.
guish rows OF shelves packed tightly with
dark bundles of wearing apparel, and
Biddy's gown and Patrick's Sunday coat
lie there together until next months wa
ges come to separate them. -..'-
Mr.. Levi is my friend. l have occa.
sionally mercantile transactions with
him; for l am literary man, and il
sometimes happens that need FIVE doll
lars. On those occasionsI travel round
my room, as M. Xavier de MAistre may
be supposed to have done, in search o.
some appropriate token Of esteem, TO con.
vey to Mr.. Levi. in order to induce him
10 advance tho required sum. In thie
choice it is necessary to exercise discrim-
ination. For instance, know that il
will never do to present my stamped vel
vet waistcoat three times running And
that if were TO take my little French
clock to Mr.. Levi too frequently, the ar
ticle would pull upon him. and my credit
be impaired. Variety is necessary to per-
sons of Mr.. Lewis position. Continual
partridge destroys their appetite. They
are epicures. and must be led with nos
velties. .- -
Accordingly one day. having need o
the traditional Eve dollars to meet the ex.
penses of forthcoming literary soiree at
my room, l. after some deliberation. de-
termined to present my Indian cheese
board to Mr.. Levi, as token Of my af.
fection, and work upon his feelings so fal
as to induce him to present me with the
Ionged'for V. The men were delightful.
~ Oriental. being carved all over. even
to the tips Of their noses; and altogether
had great faith in the article, as it lad
never before been under Mr.. Lewis
charge. ma ''.- " .'-e
l waited until evening. twas love,
y evening for pawning. A thick fog
damp and threatening rain. hung oyel
the streets, SO that there were but few
passengers abroad. Chicory street va.
almost deserted. en-. --
l rang at Mr.. Lewis private door. II
was privilege had earned. both by tht