The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1868-09-05
M j S G 81 l. a M 60 " S.
BACHOLOR JACK.
BY PATIENCE PRICE

self p
Thus soliloquized Mr.. john, never min,
his surname We will call him jack rs every
body else did-Bachelor Jack II he had only
wifi, and half dozen responsibilities, he woult
find enough to do blow high, or blow low
snow, rain, or sunshine. The want of occupa
ton would be the least OF his anxieties. And a
man was born to labor, that is the reason,
take it, why every man should be married.
II Jack had been man of business, there would
have have been some help for his ennui. HI
thought he ,ods a man of business. He read
daily. the gold and stock quotations, and th
| general markets. But what claim to the nam
OF business man has he who is silent partner il
two or three houses, and let's other people do th'
active work What occupation is there in re
ceiving, in semi-annual dividends, more money
than you can spend Whenever the investmen
of the surplus is taken off your hands by yon
broker, YOU may well ask, "What is a fellow t.
do ?" Jack had not even the occupation of con
| trivE.g how to make ends meet.' And he wa
in no small danger of lapsing into bad habits
| fot-%sc mere want OF employment. Lazy, well-to
do bactflorhood is state of temptation, in which
it is well that few find themselves
| lie had nephews and nieces. He had provided
| for them by annuties and the Trust companies
took all that trouble of his mind. He had ever
made his will a matter of his business which
hangs over most men, il they think OF it at all
as something to be done, at some day, at thei
leisure. 1t usually overtakes them in hurry a
last. But Bachelor Jack was in no hurry ahou
anything. There was nothing to hurry, nothing
to occupy, nothing even to amuSe him. He had
not even hobby Several had he tried and rid
den them all TO death and just now. at the be.
ginning of enow-storm, on regular winter
morning, he had the hole day be fore him. He
was too much bacheor-in which trait confirm
ed bachelors resemble cats-to be willing to gel
his feet damp. Hcigh-ho
lie thought he had literary tastes. So he had
II reading the magazines and other light litera-
ture only can make Il man literary. But such
things excellent in their place, never satisfy n
man with mind and Jack had intellect, though
he had sadly neglected it,
His room affected the air and appearance OF
the den of a literary bachelor, with some young
American peculiarites. 1t was furnished with
comfortable carpet, ditto chairs, ditto lounges,
ditto fire. There WIS suspicion OF Lynchburg TO-
hacco in the atmosphere, and piles of books and
papers alternated with Meershaum, brier- wood,
POcahontas, and pipes of curious form, both OF
common clay and porcelain. Walkng-stcks of
various styles, and other bachelor trifles, occupi
ed The corners.
Jack wbistled, hummed, yawned, picked up a
book, and tossed it away from him. There was
nothing in the morning paper. There was moth
ing in his noddle, except an indefinite idea that
he ought to do something, aud that he was asham-
ed of his idleness. If he had been any kind Of an
"object," if he had only liked 20 read with sys-
TEN, as certain old lady once said in our hear
ing, ''about worms, and beetles, and such nasty
things, u he might have found indoor occupation.
II be were only under fear Of protest in bank ;
under the wholesome terror of wife in jeopar-
dy with a lady-love interested in politics, con-
cerned about philanthropy ythng in the
world But the state Of his thoughts, if ne had
any thoughts, was as a stagnant pool. There was
no current to them. He tried puff, but he had
already smoked enough. lie droned through a
bar on his flute, laid the instrument down, and
yawned fearfuly. Now it began to snow, un-
deniably. Jack lounged to the window and watch
ed the fakes
Drifting along with the storm was ragged
little urchin. The whole of his belongings were
forlorn enough but his miserable toes were the
worst, cropping out into the snow lie stopped
before the comfortable. mansion surveyed it
wistglly from caves to d0or-stone; and wonder
81 lnefew, while the mkiiy, like liu'seif, were
.huadiee'in cellars and garrets. Whatever his
Sthuughts were they soon changed TO business
= unlike Bachelor Jack, had something to
do:erhe great battle of life, the hard work
fails to the rank and file. He stepped up and
rang the door bell. "What is ?" inquired Jack,
opening the hall door. ''Only boy with mar
BILE dust" said the servant, who had already
shut the door in the applicants face. "Iarble
dust g' said Jack, "whats marble dust ? Let the
little dustman in" The amused servant, albeit
somewhat provoked that such trash should find
its way into gentleman's room, showed the lad
in, and went about her business She had some
thing to do, more than TO wait on little vagrants.
The young dustman had evidently never been
in such place before. He looked with wonder
ing eyes around the room much attracted by the
show of tobacco pipes, but more by his hosts
comfortably dressed feet. The stump of cigar
was within possibilities. Such good boots, never
'Whats marble dust 2" Jack asked.
''The women cleans the door-steps with it,
the hoy answered.
''They do, eh ~ And Jack stared at the COM
fortress stranger till the child was disconnected,
and almost blushed through the smudge on his
face He did not quite blush, however, for such
II manifestation is rather rare among the poor
little wretches who have to encounter the world
barefoo,ed. Nor was he frightened for Jacks
look, though quzzical, was far from stern.
"Would you like some of it ?' the lad asked.
'Well, not much" said Jack, ''as cleaning
steps is not quite in my line. What would you
like ?''
'Tf you have the end of a cigar, sir'-
'What the gentlemen gives me the cigars they
have done with" said the boy.
A stern lecture was partially prepared in Jack 8
mind for the little vagrant. But he did not speak
it. Perhaps he felt somewhat like that big free
booter, Alexander the Great when he was con-
fronted by the Thracian robber, as we used to
read in Lindey Murray. Better school-books
than his, by the way, may have been compiled
since, but l have never seen them.) So Jack
waived the lecture on the enormity Of smoking,
as practised by boys who have no other luxury.
'Are my shoes too big for you ~ he asked,
with look of pity at the boys pleading toes,
which had put in their appearance, as lawyers
say.
tIndeed your boots would be smaller than
all-out-doors," " said the lad, with twinkle of
hope in his face. "And al-out-doors is the size
| am wearing now"
Jack screamed with laughter. He had found
something more amusing even than DR.. Holmes
best punning poetry. The little beggar was
forthwith furnished with pair, which to him
were as good as new. Jack thought of adding
an old pipe or two TO the donation. But he felt
Just then too much rebuked for smoking himself (;
and while he had resolved to leave tobacco to the
newsboys and beggar lads thereafter, he would
still not abet them in the nuisance.
'Are my pantaloons too large for you ~ Jack
was FIVE feet eight The boy was three feet two
Mother could cut the legs off, or could roll
them up. Better to have too much trousers than
none at all.
Again Jack laughed To make the story short,
the perishing lad was furnished with an ample
outfit, ample in every sense. "Now," said Jack,
III must go with you, snow or not, and see the
| mother of such boy"
"She's proud of me you'd better believe" said
young hopeful And Bachelor jack who, an
hour or two before, had felt like prisoner,
bound by a slight snowfall, set out in search oil
a new sensation. He had just been reading a
chapter of a book on wretched English life, among
which popular novests delight to lay their scene;
and he felt jealous for the honor of Phia.
delphia. Jack is American, and denies that
| America can be excelled in anything. We shall
not follow him very closely, not desiring to tres
pass on the classic precincts of the novelist'i
manor. Suffice it to say, that he found Phia-
adelphia could do pretty we'll in the line of wretch
edness, for city in a new country. He was
forced, against his pride of land however, to ad
init that the imported specimens excelled the ma
tive, both in number and in the intensity OF
wretchedness
He heard soup-houses mentioned in his walk
and that sent his thoughts in another direction
He remembered that he had responded 10 an ap.
plicaton for donation annually for several years
in support ofthose useful institutions, and though
he would look a little after his investments. The
marble-dust boy was his guide, accoutred in his
roomy boots his rolled up trowsers, and coal
which, for length, would have satisfied clerca
tailor But the buttons were rather too stunning