The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-07-11
I ThG;tTsI,itSts f,IFs a. CbSrles DickshS.

iESGH6Iypuuy In9 HsA0 " 49,
Palaee ,pfHl5 5t Everybody also KNOW
that The ,dlSplRyd Of American tpalstr1il9 90!
Drod1ctS II the Great Exhib ition, However
aa5fSlrdia Btitef 6iiis c6ancil medal followed
Snothef t0tOur itEVentdEbOF reapers, and
Teyolyerss andu presses, an1 vulcanized
csoutchoucS calling to attention that what
WINS lacking In compile te1ess was compen.
sated' ii design, was mean IN the extreme,
Visitors laughed And the more sensitive
ofonr own country tolE-GeoEge Peabody!
for q time among the numhe r 4 9ught. \
was best perhaps that we should quietly
with draw and leave an area where we Were
likely toIra6hieve failure possibly
disgrace, "a Bod ned rlsu ,4ii sai
Il was Of this time, not far from the
middle 81 June, that / received note
from Abbott Lawrence asking whether
there would be any improperly IN permit
ting Dir. Dickens TO visit our department
an hour before the time ,ot opening, and Il
not, begging me TO designGte q day wien
IWould meet him. = "A few days after ]
had the pleasure Of accompanying the
distinguished novelist through our section
Of the Great Exhibition, and early In the
following week OF dining at his house on
Richmond HTl..1 1Ii ..tf !uau} 5ii-
gAtthRt time Dickens was thirty.nine!
A we'll dressed, gentlemanly mar, spare IN
person, hardly above middle height, rapid
Ii movement, rather slow Of speech, look
Ing YOU, full IN the face during CONVERSE
ton, grave, ,undemo nstrative, low-VoiCed,
and apparently as far removed from the
humorous as the most stoiid Scotchman.
The great author made no impression OF
the spStidlit6 Of his genius. His questions
were pertinent, ,of course lie was 0
capital listener. Mechanics interested him
and he easily and Thoroughly congratulated
the operations Of machinery, There was
no appearance Of the love Of fun, manifest
ed afterward in anecdote and laughterat
his table, during the hour We werc TO-
rether. except once. a Yankee inventor
4of a'"piah6fort e.vi6iin," Z u, tofptan0 and
violin played by the same action-the
clumsiest Of failures -unde rstanding that
Charles Dickens was present, sat down at
the instrument 70 attract his attention.
Tie success was perfect Dickens turned,
looked at the man and hiSuinstrnment,
listened for moment, drew. his hat over
lis ewes. and. catching my look Of annoy
ance AZ lie ridiculous exhibition, answer
"a 1T BY that quiet smile Of quaint merri-
ment. that, come when Il would, always
reminded ono of Mr.. Piekwick. H., al, s3.
In his own house MIR. Dickens was at
that time apparently the happiest Of men,
and he was certainly tie most genial Of
hosts: OF difficulties and troubles which
afterward came nothing was then sus-'
pected. Mrs. Dickens was beautiful
woman Of about five and thirty, OF fair
Saxon oinplexion, large lustous eyes,
finely ehiseled features, lher figure inclin-
ing to embonpOint, graceful In movement,
cordial in manner, motherly TO excess,
perhaps, when the children, according to
English custom, came romping into the
dining-room ct dessert. and very atten-
tive to her husband. The sister Of Mrs.
Dickens was present, and another lady.
Inever saw q happier family in England
Of. America! Everything was well ordered.
The dinner was capitally served. The
host said grace before the meal AT his
own table Dickens was tho best Of talk
ers. No man ever told q better story.
He had that genial hearty laugh which
Montague says never comes from bad
heart, Of his children, down to the baby,
lie was excessively fond, holding them on
his knees, toasting the elder in wine, and
giving himself TO their humors with de-
nghtf1l abandon. y = s'""-. ~"
At that date The personal habits of
Dickens were those Of the average Eng
lish gentleman. He was abstinent from
breakfast to half an hour before dinner.
This was his working time. he told me
that four hours at his desk and four hours
afield-on foot or on horseback, rarely in
a carriage-was tkc rule Of his working
lie. He took brandy and scltzor before
dinner; drank, as everybody drinks In
England, sherry with hismeats, and port
at dessert; sat long at table; enjoyed his
cigar; spent On hour perhaps in the draw
ing.room at the conclusion OF the even
ingLand then, retiring tohis study, read,
smoked and slipped brandy and water till
his bedtime at midnight. ..,.!.,, .t,.,.
Later In lie, since tho unfortunate sep
aration from his wife, and particularly
during the last years Of his residence at
Gad's Hill, his habits became more cons
firmed,r He drank more often. His
liquors were Of the choicest kind, Wines
ofrarcst vintage were stored, in his eel.
lars. Highly Spicod beverages came to be
liked and he was vain of his, skill in com
pounding them. The "cider cup Of Gad's
Hill"-a drink composed Of cider, lines,
brandy pine apple, toasted apples, lemon
peel and sugar. became famous as spe-
cialty OF the place. A friend of mine who
spent day and night at Gad's Hill last
wear. a gentleman 10 whom Dickens felt
under great obligations and for whom he
may therefore have emphasized his hos
piality, describes his Visitas a continuous
dubious festiyity from noon till midnight
There was the cider cup on arriving ut
halEpast twelve P. NJ, sports in the open
air till two, when came brandy and water
Ia long walk through tho fields till six,
when curacao with other liquors were
served dress, dinner from 2 TIL 10 with
every variety Of wines coffee and cigars,
and then pure spirits or various COM
pounds Of spirits, until bed time. .rH
7 II any one infers from what l have
written that Charles Dickens was an in!
temperate man, in theiusual acceptation
Of tie word, whether Id this country or
England, he mistakes my meaning. Dick:
ems was never drunk. Els intellect was
never bbfuscated by excess. But he en-!
loved llfe.p He lived indeed TOO fast
This he himself felt, and Aenee his long
walks of from six to ten miles day to
counteract the effects Of indulgence. For
the last twelve months Of his life he had
been increasing in BtoutnesS. He noticed
this, and fearing what it ,portended, In:
creased his hours Of exercise. II would
have been bettor had he begun at the
O GSSrlss Dickens, life. lIke his works,