Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-03-28


the frogs. I could not resist the temptation
of interiecting the very first sentence in
Anthon's Greek Reader:
'En,ctue miclrd mdnid estin.
("Intoxlcation is minor madness.")
He turned around sharply, but put on
an innocent face and pretended to be deep
in the contemplation of a jar of pickles in
the window. Presently 1 heard him MUIR
mur, without taking his eyes off the front
of the building:
"Qualnt old house that, sir? ?"
1 did not know whether he was solilo-
quzing or addressing me, but I answered
on chance.
"Most of the houses here are quaint"
"Then was right, sir 1 thought rec
ognized your face on the Harwch boat yes
terday. You are English" he continued,
turning towards me.
mo, sir"
"But you speak English WE'LL"
"Tbat is not the monopoly of English
men. I am cosmopolte, but by birth
Irish"
"Ahv'-and the little man chuckled.
"Beg pardon. Fine country Ireland, sir.
Produced some great men. Look at my
cloak, sir. I had that made in the house
where Edmund Burke was born in Dub
lin. Now, I'll be bound, though you are
Irish, YOU never wore a coat made where
| Burke was born"
"No," / answered "but 1 have had a
glass of beer in the house where Moore
was born"
"Really r. he said, grasping my hand.
"By cock and pie! I'm glad 10 meet you.
Would you mind takinga a glass Of gin with
me under that historic rooftree?"
consented, for 1 am always willing 10
study character, and we entered. After we
had sealed our acquaintance over the juni-
per berry, ventured TO ask him what he
meant by his quotation from Aristophanes.
"Ahr' he said, 'I was just rejecting
when you came up how those guide books
lie. Mine said frogs were plentiful in Hol-
land; and 1 was trying to recollect If
heard single croak Do you follow the
train of thought?"
"Perlectly. And now may 1 ask why
you, an Englishman, warmed to me, a
strangcr?"
| VI tNo iNboOhSi S"'' nv ii"hAiJ
"Frst for the general reason that you have
smattering of Greek, and judged from
that you were not pickpocket; and next,
| for the particular reason of that glass of
beer, and your coming TO see the house of
Erasmus. 1 saw you were congenial
spirit"
"Well, by Jovev 1 commenced, but he
interposed-
"Don't apologize. 1 have the same weak
ness myself. / visit the houses of all the
great men l an,"-and he opened his
mouth wide as the bell of a trombone!
was beginning TO think he was mad
"See my set of front teeth ?"
81 cannot bat help see them; and a beau
| tifnl set thew are"
"They are all false, sir. Had them put
in by Monick in Tours-the dentist that
lives in the house where Balzac was born"
"Yes, yes-in the Rue Royale, isn't it :?
have reason to know him. He drew one
of my molarsr'
Ny eccentric acquaintance almost en-
braced me. In company we returned to
the hotel, where before long our acquaint-
ance ripened into friendship. He gave me
pinch of perfumed rappee. and I gave
him choice Manila; we talked over the
Alabama question agreed in our estimate
of the claimant; drank Schiedam until we
felt kindly towards each other and all the
world besde and finally grew checrfully
loquacious on tho philosophy of death.
From death we ranged to differences of ma
tonal customs of burial. My friend was
full of the subject, and said among other
things he had come to Holland to find out
what an dnSpreker-as n sort of local un-
dertaker is called-was like. He some
what annoyed me by finding fault with
Charles Dickens for having forbid his
friends TO give him public funeral. "The
majesty of DEATH" he argued, "should be
respected" In talk like this the hours
with the mists of dawn, and tottered of
to bed to dream that I was the tenant of q
mummy case in the British museum.
Next forenoon we parted, 10 go to Am
sterdam, my eccentric friend to return to
London. Before he left he exacted prom
ise from me that / should write to him al
his place in Richmond when I got back to
town. did and the answer got was an
invite to dinner. "I want to see you par
ticularly. No swallow-taied ceremony
dear boy" the note ran. "The only lady
in our society will be my only daughter
The last line caused certain motion in my
breast. am bachelor. The old gentle.
man had evidently taken liking to me
He was educated and had the look of be-
ing rich-not that cared much for mon.
ey, or would marry any girl for the sake O
her fortune; but then, if the girl was hand
some, accomplished, and amiable, dowry
would be an additional recommendation
can put up with poverty, but don't like
it. have decided objection to wearing
paper collars or aluminium watches, writ
ing on post-c cards, or riding on the knift
board of an omnibus. l gave my thoughts
rein. Was she blonde or brown. Perhaps sh,
had red hair. Bah color was mere ques
ton of taste besides, had not Cleopatr;
red hair? I may as well blurt out th,
truth had made up my mind to Try very
hard to like old Eccentric's daughter, /
} she weren't downright fright
was punctual to the appointment, ant
not only did put on swallow tail, but
absolutely bad hot curling-tongs rur
through my hair, and borrowed a set o
shirt studs for the occasion.
: A certain nervous trepidation took pos
session of me as 1 rang the visitors bell u
! my hosts place in Richmond, which wa
just such snug, cozy place as an ideal ia
! ther-inlaw should have. He mot me a
the door, cordial and open-handed, ant
conducted me to the drawing room, wher
his daughter awaited me smiling welcome
know what you are thinking. can reat