Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-09-13
G0lorcester Badly Spp.
From "0nce Week.
EBAST6P0L VILLA.
BY ALBANY FoNBLANoUE, JR.

l am--enjoy the privilege of being able 10 drop
in when like, of an evening for cup of tea
and pleasant chat So that-happening to be
present when the new microscope, which my
friend Jones had ordered as present for his
wife, came home and hearing that lady ex-
press wish for bottle full of the green slime
of stagnant ponds, Sin which the dear animal
cules and infusoria, about which Mr.. Gosse
writes so charmingly," are to be found-you
may be sure that took advantage of the OPP
pOrtunity thus afforded me of making myself
acceptable; and promised my hostess that |
would forthwith obtain for her liberal supply
of those interesting creatures to try her long
instrument upon ; and early the fol-
Loving morning 1 started of, like man of my
word, to procure them.
l can recall the time when could have got
what wanted within half mile of the Mar
BILE Arch, but those days have long since pass
ed away. l remembered that when travelling
by railway had passed through the fields in
the neighborhood of-let us call the suburb
Whichstead in which green ponds were still
to be found, and thitherward | directed my
course. An omnibus carried me as far as
turnpike-gate, and having stroed on, about
half mile along the high road, came to
lane turned down this lane, and 10! | was
In the country. Looking northward-I could
see nothing but fields and trees looking east
wards and notwithstanding but trees and
fields. l could not look to the south very far,
because the railway embankment shut out the
prospect. might have been hundred miles
from London for anything of its noise, and bus
tie, and smoke, that l could perceive in that
quiet spot The hedges were in bud the
birds were singing. There was good crop of
grass that would soon be moved, in the field to
my right. Over the stile on the other side
man in a smock frock was blowing, and yet /
was barely five miles from Oxford street!
If had gone there to moraze | could have
done SO at great length, but l had come to
catch animalcules for Mrs. Jones, and looking
about soon saw a pond-a green coated, rush
tringed hole, with small quantity of dirty
water in it, a willow tree at one end and two
boys fishing for efts with worm tied to a
piece of worsted at the other. quickly filled
the bottles, which l had provided with the
richest slime, according to my instructions, and
having added to these by purchasing from the
juveniles a brace of the most loathsome of the
reptiles they had captured, for my friends
Aquarium; | retraced my steps; and Mrs.
Jones held microscopic Seances every evening
for week.
am quite incapable of describing the won
ders that the learned lady disclosed to us. l
only know that, at last, we got a little tired of
them-that the treasured green slime bottle,
being left about one day, "baby" got hold of
it, and drank some-that the etts crawled out
OF their tank, and after being hunted for high
and low, in vain, for a fortnight, were found at
last baked quite dry in a crack in the hearth
stone-and that about three months afterward,
the animalcule mania having broken out
again. was asked if 1oouId be so very kind as
to fetch fresh supply.
Again put my bottles in my pocket again
j paced along the Whichsead road again l
burned the corner of the lane that had led me
TO my pond, fully expecting to find it as | had
left it, with its willow tree at one end, and its
two boys fishing for efts at the other, and, 10
was in town. Looking northward | could
see nothing but houses-houses built, and
houses in course of erection; looking east
ward and westward, nothing but houses in
course Of erection, and houses built Looking
K to the SOUTH the railway embankment shut
out the prospect as before. The hedges were
gone SO were the song. birds the sharp click
of the brickiayers' trowels was now the preva-
lent sound. The grass-feld was turned into
square, laid out with fower-beds, and fenced
with an iron railing. A bright, new, faring
public house, just finished, with huge flag
waving from the roof, stood where my friend
in the smock frock had "whistled at the plow."
Upon the very spot where ! had seen the larg
est and most repulsive of my efts drawn wrig-
Cling from his muddy lair, was erected the
threshold of "Sebastopol Vilap
AS have to explain how this remarkably
sudden change came about the sooner | set
about doing so the better. The land belonged
to the trustees of charity, and they wanted
to make money of it. Mr.. Specie, the great
contractor, had plenty Of money, and wanted
to sink some of it in land. The deeds were
executed, the consideration paid, and to Peter
Specie, Esq, was duly conveyed the grass
field, and the ploughed land, with their, and
all and every of their fences, walls, bitches,
warehouses;, mines, minerals, tenements and
hereditaments and also the pond and the will
low tree, with their, and all and every Of their
efts, nevis, rushes, tadpoes, animalcula, cat
erpillars, and carvings thereunto belonging, or
in any way pertaining, to have and to hold
unto him the said Peter Specie and his heirs
forever.
Having obtained possession, the new land
lord stuck up upon every part of his property
that could be seen from the road huge boards,
upon which was legiby painted the informal
ton that eligible plots Of land were to be let
on building leases. What says the old saw
Stools build houses for wise men to live in.
Peter Specie did not build houses-but he
took mortgages from those who did. One Joe
Price, a carpenter, was his victim in this in
stance, who, after mortgaging the house floor
by floor in order to complete it, and running
it up as slightly as possible, found in the end,
that if it was let as soon as the paint was dry,
and the rent was paid punctualy from that
day forward to the expiration Of his lease, he
owed as much as the house was worth. Mr.
Specie knew better than to let him owe more.
Fortunately for poor Joe, tenant found
soon after the paint became dry, and his name
was Honiton Smith, of the Inner Temple, Esq,
Barrister-atlaw
Honiton Smith had fair practice at the
bar-as practices go nowadays, and having
arranged preliminaries with a pretty girl in
his own position in life, he married her at
once like sensible fellow, instead of wearing
out her heart, and her roses, with long en-
gagement. But, unlike sensible fellow, in
stead of taking her to substantial lodging,
where they could save up capital for COM
mencing housekeeping he took Sebastopol
Villa, and hired his furniture from Veneer,
Shoddy, & Co., on the plan of paying for it by
instalments. Pretty Katey, his wife, in her
Joy at its radiance, of course aspired to have a
housewarming, and Honiton Smith gave way,
"but mind" he said severely, laying aside the
man and assuming the householder, "mind you
do not invite too many" Katey assured him
that it should "only be little dance" and
there the discussion ended.
We all know what "only little dance
means. Poor Katey She calculated that
half the elderly people she invited for proprie.
TVS sake would decline; but they, "rather
than offend the young folks" committed self
sacrifice and came. Then Katey discovered
that twenty dancing girls had accepted, and
that she had only invited fifteen men upon
whom she could count as partners for them
Honiton had asked number of clients and
brother barrsters, persons of no use whatever
in ballroom-without telling her, and the
IL. Al. T.