The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-10-13
Odd Characters.

In "Cewick's Life and Letters, "
very entertaining book, We find
many anecdotes OF .celebrated charac-
ters. OF WiIkie, the painter, it is
said that he was tall, ungainly, and
awkward in his manner, and, though
not quite deserving the description of
Mrs. Flynn, the beautiful house
keeper at Castle Howard, who spoke
of him as the "ugliest man she had
ever seem" he was by no means the
gOIden-iiaired Adonis his fellow
countryman, Allan Cunningham,
would have liked to make him. He
had rather a drawling, hesitating
speech, and when in close argument
would forget himself, and the twang
of his Northern tongue was very
strong. Indeed, he was never quite
free from it, although he could not
be persuaded that it was possible for
any one to discover by his speech
that he was NOrthcrner, and he
sometimes got out of humor when
told oft. Hayden would laugh at his
provoked expression when he twittcd
him with his Scotch accent, and
Wilkie would insist on his pronunci-
alton being "pure English" Hay
don would cry out, "Iia, ha, ha, what
a deIusion!n and rs WiIkie became
warm and vcxcd his native Scotch
was evident enough. Hayden would
then repeat and initiate the broad in
tOnation of particular expression
Wilkie had, i'm his heat, allowed to
slip out, When he found that he
could not edge off or get out of it in
any way, Wilkie would laugh too,
and return the quiz upon the Devon
shire peculiarities by saying, "Well,
and gear tCW are Devonshire, and fan
cy, like Norticote, that you speak
pure English"
We are told of Hazlitt that the good
people of Melrose, when he walked
1eisurely through the town for the
first time, and alone, turned out in
a body to watch his turn, that they
might have sufficient opportunity
of scrutinizihg his person and be-
longings. He found them in ranks
or groups in front of their dwellings,
gaping and staring at him, as he told
me, "like so many idiots" Instead,
however, of taking no notice of this
provincial attention as complimenta-
ry to his popularity, he was highly
offended at the liberty taken with
him as stranger, and he made q full
stand, fronting round TO the principal
position of the enemy, and, with a
cOuntenancc full of Scorn and indig-
nation, he addressed them in loud
and laundering voice: "What the
devil do you see in me, you staring
hawbucks? Can not a stranger walk
through your town without exciting
this vacant and impertinent curiosity?
What is there for you to see, you gap
ing Scotch ninnies:?"
There is a capital sketch of Matu-
rim, who, by sticking a rcd wafer on
his forehead, used to signify to his
household his desire to he undisturbcd,
when he wished to be considered un-
dor the influence of poetic inspiration.
The author of Sic tragic and once
narrowing rDmanee Of "Melnoth''
greatly surprised our author by his
costume, appearance, and manners.
Coming TO him by appointment, j
found him waiting forinc, dressed up
for the occasion, IL courteous and
finished gentleman, pacing his draw
ing-rOom in elegant full dress, &
splendidly bound book laid open up
on cam5ric pocket-hankcrchief
laced round the edges, and scented
with odu dc Cologne, and held upon
both hands; q stylish new black wig
curled over his temples, his shirt col
lar reaching halfway up his face, ant
his attenuatcd checks rouged up {,
the eyes! 1t was perfect makeup
anj my chagrin was exceedingly
great. ! had expected to find hin
in a costume WHICH would hare heei
such as to aid The pociical character
in something Byronic and picturcsqu,
something suggestive of the person
ification of Ii Wild and romantic hero
cast i'm the sombre light and shape o
mysterious thought or ascCtic asperi
tx-D ~