Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-12-23
sbsE
GREEN MANTLE.
An English story.

| An English story.
There were good many of us at
home; no lack of mouths to feed, and
not too much to put into them; so when
had finished my schooldays-an event
which occurred tolerably esrly-I was
packed off to Manchester, to, serve an
apprenticeship in a Manchester ware
house. / had plenty of work there, and
some little play. and when my father
found me cheap lodgings, in the house
of an elderly couple, and had arranged
the payment with them SO as to leave
me small sum for pocket-money, he
babe me be good lad aud attentive to
business, and left me to my fate. w
NV home was too far distant to admit
Of my visiting il oftener than once IA
year, when obtained brief holiday
for the purpose, and was terribly lone
ly in the pOpulous business town. /
knew nobody, and was shy of making
acquaintances,m my companions IN the
warehouse were off-hand, rattling fel
lows, little suited to my taste; so sub
sided into my quiet lodgings, read, or
rather devoured, all the books ] conld
lay my hands on, and grew up a solita-
nv in the midst of thousands. One pas
sion 1 had, and that was to hunt up ev-
cry relic of antiquity L could possibly
an old hall or an old church within a
circuit of twelve or fourteen miles that
1 did not make pilgrimage to.
The vestiges of old Manchester
claimed particular attention, and L
haunted the neigbborhood of the "col-
lege" and ''old church" looking at the
outside of the old houses, L was too shy
to think of asking permission to enter
any of theml until | knew every chink
and Granny in their weather beaten
faces, und came to look upon them as
my most intimate friends. Some of
them were public hosses, and / ven.
tured timidly and at intervals into
these, calling modestly for glass of
ale, and peering into the odd hooks and
corners, ducking under the heavy
beams, and trying, often vainly, to look
| through the old green glass which OBJ
scured the long, low windows.
Well do / remember my first visit to
the "Old Sum- "The Poets Corner"
as it was then, and is sometimes vet
called-the reverence with which en-
tered its time-honored walls-and the
disappointment felt in not finding
within it any one in the least like what
1 thought poet ought to be. L went
afterwards, at various times, with the
like ill-snccess; and at last I contented
myself with the outside and most pic
tureeque view of it, and left the poets
to keep mp their revsls by themselves.
fri1,,e xxao fhaf n s,raur s r.,
hard. during working hours, and en-
ioyed the books and the pipe which
formed the occupation of my leisure,
taking long rambles on foot, upon the
Sundays, and an occasional walk
through the oldest, narrowest, and most
tortnous streets / could find, during the
evenings of the week. - Fri =
Long before my apprenticeship had
concluded, L found myself permanently
installed in the Office, or counting
house, as it was more grandiloquently
called, and that, no doubt, was the fit
test place for me; as years rolled on, /
became, by translation from stool to
stool, packing clerk, invoice clerk, and
book keeper, and obtaining an advance
of wages with each change of position,
until as book-keeper, j was munificent-
Nv paid at the rate of ye150 a year, and
had reached the summit of my ambi-
ton.
q AS i got more moneyito spend, / pur-
chased more books and made longer OK
cursions and at length, from my retir-
ing habits and scrupulous punctuality,
l was complimented in the office by the
title of 1.-THE Old Bachelor" which sat
very lightly upon me. 1 made and at
tempted to make no friendships. Dur
ing my brief visits to the library at the
old college, indeed, picked upa sort
of acquaintance with one of its constant
freauenters, the mustiest old book
worm in the lot, whom / found there
when went in aud left there when /
came out, and should have believed to
to live there but that / knew no candles
were admitted, and that at night the
books would be useless to him without
them. He was a strange figure, dressed
| in suit of rusty black, with handker-
chief twisted round his throat in sort
of wisp, a pair OF great google specta-
cles upon his nose. and with two. three,
or four folios usually ranged round him,
one for reading, the others for compar-
ison and reference. had the good for
tune once to hand him aponderous tome
which he had slipped from his knees
whilst he. was intent upon another
placed upon the stand before him and
after that time, if by chance he glanced
up, which might happen once in month
perhaps, whilst l was in the. reading
room, / was sure of kindly nod at
least before he glanced down again.
Once, in difficulty | ventured to
refer to him, and was no little aston
ished blythe flood of erudition poured
in consequence upon me. He knew
everything that had been written upon
the subject, and gave me the key TO my
puzzle Immediately, together with half
q hundred references wherewith still
further to elucidate it. Afterwards our
relationship became almost that of mas
ter and pupil and / may say that we
became in some sort friends. though
our only place of meeting was the
library.
The rule in our Office was, that every
one employed should be there and al