The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1867-01-10

one there was, he had said was not fit to
put anything but dead men in. Thereupon,
after abusing Jacob for not reminding him
OF the necessities of the coming season, he
turned to me, and began, certainly not &c
, swear at his own father, but to expostulate
sideways with the absent shade for not hav
ing provided decent cellar before his de-
parture from this world of dinners aud wine,
limiting that it was something selfish, and
very inconsiderate of the welfare of those
who were to come after him. Having a
little exhausted his indignation, he came up,
aud wrote the most peremptory order to his
wine merchant in Liverpool, to let him have
thirty dozen of port before Christmas Day,
even if he had to send it by post chaise. |
took the letter to the post myself for the
old man would trust nobody but me, and
indeed would have preferred taking it him
self; but in winter he was always lame
from the effects of a bruise he had received
from falling spar in the battle of Aboukir.
''rhat night | remember we'll lay in
bed wondering whether | might venture to
say word, or even to give hint to your
mother that there was word that pinned to
be said if it might. All at once heard a
whine of the wind in the old chimney
How well knew that whine !! For my kind
aunt had taken the trouble to find out from
me what room had occupied as boy and,
by the third night spent there, she had got
it ready for me. Jumped out of bed, and
| found that the snow was falling fast and
| thick. dumped into bed again, and began
wondering what my uncle would do If the
port did not arrive. And then | thought
that, if the snow went on falling as it did,
and if the wind rose any higher, it might
turn out that the roads through the billy
part of Yorkshire in which Culverwood lay
might very well be blocked up.
'The north wind doth blow,
And we shalt have snow,
And what will my uncle do then, poor thing
| He'll run for his port,
| But he will run short,
And have too much water to drink, poor thing.
''With the influences of the chamber of
my childhood crowding upon me l kept re-
peating the travestied rhyme to myself, till
fel asleep.
''Now, boys and girls if were writing
novel, should like to make you some how
or other, put together the facts-that was
. in the room have mentioned that had
| been i'll the cellar with my uncle for the
first time that evening that had seen my
uncle's distress, ard heard his reflections
upon his father. | may add that was not
myself even then, SO Indifferent to the mer
its of good glass of port as to be unable
| to enter into my uncles dismay, and that
of his guests at last, if they should find that
the snow storm had actually closed up the
sweet approaches of the expected port. If
[ was personally Indifferent to the matter
oar Il 10 f0 ha ffrIl fa1 RI L..
not to myself"
''Nonsense!" interposed my mother once
more. al never knew such a man for max
ing little of himself aud much of other peo
pie. You never drank glass too much port
in your life."
chats why Pm so fond of it, my dear, "
returned my father II declare YOU make
me quite disconnected with my pig-wash
here"
THAT night had dream.
''Ihe next day the visitors began to ar
rive Before the evening after, they had all
come. There was five of them-three tars
and two land crabs, as they called each
other when they got jolly, which, by the
way, they would not have done long with
out me.
"My uncle's anxiety visibly increased.
Each guest, as he came down to breakfast,
received each morning a more constrained
meeting. | beg your pardon, ladies | for
got to mention that my aunt had lady-vsi-
tors of course But the fact is, it is only
the port drinking visitors in whom my story
is interested, always excepting your mother
" Fifteen! by GyeoveH be cried WELL
Admiral this was worth waiting for Take
care how you decant that, Jacob-on peril
of your life.
My uncle was triumphant He winked
hard at me not to tell. Kate and retired
she to change her dress, | to get mine we'll
brushed, and my hands washed. By the
time | had returned to the dining room no
one had any questions to ask. For Kate and
the ladies had gone to the drawing room
before she was ready, and | believe she had
some difficulty in keeping my uncle's coun-
sci. But she did. Need say that was the
happiest Christmas ever spent?'
But now did you find the cellar papa p
asked Effie.
''Where are yeur brains, Effie Don't YOU
remember told you that had dream p
eyes. But you don't mean to say that
the existence OF that wine-cellar was reveal
ed to you in dream ?"
but do, indeed had seen the wine
cellar built up just before we left for Madei-
ra. 1t was my fathers plan for securing
the wine when the honse was let. And yerv
well it turned out for the wine, and me too
had forgotten all about it. Everything
had conspired to bring it to my memory,
but had just failed of success | had fallen
asleep under all the influences l told you of
influences from the region of my child
hood. They operated still when | was
asleep, and, all other distracting influences
being removed, at length reused in my
sleeping brain the memory of what | had
seen. In the morning | remembered not
my dream only, but the event of which nv
dream was reproduction Still was IN
der considerable doubt about the place, and
in this followed the dream only, as near
as | could Judge
THE admiral kept his word and inter
posed no difficulties between Kate and me,
Not that, to tell the truth, | was ever very
anxious about that rock ahead but it was
very possible that his fastidious honor or
pride might have occasioned a considerable
interference with our happiness for time
AS it turned out, he could not leave me Gull
verwood, and | regretted the fact as little
as he did himself
His gratitude to me was however exces
sive, assuming occasionally ludicrous out
bursts of thanktulness | do not believe he
could have been more grateful if | had
saved his ship and its whole crew; for his
hospitality was at stake, Kino old man -
Here ended my fathers story, with a
light sigh, gaze in the bright Goals kiss
of my mothers hand which lay in bis, and
another glass of Burgundy
GEORGE MACDONALD.
Es- Joe King was sick in a boarding
house and had got his mind made Up for
some nice chicken broth. such as he used
to get at home. The order went down to
the kitchen and the broth came I'M. weak.