The weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1869-18??, 1869-11-17

1 u
Don't let it, John-live in it; it has been
my home for fifty years and more; your
uncle died in it, and my poor girl. can't
bear the thought of strangers coming and
ill-treatlng the furniture. Chambers are
dear and unwholesome, and l think they
tempt young men to keep late hours; and
as for lodgings, you will be skinned in them.
You will not desert the old place, will you
| John % The house is not large one, but
absurdly big for bachelor with my small
income to inhabit, nevertheless. If and
nv servant Betty were marionettes, with the
| power of shooting off our members and re-
setting them at pleasure, we might lodge
head in one room, an arm in another, and SO
make an attempt at general occupation; but
being ordinary mortals we can only manage
two rooms apiece Now to live in the midst
of furnished solitude is melancholy, and
should certainly feel strongly tempted to
disregard my poor dear relatives dying in
functions were it not for the hope of speedl-
" increasing my income and relinquishing
my bachelorhOod.
Betty. let me hasten to observe, is a con-
fessed forty-fye, was chosen for me by the
mother of nv intended, and is salad OF the
virtues; industry, honesty and responsibility
forming the principle ingredients. She is
widow, with one son, sergeant, who re-
turned to Plymouth from China last August,
lust as was going abroad for a couple OF
months holidays. So thought that Betty
might as well go and see her son at the same
time, proposition at which she fairly cried
with pleasure. l took her address, saying
that would write her a word week before
returned $50 that she might come first and
get the house ready for me); engaged a
char-woman to sleep on the premises during
our absence, and started for Switzerland.
Only in passing through Paris stuck there
as always do.
At the end of the third week 1 found a
letter at the Poste Cestdnte marked "Imme-
diate;" it was from Kramme, and ran thus:
| "DEAR PENYoLIN Il have got an order
| for an historical work one of those things
which Nudes subscribers who call novels
trash, think improving, you know. Such
title we have hit on: War, Women and
Winer Now, you'll take War? You will
| give an account of all the principal wars
that have ever been waged. Sacred wars
Siege of Troy, Helen; Wooden Horse; Wars
of the Roses, ETC., down to Prussia, versus
Austria. There must be plenty of thrill and
romance You can have the use of three
encyclopedias, Hume, Grant and Napier.
| As the book must be cut soon after Christ
mas, perhaps you had better come back to
London and set to work at once.
| l sent off three letters Immediately; one
to the charwoman in charge of my house
one to Betty; one to Kramme accepting
his offer, and promising to return in week;
| MI off rlc I elf in
my study, fenced about with gigantic ency-
clopedias, working al my strange hash
with the vigor which spell of idleness
imparts. ..
Betty put her head in at the door and
said that lad wanted to see me, and my en-
gagged heart jumped; but remembering that
Betty knew my Lucy and her mother, and
would not announce either so vaguely, it
subsidized again. Perhaps it was partner
in War, Women and Wine, come to make
arrangements about the division of labor.
"Leastways," said Betty, she asked for
T. P; and as them's your initials, and she
came to this house, suppose she means
you" l = d. ..... ...
"All right, Betty, show her in said 1,
sure now that she had come on business,
for sign all my work T. P.
There entered q tall lady with great
deal of bone about her, apparelled wonder
fully. She must have had bonnets and
dresses enough to last her life made when
she was about fifteen, for ] am sure she
could not get them cut like that now I'M
less she went to China, and gave the native
tailors old ones for patterns. She carried
large bag in one arm, and tent, ingeniously
contrived to open and shut like an um-
brella, in the other hand. rose. bowed,
and offered her chair; she stared at me
as though she wanted to send me off into
mesmeric slumber, and proceeded to remove
her roof, for to call her top covering bon
net would be really too absurd
where's the other ?" she suddenly asked
The other! That must probably be
Kramme; she had evidently had interview
with him on the subject of the work, and
expected to find him with me that morning.
/ explained to her that Kramme was proba.
bly, at home, working away at his section.
What is the use of talking to me. when
| you know that l am stone deaf" she
growled.
had not known if: l had not heard of
her existence, even. 1t was very remiss of
Kramme not to tell me of this fellow laborer
and her peculiarities. After trying in vain
to communicate with her by signs, wrote:
In what way can be of service to you 2"
on bit of paper, and handed it to her
"Ah," said she II cannot read it without
spectacles, and have left mine at home; but
it does not matter. The lotion should be
applied with syringe as before?''
Lotion Syringe! Oh, her deafness No
doubt Kramme had given her some nostrum
for it, and she had better 90 on doing what
he advised. She could not get worse. So
l nodded.
1.-THE last did no good to my hearing, but
the pills did to my health. 1 have taken
them all. You have not got any more here,
handy, have you?"
always take dinner pills with me when
| go abroad. and the last box happened to
be in my table drawer, having fortunately
forgotten to throw it away so l took it out,
and offered it to my visitor, who pounced
upon it with the avidity of child upon
sugar plums, swallowed two pills then and
there, and rose to go without saying word
upon business. Only, on leaving the room,
she gave me an envelope, which l opened
directly the door closed upon her, expecting
to find some direction from the publisher Of
Kramme. But there was nothing but five
pound note! What was this FORE A sort
of retaining fee? A small payment on ac-
count9 A soothing theory then insinuated
Itself into my mind: no doubt this eccentric
but extremely sensible lady had reaped
much comfort, improvement comfort and
delight from certain articles signed T. P:
had called at the Office of one of the iourn-
ais thus enriched for T. P's address, and
had expressed her admiration and gratitude
in this delicate but practical manner The
compliment would perhaps have been higher
if she had not been so very fond of pills
but had no time for minute ANALYSIS. |
| took the number of the note, and locked it
| up in drawer, and went in at War again.
In an hour or so was again disturbed
"Heres another for T. p man this time,
all on wires" A flop was heard in the hall.
''There, this is the third time as he's drop.
ped his hat since let him in I" said Betty.
Was this rush upon this signature prac-
tical joke? No; practical jokes never re-
suit in five-pound notes to the butt. At any
rate, | would not risk the loss of contribu-
tions so substantial, though so flimsy, by re-
view with my INITIALS Xmiddie-aeea -. man n
with light prominent. eyes, tow-colored hair,
| smooth face, retreating chin, aud spare fig-
| ure, the joints of which seemed to have
been stretched upon the rack, came into
the room at something between trot and a
shuttle, tumbled over a chair, begged its par
don, and sat on the edge of it.
Il have seen what you say in the p-p-pa-
per, MIR. T. p, and thought you mi ght do
my nerves good; so II called Z; am so very
nervous, and the doctors can'tdo anything,'
he said ysH =.
1t SO happened that had written about
Timidity short time before. Here was an
other reader who had taken the trouble to
discover my address! It was fattering
but puzzling. .-,..- =
| AT ON, xarI, ola5 y .o;d .s;f ,;,.,