The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-01-26
My Brother Bob.
BY b. P. sHILLABER.

When published the first paper describing
the peculiarities and idiosyncrasies OF My
Brother Bob, there were those who said had
not given the world the best illustrations OF
his cnaracter-eac one of them having some
pet anecdote of his own that should have
stood luminous in the foreground. There are
indeed many such that might be told, and to
present few more features of similar char
acter have been induced to venture this pa
per. 9sa
believe limited in my previous sketch
that Bob was medltating suit against q rail-
road for damages in cutting off certain priv
ileges. This he has actually commenced, and
vigorous fight he is making of it, with a GER
tainty of winning II justice is at all regarded.
The specifications In his claim are very funny.
They are more sayory than elegant, and can
not use them here, but the close is . triumph
OF magnanimity aud anumber OF other virtues.
He says if the directors of the road will only
come and endure for eighteen or twenty years
what he has done 1.-The villianous smells and
noises and sights, the interrupted view by day
and the interrupted rest by highland then
refuse to allow him the modest amount he de-
mands, he will pay it to them. This, however,
needs the choice strong words of Bob's vocab-
ulary TO give it due force. His rhetoric is un-
approachable iu its distinctness and point
While on the stand as a witness in this case,
he was asked ifthere was not a mutual dislike
betwixt him and some other party Of the op
position. He said there was not. "Do you
deny, sir" said the lawyer for the road, "that
there is a mutual dislike between you?' 81
do, said Bob, "most decidedly he has dis
like for me, but / hate him." l am sorry to
record the fact, but the distinction is very nice
and cannot omit the incident though it tell
against him. v, s,.s5' l.sl, sgssrg,sel ef,ls,
One of our most honored and respected ma
val officers asked me the other day If was
the brother Of my Brother Bob, which was at
once an introduction to most delightful ac-
aquaintance. Bob had been his right hand man
in beautifying and adorning his grounds, and
ii plant by any chance didn't grow it wasn't
Bobs fault; Nature had to bear all the respon
sibility of the failure. But they rarely failed.
There was such a thorough understanding be
twixt him and them that they sesmed to make
up their minds to flourish at once after he had
looked at them. Like the housewife whowas
boiling soap and kept 1t from boiling over by
the force other will, saying 1t didn't dare to,
so they didn't dare depart from the directions
he gave them. There always seemed trem-
bling among the more sensitive of the vines
when he went through them for fear that they
had transgressed in some way. He is won
derful in grating. Grapes from thorns and
dgs from thistles are no impossibilities with
Bob. f@s,.
At the commencement of the war when
gold took its first start, Bob had some hun
dred dollars or so in gold pieces that he had
put by for rainy day. No one who knows
him will accuse him of extravagant practices,
and his economy has enabled him to secure
respectable pile, the gold being simply the
dust that rolled off in the pilinga He saw the
rise-one per cent? two per cent? three per !
cent. III must be down tomorrow" thought
Bob, as he counted over theingots, like the
Broker OF Bogota. But no; the next day il
was four, and Bob grew nervous. Then il
was f1ve-six-and, at seven, he could contain
himself no longer, but put his yellow boys in
the hands OF Discount, the broker, who gave
him seUen dollars in greenbacks on the hum !
dred. The next it leaped to ten and in very
short time 1t was up to fifty, at which time be-
told me the story of his want of shrewdness.
There was one thing, however, to comfori \
him. As to every deep there is lower deep.
SO II we but think that to every misery or dis
appointment there is greater, we gain com
fort and thank heaven that it is no. sg0rse - 81.
reckoned Bob. Why" said he, with tone
OF great satisfaction ..there were some d.
tools here that sold at four" S5
The idea of being outwitted panied him
most. There Is one man in town whose
shreN lness he holds in the highest respect
He marvels at the positive genius he shows In
ais operations. 1t is to ordinary snrewdness
what the genius OF Sherman is to common
clodhoppers in the science Of war. 1t was
Bobs fortune to sell him some hay by the lot,
at the shrewd mans valuation, who few
days afterwards came to Bob with long face
telling him that the hay fell short about one
hundred pounds, and asked allowance for it,
Bob told him he should make him none.-
WELL" said the genius, 81 will tell 1t, all
round town, that you cheated me-" "Do it, 1
said Bob, "by all means; only let it get 'aboui
that was sharp enough to cheat you, and my
fortune is made. '5s-2t @- ai5 -.
There is no man more loyal than my Broth.
II Bob. He has bright eye on the conflict OF
the war, and criticises everything with TIL
sharpest discrimination. No one is exemp,
rom his strictures,3 were he a thousand timer
his friend. At "a time of terrible inertness in
the army, when active service seemed suspen
ded forever, Bob was terribly exercised about I
it, He was engaged ia his garden. and his 4
spade went into the soil as though he were
throwing up entertainments. a.Dead enough,n'
said he, as he worked his spade by some OBJ
stacle; dead enough; why defeat would be
better than this" There were certain en-
phatic words interspersed that gave the sem
Jence gothic massiveness. 4. 81 .49ai4 sse "
Ny Brother Bob comes to town but seldom.
holding the city In but poor esteem.s b The sun
rises here, as he AYERS, when he stops over
long enough to prove it, in the south west and
sets he don't know where. he has never seen,
the great organ yet and says he don't want to-
which Is an offence not to be forgiven. His
early musical education, however was neg
lected, which may be submitted in palliation
When asked during visit which he liked
best, Boston or his own town, he replied grave
y that he liked the latter best, because he
could lie down there in the street and sleep
with no danger of getting run over, while
here he was In danger all the time with his
eyes wide open. s.0 "a aaf 4a-ZWoTaE h
have written thus far and my pen cleaveso
to the subject, but dare risk no more, at
present. received letter from him yester
day, dated Poverty Cottage, Highlands. Wi.
birds Hill2-the location may be remembered
by somewhere Bob lives enjoying the otiun,
cum dig, cultivating potato patch and rem
deriDg himself useful for consideration, tax
ing care by judicious advance 10 the value OF
his serVica In make a danrassed -, ,,rranrv or,