The Portland daily press., 1870-02-26

slipped away, and found US still sitting in the |
same semicircle, listening to the strange now
OF fun and queerness that came from Gunni-
sons brother. Now it was rafting joke, |
then a mimcry, then hleh-noWn tirade, |
tnen a quotation, all delivered without sim |
ole gesture or movement, barring the glances |
of the eyes and parting and closing OF the |
lips.
at ten a steaning bowl Of punch was set
on table in our midst, at which the cripple
looked with unusual satisfaction, WINE ms
brother ladled us out our glasses. Cake anu
he first toast standing. and with cheers. 1t |
was Given 10 the eternal coDfuslon OF stupid |
itr =, and offered by Gunnison.
.larV.s applauded vocferously, and call ID for |
music, VIII CHI demand we endorsed by rafting |
our glasses on the table,
swell, then, music it shall ba.n said the |
cripple. Fetch my darling, Bob"
While Gunniso1 was absent, his brother
look advantage of the moment to give us
some information, which, judging fiom his
manner, he had intended giving us before, but
mad been prevented by some Giro umstance:
Yes, as I've told you, Pm musical. Deuced
lucky it is, too; just think OF two stomachs
and backs depending upon the labor of man
liable to be impaled by one of his own blum
ders at any moment! He's good Tor nothing
but subject to hope about. Now, am. 1
can play. do play. It's low, to be sure. I'm
neither In an orchestra nor quadrille-band,
but in miserable, tawdry cellar, where you
hnd sailors: am one OF the elements of a
spree, but they pay me two dollars and half
night OF five hours length"
AT this point Gunnison returned with vi
on case, which he placed in his broth .rs lap,
| who took from it, very carefully dark, old
looking instrument, which he handled with
endearing tenderness. He seemed tempted
| at once to play, as his fiji gers sought the
strings, add he haltrased 1t, but hesitated,
and finally laid it across his lap, and put the
case on the floor.
| Then he commenced, and gave us, in
laughing, jerky way, history OF his days du-
| ty, branching off now and then to make a
| fling at his brother, whom he caressed while
be chaffed, and who seemed to consider his
weaknesses a lair stock to draw upon for the
amusement of the party.
He spoke to neither of us in particular, but
seemed to look at us Systematically, COM
mencing on his right hand, and going down
that row, would cross and take the left hand
back, and then commence Ouer again. At
last he seemed to draw toward conclusion:
Il don't really play as l should play if it
were not matter of dollars and cents. [
hddle-thats the truth of i'll fiddle. But
fiddle well, and l work the miscellaneous,
tarry, stamping, disreputable set into slori-
Gus frenzy with the way 1 rattle off the
~ uo1ie' veal SieeH SoSSieS, Dut, uS'y
as it makes me, l have pile lty of trends
among the dregs, and, although am behind
wooden grating, there's not party who
comes into the den to spend his dollars, or 10
squander his time, or to keep an assgnalion
win a rascal, but see, and what is more.
| know" --0'
Hele the cripple emp.ied his class and or.
cered his brother to fill up all AROUND, which
he did, in silence; while we, also silent from
the unusual information and sobriety OF the
last few words, sat lingering our glasses and
| furtive.y glancing at one another, wondering
| what would come next.
Besides being one of the elements of
spree. am sort of supplementary, general
conscience tor the poor devils who have none
OF their own, a kind OF soul-screw, a secular
tather coniessor. My talent Tor talking and
paying enables me to browbeat them with
out mercy. This makes them fear me, and
because they fear me they confide in me.
They all tell me everything, and my thoughts
are divided between Paganini and villainy.
One OF my mildest yet most successful
thieves is a carman by the name of Theo- |
dorc Turber."
The instant the name was pronounced, we |
heard a loud crash. 1t was from Jarvis, who |
had let his glass fall upon the floor, smashing
ii to flinders, and drenching his lavender
trousers with punch, while he sat bolt up
right, very pale in the face, glaring at the
speaker.
Bob" continued the cripple, cody, all the
while looking down at the bits OF glass, "Mr.
Newcombe must bave another goblet"
We fellows stared at each other with a VEN
geance, while Gunnison, without a word, did
as his brother directed, and, after putting the
glass into Jar ISIS trembling hand, stepped
over and locked both the doors leading from
the room, and, putting the keys into his pock-
ct, sat down beside his brother as before.
II say, Gunnison." spoke up Widen, ner-
vously, III there's any hocus-pocus going on
here, remember that boxing and sinsle-stick
are my specialties."
Gunnson and his brother took no notice of
this, but whispered together for moment or
two, while Wiuden kept on mutterng for our
| benefit:
"Egad, you know, but this is carrying mat
tiers with pretty high hand. They've scared
| poor Jarvis nearly to death, and locked the
doors on us. L move we make for the WIN
| dows."
Nooody responded, as we were too curious
| to lind what all this meant, to be particular,
ana Wlddea eazed fIuitlessly and gloomily
| fire us up.
''uentemen," suddenly spoke up the Grip
pie, would you mind sitting in the dark for
five minutes?'
mol" we all responded IN breath, think
i'm that matters were getting decidedly inter- |
esting.
In q moment, the gas was turned so low |
that nothing remained but three blue, light
less specks OF flame, and fender was placed
closely upon the crate, covering the fire al
most complete y.
1t was now as black as midnight, excepting
the narrow glare tnat sh me through the
crevces OF the tire-soreen and we instructive
| ly drew closer TO each other, and held our
breaths with anxiety.
Presently, alter little dscordant thrum-
ming, the cripple 1--WE supposed it was he)
| commenced TO play. 90 not know, and
could never find out, what it was, or even
whether or not it was his own composition,
but it was, without exception, the most
touching and subduing piece OF instrumental
ton ever heard. 1t was more of the sooth-
ing language oil gentle tongue than the mu-
sic OF wordlesS notes. The violin seemed al
most to whisper, TO speak, to murmur, at first,
and then, as it seemingly gathered strength
and warmth, the voice rose to defamation
| and power. Ihave no heart to talk OF those
lew moments in words which, from my igno-
rance, l should be constrained to use; but
their dreamy, beautiful memory is often
| brought back ty some trifing accident, as the
| vision OF some beautiful city or foreign land
| scape comes to the mind by way of linger-
ing perfume Or strip OF sunlight.
We half dozen lads, hudded together in the
dark, felt the influence of the music stealing
over us as pa'pable as II it were rising tide,
and the effect was to rid our thoughts and
senses OF every thing but that which belonged
to our immediate surroundings; and, when
we finally regrelfully heard it die away into
silence, we were lett with an acute sensitive
| ness which forbade speech and movements
for our own parts, but what made us keenly
alert to what was happening about us.
A moment or two elapsed in almost death
| like silence, troken only by the half stfed
breathing; then, without any preface What
ever, he commenced to speak slowly, in a
voice which was very low, but singularly clear
and distinct.
We instantly saw that the words were none
of his. Their deliberate enunciation; their
unhesitating, uniatering succession their
modulated, studied emphasis-conveye ed the
thought that they we've repeated from some
conversation Already passed, and had been
carefully rehearsed, in order to produce some
certain effect:
Il hate TO harm him; for know he is poor
and struggling. He's told me he's worked
against it for years and years, and that he is
getting the better Of it little by little. But
must have some money"
Then Gunnison spoke, also very slow and
clear; and we noticed, Or rather ielt, the same
chaiacterlstlcs which marked his brothers
words, only in a somewhat less degree, but
still plainly:
80 Iar as he ard the firm are concerned
he mas already made the blunder: YOU step in
ana avert the consequences, and turn them |
to YOUR profit Won o,l,, -.