Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-02-04

low 40 you know that, you saucy jack
anapes SAID inc stranger, hecomlnga little
choleric'
ny, sir, because, SIR, we make point
oil peihg very select sir, anu never on nO
account admit persons OF your description;
but, II seems. you do not know oil what
description AMI
W ny, sir, no one can expect To keep
these sort OF things secret
hat, then Is IL whispered ABOUT VINO |
ann And what docs mat important per
sonagee' Everybody say
on sur, 'hat you are u i,Nen-" iWh mil
ler hiuinS IRON ms creditors ana mere lie
cast Shrcwd Glancc on inc 'hre'd-oare
pepper ana salts oil the Stranger,
Inc stranger r'Said'd nun ior IL moment
with comic expression on hls ieatures, made
profound bow ana walked ol.
Not whit humbled by this renulse, the
stranger repaired to the place Ut general
pr'menade, and took possession oi vacant
pace at 'he ehu OF one ol tue D,hchcs' on
winch were seated two or three OF those I'M
portant people VINO iiau. rom time linn'mo-
RAJ, invested themselves with the dignity OF
thc mead persons oil the piacn. IL Is hardly
possible 10 SUI pose Such people Wuuiu coiluc-
scend to exchange lew remarks with II
stranger, OF whom the only particulars known
were, that he trudgcd into town carrying his
own bundle, wore thrcad-barc suit of pep
pr and salt, and slept at the Golden Lion.
lhos' worthlcs did not allow HIM time to
make their acquaintance, but with AN air as if
they dreaded injection. they rose and depart
ed. Not the least discomposcd by the dis
t!stc the great men oilittlo -cvinccd for
ms soci ty, the stranger proceeded to make
himself as much at home on the bench as OF
II had been his inheritance. lie drew from
ms pocket boA WIN an apparatus Tor lg-
nltlnS i inaicii. lighted cigar, and smoked
inr some t'me with gie't apparent relish.
AT length, are'celvinS new set OF lounS-
ers on the promenade, he hastily dispatched
lis cigar, and approaching one OF the other
benches, addressed few courteous though
trilliu@ observations to its occupants. three
ladies aud IL Gentleman, but had his remarks
b'on either OF a hlaSph1mous or indicate nj
turc, they could not have been received with
appearance Of CONSERVATION by the ladies,
who rose alarmed at the liberty the pepper
and salt colcred man had taken, while the
gentleman observed, with II most aristocratic
dcincanpr, that he laburcd under il mistake
addressing 4 lose ladies.
"Sr, said the stranger, lyon are right :;
| took you Tor persons OF politeness ana ben
evidence. Discovering my error, | crave
your pardon ana retlr'.
Although any reasonable person might
nave peen SATISFIED from these specimens OF
the inhabitants Of --, that it was no spot
ior n friendly, unknown individual to pitch
ms tent IN, stlil ''thc man who carried his
own bundle perscvcred in his endeavors to
ma me liberal minded person therein. Yet,
from the highest to the lowest, general
feeling OF suspicion seemed to pervade the bo-
SONS oi all, and the luckless stranger resided
i'll town II whole week without finding single
exception. Nay. worse reports still than be-
ing il bankrupt miller got aflCat.
Mine hostess Of the Golden Lion served up
these on dts with all their variations and
Compartments daily to her guest at his meals,
protesting in the true tone of all dealers in
such matters, her total disbelief in everything
that was said to the prejudice OF her guest
a guest who showed 50 much good taste as to
prefer her house and sufficient honesty to pay
FOR. cverything before he consumed it-which,
to be sure, she rrudently added, was the way
in which business was always carried on at
the Golden Lion.
IL wonder, then, Mrs. Pagan, that you
should do so unhandsome thing by Jack
Smith, Tom Balls, and some dozen others of
your customers, as to chalk up such enor-
NOUS scores against them as these, said the
stranger, dryly pointing with his oak stick
to the hitroslvphcs with which the bar was
gracod
"Why, sir, these be all sponsiblc per-
sous stammered Betty Pagan.
Her guest muttered to himself as he passed
into the street, .'kather hard that my credit
should be worse than that of jack Smith,
and Tom Balls and the rest Of Betty Pagan
customers. Faith must be suspicious look
in" fellow To be sure. reports like these are
Of nature to give the death blow to my van
ity, if that We're failing that could he
cured by modification. am an ugly dog,
am aware, but didn know that my pnM
Was iil-lookinS enough to indicate ah old
sinuGSler, broken down miller, (but ior
that the pepper and salts may De thahked)'
Il fraudulent bankrupt hidihS from his cred
itors. IL returned convict, and man who,
having married three wives, has run away
from them all ~
The habitual good temper and light heart
cd gaycty Of the stranger was ruiiicd and
there was d Impression ON his brow and an
angry glow ON his cheek, as ne entered that
notorious gossip shop, the Post Office.
The mail ad just arrived, and the letters
having been sorted, were delivered to their
respective claimants. But there was one
letter which had not been claimed, which
excited grnrrl curiosity
According to nyarable diurnal custom,
all the towns-reopIe who had nothing to do,
e. ass mbltd III or near the Post Olhcc-
those who expected letters, to receive them,
and thoor who did not. to take note OF the
cviStl's directed t. their neighbors, and OBJ
tain, il possible, some clue whereby to guess
their cpntenls--clthcr from observation OF
LANDS ol seals, or happily from the cxprcs-
sion vi the cpuntenance oi the recipients, or
,pnir hint or exclamation during pcrusal.
tnc unclaimed letter was ot most tempt
iaI appearance, called, surmounted with a
cJruuet-to the Right Honorable ADMIRAL
Lord y B-, and franked by the
Duno Of A.. Many were surprised on
! the subject. Could it be possible that u