Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-04-09

saw it in the Times this morning, and
came to you to hear more about it, He was
coming home, fancy, this month :"
lie was," said Mr.. GrindIe "hc wrote us
by last mail to say we might expect him by
the FOrmosa. which brought the mails, rs
understand, yesterday; he had taken his pas
sage in her, he says in this letter. We were
just going to telegraph down to Plymouth, tC
know il she had landed her passengers, and
whether your poor cousin Is among them.
should fear there can be no doubt OF the cor.
rcctncSs Of this sad news-most sad, indeed
and sudden; but we shall have all answer TO-
night, and will at once let you know. You
are aware Of COURSE" continued Mr.. Grindle
deicately, that you are your cousins repre-.
sentative 7"
~ am aware Of It, SIR" said Mr.. Simpson,
bowling awkwardly II assure you-"
"Of course, my dear sir, Of course these
considerations are premature. trust, I dc
most sincerely trust, that we may have some
intelligence Of our valued friend by the For
mosa--. You may depend upon our making
the most paI ticular inquiries, and giving you
the earliest information. Expecting him in
town we were this very day, and now We'll
Mr.. Simpson, life is---"
But Mr.. Grindle felt himself hardly equal to
the definition, and filed up his unfinished
sentence by lifting up his eyes and hands,
but allow me TO offer y0u-"
d" Nothing in the world, Thank you, and
so they parted.
1t was not natural that Mr.. Simpson should
either feel or effect much sorrow for the death
0f cousin whom he had not seen for nearly
fifteen years. Yet sometimes, on his way
home, when he remembered the days when
they had played together as boys, the worthy
bridesmaids heart approached him for the feel.
ings Of positive clatiOn which he was conscious
Of since the news Of the morning. lie had
never thought much Of the possibility Of such
an event as his own accession to the little
Surrey estate. Mrs. Simpson, it is true, had
been fond at all times Of dcScanting even /" be.
fore their acquaintance" on her childrcn's fll.
tune "expccta ions" not altogether to her
husbands satisfaction; he had no notion as
he said, Of teaching the young folks to set
themselves up above their father knd mother
which the younger daughter, Augusta, was
rather inclined 10 do. And it was not with
out some little miSgivinS that he contemplated,
during his solitary ride home, some Of the
possible effects Of the change in their position
upon the female Incnbrrs of his household -
Still. 1t is very pleasant TO feel one s-scll indie
pendent. The Simpsons were by no means
Iich the son had succeeded the father in a
long established but not very lucrative bust.
ness, and had neither the means nor the cncr-
gy to extend it, lie had his anxictics and
losses ard he was fond Of case and quiet. TO
drop unexpectedly into a thousand a-ycar was,
he confessed to himself. piece of good fortune
almost bcwidering. If hc and Mrs. Simpson
sent the young folks to bed carly that night
ito Miss .\uguStals great dudgcon,) and sat
over the fire themselves somewhat later thar
usual, discussing their future prospects, they
are not TO be set down as more greedy and
selfish than their ncighbors
Again, at linc o'clock exactly the following
morning, did the bus which Mr. Simpson usu.
ally patroniSed go to town without him; and
mn aspiring yonng bankers clerk, who lived
close by, uSurpcd from that time forward the
wrll-known corncr-scat, which had belonged
by Prescrptive right, willingly recognized
by other passengers, to the "hghly respecta.
bic old city gent" from No. a. For Mr.. Simp-
son himself at that hour, was busy reading to
Mrs. S, for the second time, the following i'm.
portant communication from the Mcssrs. Grin
die:
"DEAR SIR:-On receipt Of tclcgraphic mes
sage yesterday evening, informing us that no
such passenger as Mr.. John Simpson had ar
rived per steamer FornoSn, we dispatched
clerk Mt once per night mail to make further
Inquiries. lie has just returned, and brings
word that Mr.. John Simpson had engaged his
paSsngc by that vessel. and that some Of his
luggage is now actually on board. lie had
himself, as it appeared, left Tranquebar for
Point &c Gale some weeks previously; and the
Ccylon papers, put on hoard the Formosa just
before smiling, contained the intelligence Of his
death. We shall write by this mail to our
correspondents in both places, and obtain all
particulars. Meantime YOU may command our
best advice aud assistance.
Faithfully yours" &c.
The breakfast at No, that morning was
little more than nominal meal to any Of the
party except Master Samuel Either his i'm.
agnatiOn was less lively, or his appetite less
liable to be affected by his feelings Mrs.
Simpson and Augusta, were in astate Of mind
aOhOrrent from the coarse but comfortable
subStantials before them. Mr.. Simpson plav.
cd with his knife and fork, but allowed his
raSher to grow cold before him untastcd. AT.
ter McSSrS GrindlcS' letter had been discus.
sed, they had been rather silent party. The
first dreams Of sudden affluence were too vague
and luxuriant to shape into words The To-
dies were in little fairy land Of their own,
in which visions of smart carriages and unlim-
itcd millinery flashed before the eyes Of their
fancy. The husband felt, on the whole, almost
as much puzzled as pleased. lie had not vet
succeeded in combining, to his own satisfac-
tion, the proprietorship Of Barton End-so
Uncle Sans country-hOuSe was named-with
the warehouses in .Aldermanbury. A snug
place down at Wandsworth, or any other ia.
vOrite locality few miles out Of town, where
he might have run down every day to dinner,
and spent his Sundays with an old friend or
two for company-this had long been an ob.
jcct Of innocent ambition with him, and q "a
vorite castle.in-the.air when he was in the
mood for that kind OF building, which, to do
him justice, was but seldom; and If ever he
had been inclined to trespass OH the tenth
commandment, 1t was as often as he passed
q certain smart new villa on the Harrow Road,
belonging to retired tobacconist of his nc.
quaintance, where the pillars at the entrance
gate represented two enormous cigars, and
which bore the name Of Havannah Cottage.
That was very much Mr. Simpsons pattern of
rural elegance and felicity.
should like such little place as Snuff.
sons very well, had bccn tho nearest approach
to enthusiastic admiration which he had ever
been heard to utter with regard to that or any
other Of the numerous snug retreats Of British
industry which he and Mrs. Simpson noticed
IN their summcr.evening drives; but It had
been repeated more than once, and was evil
IDENTIFY . pet dream Of his. Mrs. Simpsons
ambition had always been on q grander scale,
and more comprehensive in itS objects; in
donH Il had varsaI fnovn <ho vo,cos,sn.. sc