The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-06-14

THE DISPATCH.
THE HEAD OF MY PRO-
.FESSION.
I'm TWO CHAP ERs.
CHAPTER I.
IN TWO Gu APT 8 h I

CHAPTER l.
coSrrNuEp.I
/ fell into disgrace at home oy p,"!"k
a.. .,nh The rumor of my exploit WAS
hr",s5 ahead, and reached the ears oil my
,,ncIe who was violently angry, as also was,
or rretended to be, my master ana they
ta,,ia5 of furnishing me by Imprisonment
for nlavinc at unlawful games, in violation
Of the terms of my indenture. was COM
ne,led TO give solemn promise not to enter
= billiard room during the remainder Of my
aprre ,ioeship, which had still year to
run. kept my promise faithfully, consol-
ing myself with the pianoforte on which
strummed away till midnight. When my
term drew 10 a close, my uncle, who feared
] should turn gambler if | remained In
Bath, wrote TO his brother in Dover, who,
carrying on the same business to which
served mr. time, consented to receive me as
an assistant. was not unwilling TO see
the world and accepted the situation Of
fered
went down by the Dover coach in April,
1924. TO my new appointment. found my
relative an agreeable old fellow, already pre-
iudiced in my favor, from liking he had
conceived for me in childhood, during
visit TO Bath, and not at all disposed to re-
strict my pleasures. He hired a pianoforte
from Bachelors, borrowed piles of music
and was never weary of my performances,
which he enjoyed to perfection under a
cloud of tobacco-smoke. Dover was at that
time all life and gaiety. The Duke of
Clarence's sons by Mrs. Jordan ruled the
roast at the garrison, and led the fashion in
the town and neighborhood Routes, balls,
fetes, and dancing-parti followed each
other nightly. Quadrilles were the rage,
and, as consequence, Isoon became sought
after as pianist, and had engagements four
or five deep constantly on hand. was
paid handsomely for my services, and ale
ices, quaffed champagne, and reyelled in
gastronomic luxuries. | relishcd my new
position amazingly; | saw the best COM
pany had the honor of playing to the blood
royal, and, what | relished more, to the
beautiful daughters of Supervisor W,
the sight of whose bewitching faces some
times set my fingers laundering, and my
brain wool-gathering.
As the summer drew on this kind of &C.
cupation relaxed, and then ceased alto
gether, and my way of lite settled down in
TO rather dull routine. The summer
passed, and the autumn too, and November
came in with its fogs and storms. found
new pleasure in the roar of h1ge breakers,
and the dash Of the sounding surge on the
pebbly beach, under the castle cliff, which
was then dreary, weird-looking spot, very
unlike what it is now. 1t was my habit to
walk out of an evening through the dark
ness, and take post on the old stakes of the
jetty, to enjoy in solitude the din, whirl,
uproar, and fury of the tempest. One eve
ming, about seven o'clock, as was passing
the end of Snargato street, towards the
castle cliff, heard a gentle clicking sound,
which thrilled through me from head to foot
like an electric shock-it was the soft, creep
inting kiss of billiard balls. Here was a
discovery / had not known that there was
table in the town. | felt my right hand
grasping the cue, and the fingers Of my left
forming bridge, as if by some magnetic
influence. looked around in all directions
for the entrance. A dim lamp hung over a
sde-psssage; and a few PAGES down, there
was an open door and staircase, lighted
mp by the merest blink from above. stole
softly up the stairs, and came at the first
landing on a door, with q glass panel, but
partly curtained within. | peeped in, and
saw two officers at play at small table, and
q company Of gentlemen seated around. |
had been at work all day, and had my apron
rolled round my waist. J knew it would
not do to enter in such garb. ran home
and washed, induced my best suit, and in
twenty minutes had returned and entered
the room.
No one noticed my intrusion, so took
seat and watched the game. One of the
players | recognised as a garrison officer,
who had danced TO my music, and it is pro-
bable that he recognised me. He won the
game, and his adversary declined to play
any more, on the plea that he had no chance
with him. The victor then challenged the
room and as no one accepted the chal-
lenge, | rose and offered to play him myself.
He eyed me from head to foot rather super
ciliously, and with kind of naughty conde-
scension, rolling the balls as he spoke, told
me to lead off. Annoyed at his pomposity,
/ allowed him but single stroke, and
then carelessly made the game off the balls.
He was pleased to attribute this first result
to accident, but the accident required again
and again, to the mirth of the company, and
his intense modification. To give him some
chance of winning, proposed that he should
take FIVE of the pockets to my one; he ac-
cepted the offer, but still did not win a
game, and finally left off without even
momentary advantage. This affair created
quite q sensation in the room; and was
asked to favour them with my company on
the morrow evening, when perhaps | might
meet with worthier antagonist. | con-
sented and presented myself on the morrow
accordingly. The room WAS full, and Seve-
raj of the newcomers were anxious to mea-
sure their strength against me- Nv pride
WAS roused and showed them all that thew
had no chance whatever in the contest. /
had refused to play for money from the
first, and it was this that puzzled them,
while it secured for me their respect. When
they requested that would come again. I
declined, on the ground that the table was
not worth playing at-which was true the
pockets being twice the proper size, and the
area not quite half the usual dimensions
derided the idea of practising the science of
billiards on such toy, and refused to have
anything more to do with it. Having said
thus much, and made my bow to the COM
pany, took my leave with an air of Won
derful independence.
1t was about nine O clock in late Novem-
Der as left the house and proceeded in the
teeth OF the wind toward the old iettv
where the monster breakers were BURSTING
in thunderous peals on the masses of bnge
pebbles, round and big as cannon-bsIis
whose tremendous rafting, as they were
dashed to and fro, gave out sound like
the clapping of millions of giant palms and
which wrought most powerfully and agree
ably on my imagination. had seated NV
self on fragment Of a beam, and was neer-
ing through the darkness at the HEAVY cir