Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-03-21

Lecturers must have some funny experiences
and adventures IN their annual peregrRatons
Holland once threa ened to write a book on the
subject and Curtis, after his Tuesday night lee y
ture, was reminded ofa little story" as he, with
several Iroans, partook OF the hospitality of a
friend after " Political lnfdelity' had ended, At
a town in W Nestern New York, which Mr. G..
reached one afternoon this Winter the officers of
I the literary institution waited on him to hope that
/ be would not talk on any political subject, as
! there we're two parties in the town and feeling
ran high Mr.. Curtis expressed some regret, as
he had intended to speak 90 "Poticll Iofd, .ity,"
| bot remarked that he had in his carpet bag a
lec.ule on "Thacksrly,' which be would glv,.
"lhackerey lhackeray , said bis intero-
cutern vino is lhackeray"
Mr. Curtis explained that he was an eminent
noyes', now dsceased-a writer Of books.
90, that fellow, well we'll hear about him,
| then
The lecture cane oft wa. in the Court
iIcuss--lhe audience was SLIM the enthusiasm
simmer The President, after long pause, said
10 a sepulohril tone, Are you ready p YES
sir, when you are " Well, then, begin" And
50, without any ntroductisn, Mr.. Curtis spoke Of
Vanity Fair and the Vrginians, Of Give New
comb and Becky Sharp, of Arthur Pendennis, of
fair Ethel and the grand old CsIonel--he spoke,
too, ofthe mind, so mighty an yet 50 genial, Of
which these wondrous characters we're but the
creaton,-WiIliam Makepeace Thackery himself
The benches were unreSponsive and Mr. Curtis
cut the Entertainment very short. lie sat down ;
the audience warSd few mlnttes, as if to see
whether or not he was going TO recommends,
then slowly retired. There was a dead silence on
the stage; the officers did moi even pay the Gus.
tonary congratulations that are about as often
uttered in cases Of failure as success-eyen this
mock courtesy was not forthcoming. 40 last
man was seen climbing over the benches upon
tho platform. The President introduced.him as
" our school-master" All % though, Curtis.
"here is man, no doubt, who has read Thask
cray, and has come to compare notes" But the
teacher abruptly exclaimed
Mr. Curtis, we've had little disput. in our
town this winter, and we think you are Just the
man 10 decide IT,"
Mr.. c. modestly asked to be excused, but it
was no use.
"Ihe question is" continued the pedagogus,
"whether or not LongEIlow is dead ,"
:" lie WAS not dead las! week" said Mr.. Curtis,
" for ! had the pleasure Of seeing hn."
The interlocutor's under-jaw dropped Evi-
IDENTITY he was a champion Of the party that main.
taned the poets deoease and he was dsappont-
ed to think that bis victim lived but Frightening
up, he said:
"WeA, who Ihe-is deadF 10 nobody dead ?"
Mr.. Curtis ran over the mortuary list OF illus
trious men-from Gen. Price upward, till he came
to Nathaniel Hawthorne. "Ahi" said be, F" Der.
haps you mean Hawthorne +"
Hawthorne? Hawthorne ?" said the teacher,
"who is he}
This fact was duly explained to him, and, with
thesen'iment, " Well, knew somebody wa, dead"
of he went, to tell the anti-Longfslow party that
the poet "still lived"
As Mr.. Curtis will hardly visit that village
again, and the Times does not circulate there, we
may be Pardonsd for giving their experience
Troy Tunes.