Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-03-07
THE GAZETTE.
MONDAY MORNING, MARCH !, 1859
DEATH OF TIE TUTOR.

FROM Wtr<r WeadeH Hotniess, P'yfc"1or OF the
Brsolyaa 7abie,"in the Murch number ~ the
Atlantic Montkiy
The natural end of tutor is to perish by
starvation. 1t lis only u question ot time,
Just rs with the burning Of college libraries.
These all burn up sooner OF later, provided
they are not housed in brick or stone and
iron. don'tmean that yon will see in the
register of deaths that this or that particular
tutor, died of wcll-marked, uncomplicated
starvation. They may, even. in extreme
cases. be carried off BY thin. watery kind
of apoplexy, which sounds very well in the
returns, but means little tn those who know
that it is only debility settling on the head.
Generally, however, they fade and waste un-
der various pretexts-calling it dyspepsia,
consumption, and so on, to put a decent APP
pearance upon the case, and keep up the
credit Of the family, and the institution where
they have passed through the successive
stages Of inanition. 7
In some cases it takes great manv years
to kill tutor by the process in question:
You see they do get food and clothes and fuel,
in appreciable quantities, such as they are.
You will even notice rows OF books in their
rooms, and picture Or two--things that look
Is if they had surplus money, but these SUI
perhuities are the Haters Of capitalization
to scholars, and YOU can never get them
away till the poor fellows efioresce into dust.
Do not be deceived. The tutor breakfasts on
coffee made of beans, adulterated with milk
warmed to the verge of transparency, his
mutton is tough and elastic, up to the moment
it becomes tired out his coal and tasteless is a
sullen sulphurous anthracite, which rlists in
to ashes, rather than burns, in the shallow
CRATE; his fimsy broa1cloth is too thin for
winter and too thick for summer. The
greedy lungs of fifty hot-blooded boys suck
oxygen from the ali. he breathes in his recta
ton rvom In short, he undergocs process
of gentcel and gradual starvation.
The mother of little Iris was not called
Electra like hers of the old story. neither was
her grandfather Oceanus. Her blood name
which she gave away with her heart tn the
Latin tutor was plain old English one and
her water name was Hannah, beautiful as re-
calling the mother of Samuel and admirable
as reading equally well from the initial letter
forward and from the terminal letter back
ward. The poor lady seated with her com
panion at the chessboard of matrimony had
but Just put forward her own little white
pawn upon an empty square when the Black
Knight that cares nothing for castles or
kings or queens swooped down upon her
and swept her from the larger board Of life.
The aid Latin tutor puta modest blue stone
at the head of his late companion with her
name and Eheu! upon ia smaller one ut
her feet with initials and left her by herself
to be rained and showed on-which is a hard
thing to do for those whom we have cherish
cd tenderly.
About the time that the lichens falling on
the stone. like drops Of water, had spread in
10 fair, round rosettes, the tutor had starved
into slight cough. Then he began to draw
the buckle Of his black pantaloons little
tighter, and took in another reef i'll his never
ample waistcoat His temples got little
hollow, and the contrasts of color in his
cheeks more vivid than of old. After a
while his walks fatigucd him and he was
tired and breathed hard after going up
flight or two Of stairs. Then came on other
marks of inward trouble and general waste.
which he spoke of to his physician as pecu-
liar, and doubtless owingto accidental caus-
o.; to all which the doctor listened with defer
ence, as if it had not been the old story that
one in five or six Of mankind in temperate
climates tell, or has told for him, as if itwerc
something new. As the doctor went out he
said to himself-'On the rail at last. Ac-
commodation train. A good many stops,
but will get to the station by and by"
So the doctor wrote recipe with the as
trologieal sign of Jupiter before it (just as
your own physician does, inestimable reader,
as You will see if you look at his next pres
cription,) and departed, saying he would
look in occasionally. After this, the Latin
tutor began the usual course OF getting bet
ter" until he got so much better that his face
was very sharp, and when he smiled, three
crescent lines showed at each side OF his bps,
and when he spoke it was in mutfied whisp-
or, and the white Of his eye glistened as
pearly as the purest porcelain-so much bet
er, that he hoped-by Spring-he--might
be o-attend--toh his class again,
But he was recommended not to expose h,m-
SELF and so he kept his chamber and occasion
ally not having anything to do, his bed. The
unmarried sister with whom he lived, took
care of him; and the child now old enoug Oh to
be manageable, even useful in trifing offices,
sat in the chamber or played about.
Things could not go Oh 50 forever, OF course.
One morning his face was sunken and his
hands very, very cold. He was "better.' nc
whispered, but sadly and family. After a
while he grew restless aud seemed a little
wandering. Hsmind ran on his classics, and
fell back on the Latin grammar.
Iris" he said ".fliamea." The child knew
his meant my dear little daughter, as we'll
as if it had been English. "Rainbow!'-for
he would tran slate her name at times-''come
to me-reni" and his lips went on automl-
cally, and murmured, "rei renito." The child
came and sat by his bed side, and took his
hand, which she could not warm, but which
shot it's rays of cold all through her slender
frame But she sat looking steadily at him.
Presently he opened his lips feebly, and w'sp-
cred, "Iior i6undus." She did not know
what that meant, but she saw there was some
thing new and sad. So she began to cry;
but presently remembering an old book that
eemed to comfort him at times, got up and
brought Bible in the Latin version, called
the Vulgate "Open it," he said-i will
read-sigaius irritant-don't put the light
out-ah! haeret 1ate,T-Iam going-rale, rate'
pale-sood-by-th Lord take care OF my
child!-Domine, audi--rel audito." His
face whitened suddenly, and he lay still. with
open eye. and mouth. Ilehad taken his last
degree.
IA FOR Saba new, aud beautiful
n TNn -, all rnlu mn hQfxeeN