Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1864-11-11
NY wIFE>s COUSIN.

uAO bot seen MN IOr long time, but haY-
Hg Understood that he was iu sfluent circum
stances, | was little prepared for the state in
"Eich | found him. Through the Philadelphia
Directory, | went TO one of those dark allevs.
with which that city sbounds, and found bis
uame on a sign board, associated wi ii that OF
another man, over dark, duQy shop. The
ign pnrported that they were locksmiths and
neIl-hangers, also that locks were repaired and
keys fttcd. Without ceremony, l walked 10.
to The gloomy recess, where there was black
smith's forge, and there, among several mus
cnlar-looking men, was NY Wile's cousin.
He received me most cOrdially, and for q
moment intermitIed fling huge brass key or
which he was engaged, and ;hs shake of my
own dtxter by one OF bis broad, brawny
hands, l can liken to nothing nearer than the
shock Of yourg earthquake.
Take a seat, take a seat" be observed
and just as soon as I finish this key, vel,
make tracks for home"
|, of course, replied that was in no hurry
and al once became interested in the facilt
manner in which he was metamorphosiug o
rough casting into polished key. AS soon
as il was completed, he washed The worst of the
dirl from his bnuds, hung up his work apron
and putting on his coat aud hat, remarked il
u cheerful tone:
Come, now, Cousin Aleck, let US go and
see whether my wife has got any tea for US"
After We were 10 the street, our converse
ZION insensibly ran on business, and iOuk III
occasion to say TO him, That had been Of tb,
opinion that be had retired from bis trade OF
handsome competency.
Don't say word about retirement" Ii,
splied, ''it nearly makes me sick to think O.
it. People talk OF retiring from busines,
while they are healthy, and able to work; wh, -,
| tell you, Aleck, they don't know what il
mean; didn't know what it meant until
tried it, but now, retirement and misery sounf
TO my ears like words of the same meanirg g
Perceivibg that be had struck a subject OF
which be could easily be communicative,
,ooked inquiringly, when he rtj,ined
Perhaps you never heard the particular
Of my retiring p
On my replying that 1 had not, he proceed
ed {: You see, Aleck, it is about three year,
ago that, having, as you would say, a compe-
tency, l made up my mind to stop work and
move into the country. So | sold out my
share OF the business 10 my partner, spent .
year or two iu looking at two or three scor,
Of country places, and at last found one thai
my vile and myself were considerably pleasen
with. Fine double house, four acres beauri
tully shaded, vegetable garden not 20 be bes
al soil Of superior quality. The place l.
still in my possession, but, before l would e.
and live on it again, I'd give it away /; yes
Aleck, I'd see it sunk in the middle of tbt
Red Sea.
Bat am getting ahead of my story. For
/ Two or three months, matters aud things wer,
getting on very well, because l had some
thing to attend TO in making few improve
ments about the house, and furnishing q Hum
uer of doors with lock, of my own invention;
but as the whole premises were in good con
diion when | bought them, l soon came to ii
point where there was not arything TO loUk
after but the cultivation of the garden.
was not long in making the discovery that
had no genius or Iase either for digging
aruuuJ roots or pulling up weed, aud, as my
wife didn't wish the garden to TO waste, /
employed a regular English gardener TO carry
he thing handsomely through
"Well, [ didn't mnd the expense be put mt
to in the way of guano, new-ianglpd ga rder
tools, and patent watering apparatus; tor ]
lully expected 10 spend moury-aud thank,
to our previous economy, we had money |,
spend Bu', "A Aleck, it was really amusing tt
see what the fruit AID vegetables in our gar
deu cost u.s. Nj. king use of The little ariih
metic | was master Ui, l recollect that l cl
pbered up the cost OF some of the table fix
linRs, aud the result was cucumbers. Z cenu
a piece green peas, 81 IS Tor a halt peck
btets. IA cents each, aud everything else ii
proportion. All this | cared noihiug abuul
bu, somehow l tel, out OF my gearing IN no
having The right kind OF employment, Wit,
did ber beat 10 Coax NE into gentleman,
ways had all the old mechanical CRIME scrub
bed out Ol my hai d. finger nail cleaned ant
rounded, 70 as to appear that L had neve
done manual labor.
Then We must get behind a couple 0
Morgan ponies which l had purchased, au'
make fashionable calls in the daytime, on lhos
who had called ON US and my vie wanted m
10 soften down my voice, and TO be parlicula
about my grammar, aud The subjects take,
on hut forgetting myself, wuu d revel i
, the memory OF the locks and keys l bad har
died in my happier days, and commence
history OF my exploits in that line, when w,i
" Sould look as though she was going to Sit
through the locF. La fact she wanted TO kee
a perpetual lock oD my lips with the key i
her pocket. But sighed tor the shop, an
time hung 80 heavily my hands that a
hour spent in stupid listlessness about ID
house, seemed longer than it did when l ba
orders ahead tor locks, and was driving har
10 get them finished at q given time. NJ
Youngest brother, who is a college bred INA
aud lawyer, sent me, at my request, ir
collection of books on all imaginable subject
so that my library outshone that OF auy pc
son, or indeed that of any man in the place
but found had no more taste to sit dow
and read than l had for trimming curraI
bushes.
h 'The time was, after l had finished har
b DAYS labor at the shop, when al hour
T books was real sOlace, and l also believe
II an occasion of improvement. Then l enviC
10 those whose leisure allowed them to feast c
books perpeIually; but the mistake l ma,
was in failing to discriminate between Il
mental habits aud requirements Of the pr
fessional student and the working man.
a "In this manner did time, NJ my couutI
> seat. drag heavily along. Visiting was Pr
: feet bore, for not feeling the slightest inteIe
m such masculine topics rs corn, grub al
: manure, aud caring ess for the feminine ON
u OF dress aud local gossip, didat know VIII
Z 10 talk about. Books set me to sleep, al
~ ha anciatv nF m tUD hnvs ~