The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-12-15
i NEVER LIKED LEWIS.

| SOoo WOiC W SCC us
playing marbles together; but he could
always knuckle down better than | could
Weplayed at turnpike gate with our hoops !;
and somehow he always trundled his be-
tween the pebbles which constituted, to
our young imaginations, the pike, man In
apron, toll bar, and all-while | scattered
them and lost the game. When we first
came together we were both SchOOlbOyS
on the same form. His lessons were nv
lessons day after day; but, then, if there
was an advantage in the progress it was
generally on my side. Somehow he got
all the credit.
Lewis was born under extraordinary cir
cumStances. His family were a wild, am
bilious, and / have often heard my mother
say, INSCRIPTIONS set. At the period of
his birth they were in the height of their
splendour. 1t was impossible to approach
them in those days. They had the biggest
house in their neighborhood by far
Their horses and stables were the envy of
everybody. They gave parties that block
ed up the place with the equipages of the
guests. The greatest people in the land
went to see them: and even people of dis
tinction from abroad on arriving in the
country would take the earliest Opportu-
nifty of paving their respects to the Lew
ises. Mr. Lewis himself was a gloomy, mo-
rose, unpopular man but his wife, when she
was young, was one of the lOvelieSt women,
as my father often declared to my mother
modification, upon whom the sun ever
shone. 1t seems that she was as brilliant
in mind and as courageous in spirit as she
was in person lovely. Mr.. and Mrs.
Lewis were called, among the local trades
men, the beauty and the beast. While he
never had gracious word or look, she
was always wreathed in smiles She had
kind word AMI ready hand for the poor,
If she disliked her lord, she loved her
children, and they were always with her
in the carriage. Two boys that were the
envy of all other boys who saw them ;
who wore the loveliest feathers in their
hats, trundled hoops with padded sticks
played with marbles every one of which
was an agate; and spun tops of satin-wood
with silken cords, were the idols of their
beautiful parent, and were very seldom
permitted to range beyond her sight.
There was an uncle in the family-who
had married, believe. the mother of Mrs.
Lewis, after her fathers death, and whom
Mrs. Lewis loved as well as the most de-
voted daughter can adore the most in
dulgent of parents. He was her Mentor,
her guide in all things. His word was
her law: and she was never tired of tellin q
her friends about his wisdom and the great
position he held in the world. Gossips
said that the only fact which made the
married life of Mrs. Lewis bearable was,
that her husband was related closely to
her step-father.
1t was very natural in Mrs. Lewis to make
much of her stepfather. He was the
parsonage to whom she looked for the adj
vancement of her darling boys in life. Her
influence appeared to be boundleSs-and he
knew it, as my mother, who often saw
him frowning out of his chariot window on
his way to see his beautiful step-daughtcr,
would tell me in after years.
The elder boy was sickly, and was kept
at home; but the second was sent to
school, and, as l have said, it was at school
first met him
The new boy made sensation. 1t was
| whispered along the forms that his name
was Lewis, and that he had come in a
barouche with servant in livery to carry
his books. We crowded round him in the
playground, and found that his pockets
were full of money; that he had knife
with one blade more than that of the cock
of the school; and that a most imposing
coat of arms was engraved on the heaviest
of silver spoons and forks which were
fawned on him, and gave him easy lessons,
and put him at the desk nearest to the
stove. We hated him for this-bOys are
only little men.
Out of school, Lewis, l must say, gave
himself no airs. His plentiful pocket
money was lavishly scattered when the
apple woman cane into the playground.
He would buy shilling's worth of Bona
parties ribs, and give every boy in the
school one. He would propose scram-
BILE for apples. or whole quart of Spanish
nuts. have known him come with half a
dozen cocoa-nuts, and give one each to the
| fellows who had played at horses with
him. Playing at horses was his passion
a boy must be great favorite, or be able
to dispense favOrs, who wants to drive a
team in the playground Lewis was
amiable enough we thought, then, and was
ready to give everything he had-prOvided
we would be his nags We made him
pay-and he drove us. He was ready
fellow with his fists, | admit. He would
givc-but he would have no takings. l got
on very well with him, and was often his
Outsider, because l made my bargain open
ly, and he liked that. | carried off heaps of
things, till my mother at home was quite
alarmed "Where did you get that
splendid top, Bob?" said mother Lewis"
was nv answer. "That kite must have
cost five shilings, Bob" Lewis"
replied. "Your fathers knife is not worth
that" my maternal parent observed.
Lewis" was my response. But l never
liked him.
We played truant together, and he got
me off the punishment, and the school
cheered him in the playground for it. l
thought they made much Of it-but must
say Lewis himself didn't; and he behaved
well in asking me home to his mothers
great house to dine and spend a Saturday
afternoon with him. Mrs. Lewis step
father was there, and everything gave way
to him. He pinched my ear playfully, and
| tipped me when | went off to school in
the evening-loaded with fruit and cakes
| for the boys of our FORM which Mrs. Lewis
packed up with her own white hands,
while her step-father stood by looking at
her, and joking very affably for SO great a
man.
When the holidays came-being an or
phan, and my guardians being resident in
Florence-Lewis persuaded his mother to
invite me for a fortnight or so TO their
country house. 1t was here | saw the
Lewises and their mighty friends in all
their glory The house, or castle, was an
ancient one, which her step-father had
given to Mrs Lewis as marriage present,
and which he helped her to beautify, SUI
perintending the cultivation of the fruits
and flowers the telling of the timber, the
planting out of the strawberries, and the
repairs and adornments of the house him
self They were a picture together-when
he was shuffling about in his grey dress
ing-gOwn, and she was in her white morn
ing robe, with her abundant hair fioatiLg
about her-sO long that she could throw it
round Lewis, and almost smother him
with (which made him look very foolish,
thought She petted Lewis in the most
ridiculous style, and made him dress like
page i'm burlesque. To me she was al
most as affectionatc as to her own son ; and
when | told her how ! was left an orphan
in my fourth year, and how | had not a re-
laiinn In tho ,rorld n hinr hot tcar from hnr