Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-07-22

familiar with some OF the lucluentS VIC are nv"
relating. They have often seen i'll the twilight
Of summer evenings singular apparltlot.
Suddenly, on the banquette of Music street has
appeared an old man, with long gray hair, and
clad in the costume OF halt Il century ago. Ihe
garments were faded and worn, but revealed
4 richness which in earlier days was more htted
for court than an American metropolis Ic
was a very tall man, although hunchback,
and but for the deformity would have been
Of gigantic proportions In the breadth OF
shoulders, the deep powerful chest, and long
nervous arms resided marvellous strength, while
the lower limbs, fashioned In magnificent
strength and beauty arrested attention and
commanded admiration wherever he appeared.
lie spoke to no one, looked at no one, but IN
silent abstraction pursued his lonely walk tar
into the night Years went by, and night at
ter night little children paused in their play to
watch the receding figure Of the lonely man.
II must have been forty years ago that he
first came among us. He looked middle aged
then but as the years flew by the sturdy
frame remained flexible aud active, but the
hair grew gray and his face was scanned with
wrinkles
He lived in little brick building that set
lack from the street Wild vines crept over
the crumbling tiles and wreathed fantastic
shapes on the chimney tops. In the yard
beautiful flowers bloomed all the year round,
aud their rich perfume made the air sensuous
and sweet. At window shaded by trells
work, hid in the bloom of roses, the old man
sat of afternoons and watched the suns de-
cline. No one else was ever seen IN the house
no one ever crossed the threshold and SO
he lived, 4 smileless, sad old man, in L lonely
house.
But one day, not great while since, the
neighbors saw that the blinds III the house
were closed. The old man had not appeared
Oh the street for weeks, and the grass had be-
gun to grow from the chinks of the marble
Slabs ut his door, and it began to be whispered
about that the old man was dead.
At last, one day, the neighbors went in they
were poor people, but kindly and true); Sure
enough he was dead. lie lay pallid and stark
ona pallet of straw. There were few scatter
cd chairs around the room and a plain table.
One only object arrested the eye Near the
body was rich casket, set in mother OF pearl
and gold. Jewels flashed from the costly lid,
and wreathed in the dust Of diamonds were en-.
rraved the Lilies of France in q coronet OF
gold. They opened the box and there flashed
on thier eyes the Bourbon diadem. 1t was
stolen the night of the 10th Of August 1880,
when Chaes the Tenteh abdcatcd the throue
Of France in favor of the Duke Of Bordeaux.
Underneath it was manuscript, written in
French. 1t contained only these words
II am Charette the Fendean General. Ma
ria of Savoy was to have been my wife. She
was taken from ne and given to the Comte
d'Artois. | could have forgiven this. but ne
deserted ME when most needed his help and
assistance I reyenged myself and procured
his overthrow, and am happy since he died IN
exile"
This was all, Over his life silence now
draws veil. His way%ard passions, his IN,
ward conflicts, none can estimate. Lonely and
sad he perished in exile; none could appreciate
his injuries let none judge too harshly OF his
life
WRITING FOR THE PAPERs.-One OF the
most laborious of editorial duties is the examl
nation of volunteered manuscripts There are
many who, at some period of their lives, ar(
afflicted with as irrepressible mania for seeing
themselves in print as young maiden is suppo
sed to have for beholding herself in a looking
glass. This is not the only grievance which al
hicts the souls of the conductors of newspa
pers. The New York Tribune remarks thai
the young persons who believe they have a
mission to write verses, the women who want
to support themselves by selling compositions
to the newspapers, and the scores OF people
with bees in their bonnets who compose pom
derous essays on incomprehensibc Subjects arc
serious affections. -Bol'imore SIN.
There is another thing relative to the manu-
scripts which are accepted; and that is the
miserable chirography in which many Of them
are written Do authors know how much they
anuoy printers by sending unintellighle manu-
crpts to the press If they did they would
try and do better than they do and not be the
cause of many an oath and hearty wish that
the authors were in the bottomless pit, or some
other place of moderate torment.
REMARKABLE ROSE Bushes oldest
otall rose bushes is said to be one which is
trained upon one side of the cathedral OF the
tiildesheim, in Germany The root is buried
under the crypt, below the choir. The stem l:
a foot thick, and halt dozen branches near
y cover the eastern side Of the church, bear
ing countless flowers in summer. Its age Is un
Known, but documents exist which prove that
Bishop Hezilo, nearly thousand years ago
protected it by stone roof, which Is still eNtant
The largest rose bush is q white Banskla|s'
called after Lady Banks, in the Marine Gardel
at London, which was sent there, the hrSt O
It's kind in 1912, by Bonpland. Its numerou
branches some Of which measure elghteel
inches in circumference, cover an immense wal
t'a width of nearly sixty feet, and at times, IL
early spring as many as fifty thousand flower
have been counted on this queen OF all roses.
The PASSION PLAY-From the correspond
cnce Of the London papers we have tnll ae
counts of the success Of the Passion Play ii
Ammergau, in Bavaria, which commences
rarIy in June, and will be played throughou
the summer The performance, which is is re
FG;ated every ten years, was, twill be recoect
yd' to have taken place last year, when 1t wa
Interrupted by the breaking out OF the war
All the preparations having been made at con
Siderable expense royal permission has bee
obtained to carry out the programme durn
The present summer. The height Of the sea
%li Was expected to commence about the MID
uIe OF the present month, when the school,
IoSe, and to continue for three or four weeks
turing which time the little village will b
crowded. The play lasts from a. In. to p m