The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-29

they bad been done with. Under his care the /
letters remained till wanted for reference, and /
sometimes even after that, for often they were |
not forthcoming from the carefully tied-up bun
dies in which he had slowed them away. They |
80 e here, or they were there or they were /
~. ve. k was often at fault about them. j
Nj 80 b, Nvever, about the comparative qualities 1
~ 5oos or ne merits of breeCh-loadng guns.
On botb these a. 0ics he was perfectly at home
and could talk by th q hour about the points OF a
horse His accounts II moving accidents by /
flood and iCld' boIdered SHanBey on the mar
velous, but they were none the worse for that.
In his dress he affected the sportsman. rcmem-
Der one winter he came back from leave bring
ing with him a portrait OF himself IN hunting /
costume, donncd, as we used to tell him, for
poor ten Gay In the year. All Of us liked the
man for lis good-humor and gcuuiuenosS.
when last called upon him, he was still at his
record office, tying up fresh accretons OF public
business ..-.,-.s,.,,,,
about whom one has not a single unpleasant re- !
collection Such pleasure l experience When |
l think of P. Ne was in many ways u ]
strange fellow, with habits eccentric, some per-
haps grotcsquc, yet also 30 far OUT Of the COM
mon as to be uutaiufed by suspicion Of impurity
or vice. Nature had not favored him by giving
him personal beauty, and he did not strive 70
make his body amends by the assistance OF
tailors or cunning workmgn His limbs were
heavy, and moved awkwa-dly, a defect increased
by amCuess resulting from an Illness which
nearly cost HIM his lie. lie was far from pos
sos-ug the bsi air, and would have been glled AT
| through many eyeglasses, bad he ventured TO
/ frequent the fashionable walks Of the citizens.
/ He invariably wore a black suit, made Of second
/ quality cloth, hard, rough boots, and hst which
/ was the wonder Of tie office. Had you, who did
! not know him, met him In the street, you would
] have failed altogether to guess his occupation
| from his appearance He had not the port or
/ look of man Of business; was the last man
that could be taken for doctor or lawyer;
and had not the air Of unhuuicdness and
. insouCiauce which marks the government clerk.
You could not have taken him for - mechanic,
if you had seen his face which was very notice
/ able one-thOughtiul even to anXiOusncss, ner-
yous, and bearing on a somewhat rough outside
/ uumistakabie signs Of the gentle spirit within.
lie was, without exception, the most gentle.
/ minded man / ever met. With a large stock Of
good sense, he had lofty romanticness about
him very beautiful to see. 1t never led him into
extravaganza, while it urged him 90 use his strong
practical faculties in the doing of much that often
goes hurtfully undone. He had clear percep-
ton OF the small wants incidental TO his fellows
lie knew all the depths and shoals OF delicate
positions, and loved to throw his timely help to
any swimmer in the troubled waters He was
specially unseltsh, and, what is greater praise,
was never driven to desist from good works by
the selfshness of those to whom he was un'
| selfish.
There was scarce a man in the Office who had
not freely used P-'s purse when money pres
sure suggested a lean. Every one was his debtor
for services rendered, and l. for one, am glad of
an opportunity to acknowledge my obligation,
though he is never likely to call me to account,
When left the - department, he was thirty
eight years OF age but not married. He kept
house for bis four sisters and, in lieu of children
| of his own, adopted those Of all his many friends
Many small heart has he rejoiced by his well
come presence and well-appreciated gifts. Many
a widow and distressed spinser has had cause 70
bless his name. Not that he could afford them
large relief, for his income was very moderate
one, but he OWNED peculiar wants, which SC
often 60 unhceded, and, by the judiciousness OF
his help, conuiyed to make 70 50 to the length
OF ElO
What though he were given to stick by prece
dent, and prone TO be precise My Lord Chic
, Justice could not more entirely have exhausted d
| case in which half a province might be at stake
l than P would conscientiousy sift matter
; which involved no more than the value OF q
hundred-weight OF biscuit. The service had NJ
abler servant and few social circles are favored
, with P--'s equal,
f R, on the strength Of five articles in
$ serted in a magazine, which forbore TO pay hiu
j for them, set up as the literary character In the
4 office. Questions arising on the composition anC
n grammar of the office letters were considered Il
: be of right referred TO him. His was the opinion
which decided the point when the propriety o
:. using debatabe expressions was in issue.
= never could understand what claim he had TO thi
o post OF arbiter. Hewas not happy At composing
# had an ungainly and laborod style; and was sin
3, gularly gifted with the power Of selecting inteic
1t tous expressions. He prided himself on hi
almost exclusive use of words of Saxon origin
l. and spoke lightly Of DR.. johnson for being tn
a champion Of a LatiniEed vocabulary. He wa
9 constantly sCribblug on bits of the office paper
and using the office hours for his "literlry work,
d which he cast upon the waters Of the magazin
d sea, and with the exception Of the five article
+ above mentioned found II tagaiD after many days
e a little the worse at the edges for having bee
o passed through many editorial hands He ailecte
3 the supposed conventional dress of a man Of LET
n ters, and was, as j said one day, in allusiO
II to bis untidy habits in both senses Meraire (i
10 teTer)-a hOrrid pun for which j was fine
D two bottles Of pale ale.
= He presumed good deal on the strength q
,e his position, was "sury with servants" aud cel
10 tainly distant with his kinsmen in the Office w
rs were tolerated by him, no more; aud out of cor
,r sideratiOn for this kindness, he allowed us to d
10 the work which his devotion TO letters caused hil
n to leave undone. We none of us questioned hi
10 customs In a serious way. We were rathe
L pleased than otherwise that the office should hay
ot The reputation of being literary. We let him
" Sir Oracle, and when he spoke no dog dared
Of bark. But we did not like him, and were yer
le glad when the office of deputy assistant commits
| sary. general ut Tomato became vacant, and wa
offered TO and accepted by him.
z. There were points, however, about R, whc
~ were very respectable, and which / have sine
Ct learned TO appreciate. He lived a pure life an
II was kind to his family, who were not well OF
% He did much negative good by simply not dom
il harm; and his acts of positive merit were not {
few as l at one time imagined His temper ma
le been damaged by bitter disappointment connecte
Z with his first and only love. believe he TOOK
ID wiring in the hopes Of essening the distance b
N tween his love and him, for want OF means W,
lt the ar to their marriage. That he did net su
ne ceed in this attempt another sore trial.
;h this distance of time can certainly think of hin
ID when regret all have daily occasion TO regre
G. that