The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-04-05
Misfeltanenus.
THE GOLD-B G..

What no! what ho this fellow is dancing mad
He hath been bitten by the Tarantula.
al IN The Wrong.
Many years ago, I contracted an init
macy with Mr.. William Legrand. He
was of an ancient Huguenot family,
and had once been wealthy but Sc
ries of misfortunes had reduced him to
want. To avoid the modification con-
sequent upon his disasters, he left New
Orleans, the city of his forefathers, and
took up his residence at Sullivan's
Island, near Charleston, South Carolina.
This Island is very singular one. 1t
consists of little else than the sea sand,
and is about three miles long. Its
breadth at no point exceeds a quarter
of mile. 1t is separated from the main
land by a scarcely perceptible creek,
oozing its way through a wilderness of
weeds and slime, favorite resort of the
marsh hen. The vegetation, as might
be supposed, is scant, or at least dwarf
ish. No trees of any magnitude are to
be seen. Near the western extremity,
where Fort NIoultrie stands, and where
are some miserable frame buildings,
tenanted, during the summer, by the
| fugitives from Charleston dust and fe-
yer, may be found, indeed, the bristly
palmetto; but the whole island, with
the exception of this western point, and
line of hard, white beach on the sea-
coast, is covered with a dense under
growth of sweet myrtle, so much priced
by the horticulturistS of England. The
shrub here often attains the height of
fifteen or twenty feet, and forms an al
most impenetrable coppice, burthening
the air with its fragrance.
In the inmost recesses of this coppice
not far from the eastern or more remote
end of the island, Legrand had built
himself a small hut, which he occupied
when | first, by mere accident, made
his acquaintance. This soon ripened
into friendship-for there was much in
the recluse to excite interest and esteem.
i found him well educated, with unusu-
al powers of mind, but infected with
misanthropy, and subject to perverse
moods of alternate enthusiasm and
melancholy. He had with him many
books, but rarely employed them. His
chief amusements We're cunning and
fishing, or sauntering along the beach
and through the myrtles, in quest of
shells or chronological specimens his
collection of the latter might have been
envied by a Swammerdamm In this
excursion he was usually accompanied
by an old negro, called Jupiter, who
had been manumitted before the re-
verses of the family, but who could be
induced, neither by threats nor by
promises, to abandon what he consid
cred his right of attendance upon the
footsteps of his young "Massa WILL
1t is not improbable that the relative,
of Legrand, conceiving him to be some
what unsettled in intellect, had con
trived to instil this obstinacy into Jupi
ter, with a view to the supervision and
guardianship of the wanderer.
The winters in the latitude of Sulli
vans Island are seldom very severe
and in the Fall Of the year it is Il rare
event indeed when a fire is considered
necessary. About the middle of Octo
Der, IS, there occurred however day
of remarkable chilliness. Just before
sunset scrambled my way through tho
evergreens to the hut of my friend
whom | had not visited for severa
weeks-my residence being, at tha
time, in Charleston, a distance of nin(
miles from the Island, while the facili
ties of passage and re-passage were very
far behind those of the present day
Upon reaching the hut | raped, as wa
my custom, and getting no reply, sough
for the key where / knew it was secre
ted, unlocked the door and went in. \
fine fire was blazing upon the hearth
1t was a novelty, and by no means al
ungrateful one. l threw OIL an over
coat, took an armchair by the cracklin!
logs and awaited patiently the arriva
of my hosts.
Soon after dark they arrived, anC
gave me a most cordial welcome. Ju
piter, grinning from ear to ear, bustle'
about to prepare some marsh-hens 70
supper. Legrand was in one of his fit
how else shall term them ?-of en-
thusiasm. lie had found an unknown
bivalve, forming a new genus, and
more than this, he had hunted dow
and secured, with Jupiter's assistance