The mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1863-1943, 1865-02-11

INV tuot NVuhCy UAycu Wuou JOu Ieuu
those banns, as If rejoicing at another
FOOLS O&rui%GC> LasipSE r9QSNsh9ot over
the peoples heads. What on earth do
your chawbacons care about the Anton
inian sect, aud the errors Of the Welsh
PelagiusY Bah Follow them into their
daily life; they don't know how to live on
earth yet; make them f1t for that, before
you 60 further. You, girl, don't grin
there, but give me some beer. Jaue, do
you teach Dora to eat with her knife, and
George to throw bread crumbs at Willy ?
Thank heaven, l am bachelorP i
At whist, his favorite game, Uncle
Godfrey was still more terrible. lie al
ways refused to take dummy. He stump.
ed with his wooden leg if his partne: for
got the thirteenth card, or lost trick by
any momentary absence Of mind. If the
game went well, and there was any long
sequence of success, he grew malicious,
and openly hinted that his opponent was
losing 90 purpose to please him-an in.
suit 10 bis play and Mr.. Latimer resent
ed the accusation.
They always do it at the Fitzsimmon-
ses, replied Uncle Godfrey. Tncvef lose
there. They let me win shlings, in hope,
some day, they'll turn to guineas; but Ill
outlive them yet. That Fitz-jmmons is
weak in his chest. By the way, how's
your chest, LatitnerP | thought your
voice weaker than it used to be. George,
don't make that noise with the humming
top-Jane, do you ever fog that boy?
Uncle said Mrs. Latimer at breakfast
on the seventh day Of the visit, Il have
arranged with Mrs. Benson to go to.mor-
row to see Me!comb-it is one of our show
places-you must not return without see
ing that
'Hate show places; cold damp. rooms,
fussy, pompous housekeepers too proud
to tell you anything; willing enough to
take large fees; hurried, and see nothing.
No, go back to, morrow
Tomorrow I cried Mr.. and Mrs. Lati-
mer in n breath, for they had grown ac-
customed to the old bachelors brusquerie
and began to be amused with his shrewd
honesty and caustic fIankness.
o-morrow-said tomorrow when
came-and meant what said. Sponge
on you no longer; poor people. Besides,
all my ports gone-cant drink catchup
and logwood. and my wooden leg so
tomorrow. Glad Of it. amt you, Dora
George, come here and polish my wooden
leg. Willy, give uncle kiss, and SO to
bed; it is getting late. You'll be happy
family tomorrow, old Uncle Godfrey back
in his dcn.'
The morrow came, somehow or other
, The Latimers were sorry to part with tht
old Tartar The children liked his ode
stories, and the tricks he showed then
. with cards, his ventriloquisms, and the
. droll drawings he did for them.
The train came sliding in, curving likC
t great jointed black serpent. Uncle God
: frey mounted into a second class carriage
# and shook all the Latimers by the hand
5 you won't see me again, he said,
: shant see many more winters. Admire
t Death has already hoisted the storm sig
3 nal for me. Good bye. Don't let th
r children eat too much. When / die,
shall leave you set of china, just to re
member me. Good bye, Latmer goot
bye, Dora; good bye, Jane, my love; goot
bye, Willy, pet; good bye, George.
liked my visit, though you did let me VIII
} at whist
: The train slid off.
: well, somehow or other, miss him,
said Mrs. Latimer.
t Her husband did not assent very warm
ly to his wfe's remark An odd though
had struck him, as the children ran laugh
, ing and bounding OH before their father
and mother.
How strange it would be, Jane, sale
the good, thoughtful man, turning on tht
frost bound hill to watch the train, now Q
; mere swift black caterpillar in the valley
how strange it would be if, instead o.
, dying with n struggle and wrench, or il
slow pain and decay, as we do now, wher
men we're to die, q mysterious summon,
c should come in black letter, warning US
=. on certain day and hour, to be at The
t nearest railway station. Then, that We
. should 60 after calm but still incfiably
solemn farewell, and at the appointed
hour, q mysterious black train, spirit
driven, should arrive and an irresistible
: impulse should force US then to mount
into the carriage, and be borne off swift
: ly, quietly, into the inscrutable far dis
, tance.'
oh, Fred, how can you think of such
horrid things said Mrs. Latmcr. We'll
, do you know, somehow or other, | dc
miss Uncle Godfrey =
Aud so do we,' cried the children.
Poor Uncle Dodfrey,' said Tot
'Will he ever come to see US again
asked George.
Not if can help it, thought Mr.. Lati
mer, clenching his teeth, aud looking as
sternly as he could.
III. THE CARBON CROWS,
Exactly twelve months from the date o
, that visit, Uncle Godfrey was found deat
, in his arm chair, in his solitary chambe
at the Adelphi. 1t is probable that he
had been dead several days, for though
: the laundress had neglected to inform the
neighbors, no light had been seen in tn,
room for three nights. Singularly enough
it was remembered that the deceased had
latterly shown some desire to be more so
cial, and lad even appeared spectrally one
, night in full dress at the door of the gen
teman on the first floor, who was, how
ever, just starting for party and could
not see him.
The rooms were found to be an incl
deep in n snuff like dust, and crowded
with china, pictures, furniture. and port
iUloS. The inner room reSembled an i'm
mcnse mouse trap, for it was strewn with
pounds of bacon and sections of chcaE
cheese. A miser aud mllionGire-Ne
buchadnezzar driven from men, and Sar
danapalus grown careful seemed to have
inhabited these chambers together. Oh
what misery, and deafness Of heart, anC
deprivation Of sweet home pleasures l.
what scorn for, or insane blindness to
love and home. were evidenced in tina
J sordid solitude, in that voluntary prison
in that splendid Bastile