The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-05-11

mr. OOper, Oh OnsrecSiNluS lne utlai
choly tidings, put on his and went u
to the house of mourning; for, sal
he, Notwithstanding certain unpleasar
misunderstanding that had arisen b,
tween him and the deceased he ha
ever regarded her with unlimited ai
fection and all difference were torgo!
,, ten in the grave, and moreover,s "a
next of kin, it vas his melancholy pr
vilege to take the management of al
fairs into his own hands. This CLAIM
of being next of kin started everybody
but nevertheless was just claim; La
dy Dudgeon had outlived all her near
er relatives, and no one had given :
thought to the matter except the part,
most interested-and that he was in
terested to very great extent wa.
soon proved by the discovery tha
there was no will. No, poor little
Miss Champion had to pick up hel
a things and go home again and aftel
ten years of expectation anu seclusion
with old Lady Dudgeon this was
hard but there was TO help for it, SO
home she went, and became in due
time governess. - ai o.. .. =
AS inheritur of Lady Dudgeon's
wealth, Mr.. Tom Soper retired from
business and became popular man.
popular from mere 'dint Of money; he
spent profusely, built schools, erected
a pump, gave stained glass window
to the church, and Christmas dinners
to the poor, and, what was more than
| all, he founded literary and scientific
1 ,.yI, .11 80 Il
in tn. way of elevating the masses !;
and as to those who were not of the
masses. there was no fortelling to what
a height they might be exalted: it was
only to be hoped that the Cogswellians
would not get n severe fall through
pride.
All this, you will understand, is by
way of introduction, simply necessary
for the understanding of what shall
follow.
Ii had been determined to open the
institution with great splendor. All
the neighboring gentry were to be in
vited; there was to be a scientific ad-
dress by professor brought expressly
from London; there were to be min
eralogical specimens, and geological
specimens, and other wonders of like
nature; telescopes, microscopes, ste
thescopes-that is to say, microscopes;
and the proceedings were to concert
in the great room of tho .'BlaekIion .
adjoining the institution; and, save
that the weather was as bad as bad
could be the affair was as successful as
could he desired. A particular success
AS the runner of Cogswellian en-
lightenment-was the professors ad-
dress. He was little quick man,
who, with the aid of glass of water,
undertook to discourse for half an
hour on the indestructibility of mat
ter.-Everybody considered him very
affable for q man of learning, and he
had the pleasantest way Of imparting
knowledge that you can imagine.
"Now," he began, abruptly, "you
no doubt often think YOU have destroy
ed something" ".,. .... -...l
Mr.. Soper was sitting in the very
centre of the first row of cane-bottom
chairs. and on him the professor fixed
his sharp eyes when he spoke; natur-
ally, perhaps, but Mr.. Soper did not
like it. O..
ga bit of paper, for instance" said
the professor-and Mr.. Soper begun
t, fiiget in his chair-"you put it on
the fire. we will say, it burns, and
then-it is destroyed? No such
thing ~ a.
"That do you mean? ?" said Mr..
Soper. '-
81 mean, my dear sir, I mean, Ia
dies and gentl"mcn, that it is simply
altered, not destroyed; it was once
paper, now it is SO much tinder, so
much vapor. You will understand,
before I have finished my address.
that what once has been. always will
be; and that what is, always has been
under some shape or other. Perhaps
at the present moment he took
a sip of water-"I am imbibing por-
ton of a love letter written on hun
dred years ago"
' MIR. Soper allowed the professor to
conclude his discourse without further
leaning back to his chair
and paying no heed to
the words of knowledge. He COM
planned of not being very we'll; and
when the first part of the entertain
scientific part-came to q 4.
close, and tine dancing and feasting
was about to begin, he excused him
self from further attendance. He was
an old man now, he said, and would
leave that sort Of thing to the young
people; SO he went round to the
Black Lion,'' and ordered them to
put his horse to, while he fortified
himself with strong glass of brandy
the night being particular
ly nasty one; and on top of that he
had another glass, still stronger, and
then, pulling his coat well up about
his ears, and his hat well down over
his nose. he got into his gig, and went I
rattling down the street.
There was no mistake about the s
rain it was that dogged, downright
rain that evidently means to make a
night of it. and yet was not of that
steady description that may be cir
by an umbrella or parti- '
llar inclination of the body. No!it
was in league with the wind, which I
was howling with the force Of forty
lunatic asylums let loose, and blown l
hither and thither in wild, disorder
ly manner there was no guarding '
against: and the horse, instead of run
ming straight ahead, as a horse should
DO in the experienced hands of Mr..
ooper, insisted on zig-zag course. as
though with the idea that, if he could |
put make flank march, he would get {
behind the wind and be all right.