Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-03-28
AN HOUR OF AGONY.

Has the reader ever had tussIe with
a Bengal tiger in full vigor and appe-
tite2 has it chanced him to be in a bal
loon when perforated by Prussian bull
lets? has it occurred to him to have been
lndulging commendable curiosity in
the remoter recess of coal mine, when
an explosion suddenly evered the con-
nection between himself and the world
without? These are forms of uneasiness
not to be lightly treated of. They
shrink into nothing beside that supreme
commlnghng of grief, astonishment,
and horror it was my lot to experience
on a certain never-to. be e-forgotten even
ing of January, 'forty-nine.
Times soothing influence has wrought
its accustomed effect. All bitterness,
all self-reproach, have died gradually
away. In place of that mental tumuit
which, for long period, attended the
remembrance of the incident in uues-
ton, now find myself able to narrate
with indifference to which but recently
my most intimate friends burst hardly
hazard an illusion.
The Guild of Lumpeters represents
one OF the most ancient and honored
OF London civic institutions. What
they are, Uhy they are, l have not the
remotest idea. Enough that, on GER
tain day in November, they are seen in
their glory, their banners brighter. their
bands brassier, their knights more cor
pulent, themselves sleeker and more
redolent of wealth than any of their
prosperous rivals. They have hall
solely, it would seem, for purposes of
hospitality They give dinners of in
conceivable succulency and toothsome-
ness. They invite mayors, nay, kings,
who don't always come, and princes,
who generally do. and they also invite
me. L go, for L like them. All the
Lumpeters of my acquaintance are
noble, large-heaIte ted men, citizen gem
tiemen, on whom London, in need of
arm or purse, might confidently rely. 1
think If l were other than what am,
would be Lumpeter.
Pretexts were never wanting for a
I.umpeter feed. The recovery of the
chief city magistrate from a bilious at
tack, the breaking up of the frost, the
birth of son and heir to the Ban of
Croatia, the arrival of piebald ele-
phant at the gardens of the Geological
Society, such were among the events
could recall as having suggested feastful
reJolclngs. But that to which I have
now to refer was to be regarded as
peculiar gathering, almost in point of
fact, a corporate family-feed, comprising
no more than ninety-five guests, select
ed with discrimination, for the purpose
OF testing the merits of new head
cook. Thus it had rather the nature of
a grave and dispassionate deliberation
titan of dinner, certain sense of re-
sponsibility toning down the exuberant
mirth that usually waited on these
p easant assemblies.
There were to be no speeches, no
music. The usual loyal toast; no more.
A bove all, no ladies. The presence of
beauty, chatting in the gallery, might
haply distract the attention of the
weaker brethren from the great object
OF the meeting.
The Lumpeters were particular-and
thought conservative in matters of
attire. They themselves to man ad-
hered to the fashion, moribund, but not
deiunct, of ankle buttoned pantaloons,
h=ured silk stockings, buckled shoes,
expansive white waistcoats, and the
mighty crayat patronized by his late