The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-05-19

shaking my mana Warmly anu looktnk AT WITH
his old kind glance. "It is good for sore eyes TO
see YOU my boy, aud ron see my eyes are not far
from that--Iiugs round eni, aud sunken--dfink.
drink; I teld you how Il would bo--hai ha'-~but
your You look ~ frosh as May morning, my
youngsterv'
good eyes, until tears nearly rushed from my own
aoh, my dear Marquis my dear friend" could
not help saying, sit pains me TO the heart TO SEQ
you looking so Ill. Ten years have worsted you
painfnlly-very painfully"
Marquis steadied himself by chair and SAT
down, with laugh.
..That's true, win, my boy. Ten years Of drink
are enough to hurt any constitution, anu mine
was of iron. I am really astonished, some times,
to think how strong must have been originally
think I'll last 20 or ten years loagerthe rest
woa't."
was too much panied TO reply.
.srhere was that fellow Tbornburg, who had the
little affair with me, you rememoer, 10 tue year
- continued Marquis, laughing, 'drank
himself within a foot Of the grave, aud them as
luck would have IL, broke his reck by n fall from
his horse aflsr dinner. He was great rascal-i'e
cheated me at cards. II recall rightly-I remem-
her something about IL, but ing memory grows SAL
" treacherons. Then there was Charley aud Tom
poor Tom They still keep 1t up. They are ooth
long since ruined, aud lead wandering lives I've
tried to reclaim Tom, and-,his 10 u family secret
he gets piles Of money from me, but the deVi OF
drinks got him. It's only question OF sooner
or iater-poor Tomi-and cry sometimes think
ing of him, thinking to what ne may come, poor
feiIowl Toms good fellow
And for a moment Marquis looked profoundly
sorrowful could not find II in my heart to tell
MIN of the terrible tragedy had witnessed, and
turned the conversation. | found that l could
easily lead Marquis TO any subject ana as the e.
feet OF the wine he bad taken wore OIL thought 1t
AS favorable opportunity as might obtain to
talk upon business.
MARQUIS declared that the topic should not be
introduced until had been with him for q month";;
but vetoed this, and was soon put In possession
of the points he desired my opinion upon. 1t is
only necessary to say that these were questions of
law touching the doctrines of wills, and indeed 1t
was to write his complicated will that Marquis
sent for me In spite of enormous losses at cards,
his property still immense. and every day in
creased in value and after general conversation
on the subject dinner was announced.
AsI entered the wellremembeTed apartment,
where the great dark mahogany table was set
forth, with its splendid service of plate, almost
started at the sight Of Jngurtha standing, waiter
i'm hand behind his masters chair. The sight OF
the servants face brought rush of memories,
add when he bowed and respectfully smiled by way
of greeting, il was the same bow and smile with
which be bad banded the pitcher of julep to us
before we had risen, ten long years before
Marquis spologzed for Mrs. Cotesburys non
aDpearauce She was little unweIl to-day, aud
begged to be excused" So We dined in solitary
state surrounded by dozen servants, silent, and
moving noiselessiy.
instice to il. Hrs constitution indeed iron
one; the immense assaults he had made upon it
seemed not to have impaired It's Capacities OF enjoy
meat, aud Marquis ate with the air OF trained
epicore | found by my plate a semicircie OF
glasses, variously shaped aud of different cOors,
for the numerous Champagne, Madeira
hocS sherry Val de panas, Bordeaux, etc; but to
all Marquis's Invitations turned deaf ear.
Il have drank nothing tor ten years., i said
land You must excuse me
Nothing for ten years !" cried Marquis, filing
my glass aud his own with Champagne from IA bot
tie which Jngurtha had just opeued: "is sueh a
ihins possible in the nature of human things?
The idea, Why what a dull life You've kept yo r.
self from "a thnusand-yes, ten thousand glorious
delights, WIZ
-Narqais,"I said, looking him calmly in the face
i've Kept myself from pardition; aud If you don
initiate me- your .wu prophecy Will come true y
What prophecy?" he said. sippiug his Cham
payne with good natured smile.
"fhe warning you read III Bart"as Anatomy y
"Why, certainly. 1 remember" cried Marquis
shaking with laughter; Il think | came the
workshop. what word was it," and with contract
ed brows he seemed trying to remember.
II will tell you" said THE word was 'Lo$i' -
$50 it was: but what are we flashing our heads
with all this nonsense for? Let give you piece
OF this duck, aud glass of sherry. Nor Well my
dear boy, you're man OF taste, despise all these
stops. Jugurths" turning his head, take away
| these glasses aud bring some whisky"
Juguriha silently gil led to the wine-cIoset, and
II
scented to his master a silver waiter.
After All, said Marquis, ,uring ont half tum
blerful of the pale yellow liquid. which an atten
tive servant diluted with ice water afer all there's
nothing like good old whisky. Your brandies
seate me, aud burn up but this is the pure
aqua rld-water of life. When / drink it | am
surrounded by all tie heather gods and goddesses
-ha. ha-especially the goddesses never alone
come the immortals " E
A harsh, cracked laugh accompanied the words,
drai Dpdh wi at dram IA
When the dessert was removed from the table
Marquis had empted the whisky hottie, and de-
clared himself growing comprehensive" | wit
messed with astonishulent the immense amount
he drauk-for another capacious bottle of the heady
liquor gradually disappeared before b s determine
attacks. To have demonstrated with him for this
enormous excess would have been purely gratui
tous. 1t was plainly fixed daily habit, and |
could only sit silent aud gaze at my companion.
who refused to rise still he had finished his allow
hnce."
l was compelled to yield; and on that afternoon
listened to talk such as, for wild and brilliant
vigpr, enetrating criticism, aud dazzling subtely,
I Wa never heard from mortal in this world nor
nor hear. The liquids he had drunk seemed simply
to warm his intellect to its normal state-to arouse
the mental energy of this extraordinary man-and
when some wered extravaganza marred his vivid
sentences. it was not caused by what he had drunk
Ell now, but the warping OF the brain, resulting
from habituai excess l shall only add, in ending
my sketch of a scene acutely painful to me, though
cTammed with tragic interest, that | have never
met with the human intellect which exhibited
such splendid grace and strength; never heard the
talker who poured out such grand ideas in such
gorgeous and imperial profusion. / sometimes sit
aDd wonder now If the enemy OF Souls not per-
seuaily present ia what is his best emblem-the
fiery liquid, aud fhe did not prompt the speaker in
his flights OF royal thought-gvipg him logic. crit
icsm, pathos, humor, satire, scofiug, and sneers
and laughing from behind the bottle as he lis
tened and wondering at the matchiess intellect he
had reused to this wild activity.
When we rose there was tho same unsteady gait
observable in Marquis aud the slight hestatioH of
speech had noticed 10 the morning. Beyond this
he exhibited none Of the evidences Of intOx icatiUn
| returned to my lodgings, aud on the next day,
shutting myself up in my chamber, accomplished
the legal business which my friend requested at
my hands. 1t was Marqaiss will, as | said and
Providence decreed, ia its good pleasure that many
charitable public institutions should know and ad
nre the discriminating beueyolence of This singu-
lar msn.
On the next day, the last of my stay, 1 was COM
PEELED, much against my wishes, TO attend a great
dinner party which Marquis had assembled in com
pliment to me-at which some of the mo st ceebrat-
ed statesmen, lawyers, aud judges Of the day we're
preseHt-and at this entertainment saw Mrs
Cotesbury for the only time during NY visit
Plainly the intelligence Of her brothers awful
death had not reached her; or, if she knew of it,
her powers of self control were immense. Mar
quis was undoubtedly ignorant of it.
The beautiful Caroline Francis of old,times WAS
terribly changed. Her countenance had lost all
its bloom aud roundness; and from the thin, pale
face looked forth pair of haggard eyes filled with
an expression of silent suffering and rigi eudur
ance Of pain. Her gait was slow and unsteady, as
il seen iu confirmed invaids; and when she grsveiy
inclined to me. aud gave me her cold, white hand
felt as though had exchanged salutations with n
ghost. A single daughter had been the result of
the marriage but the child, whose name was Anro-
ia, did not appear at the set dinner.
FRO be CONCLUDED TOMORROW
A M rEauyIAN uUaNU. al aE