The Portland daily press., 1873-12-20

was cold night-Iwent home and threw my
self on my miserable couch In other words
went to bed.
dozed and dreamed away the hours till
oay0leak.. Sometimes fancled myselt seat
ed in roaring circle, roasting chestnuts at
blazing log: at Others. that had fallen into
the Serpeftine while skating, and that the
Humane Society were ping uoon me a
p, On. or rather a Vesuvius of Blankets. /
aw, Ike lite refreshed. Alas! it was the
twenty nth of the month-It was Christmas
dayl Let the reader, it he possess the imag-
nation of Milton, conceive my sensations.
l swallowed an atom of dry toast-nothing
could calm the fever of my soul. l stirred the
fire and read Zimmerman alternately. Even
rtason--the last remedy one has recourse
to in such cases came at length to my relief;
l argued myself into philosophic fit But,
unluckily, Just as the Lethean tide within me
was at its height, my landlady broke in upon
my ethargy and chased away by a single
word all the little sprites and pleasures that
we've acting as my physicians, and prescribing
balm for my wounds. She paid me the usual
compliment, and then--'Do you dine at
home to-day, sir?" abruptly inquired she
Here was question. No Spanish inquisitor
ever inflicted such compete dismay in SO sholt
a sentence. Had she given me Sphynz to
expound. Gordian tangle to untwist; had
the way to Brobdignag; had she desired me
show her the North Pole, or the meaning of
a melodrama ANY or all of these l might
have accomplished But to request me to de-
fine my dinner--to inquire into its latitude
to compel me to fathom that sea of app.tite
which now felt rushing through my Frame
to ask me to dive INTO tuturity, and become
the prophet of pies and preserves My heart
died within me at the impossibility of reply.
Shp bod tod no r
could collect my senses around me. Then,
for the first time it occurred 10 me that, lin the
event of my haying no engagement abroad,
my land ady meant to invite me! There
will at least be the two daughters wills
pered to myself; ''and after all, Lucy Mat
thews is a charming girl, and touches the
harp divinely. She has very small, pretty
punctured by the needle-and rather think
she bites her nails. No, will not even now
give up my hope. 1t was yesterday but a
straw-to-day il is but the thistle-down; but
l will cling to it in the last moment. There
are still four hours left; they will not dine till
six. One desperate struggle, and the peril is
past: lei me not be seduced by this last gold
en- apple, and may yet win my race" The
struggle was made-'I should net dine at
home" This was the only phase left me:
for I could not say that 81 should dine out"
Alas! that an event should be at the same
time so doubtful and so desirable. I only
begged that if any letter arrived, it might be
brought to me Immediately.
The last plank, the last splinter, had now
given way beneath me. was floating about
with no hope but the chance of some
thing almost impossible. They had left
me alune,' not with my glory, but with an
appetite that resembled an avalanche seeking
whom it might devour. l had passed one
dinnerless day, and half of another; yet the
promised land was as far from sight as ever.
l recounted the chances had missed. The
dinners might have enjoyed, passed in a di
oranlc view before my eyes, Mr.. Phiggins
and his six clerks-the Chaplain beefeaters-
the charms of Upper Brook street-my plet-
ty. cousins, and the pantomime writer-the
stock-baoker, whose stories one forgets-and
the elderly lady who forgets her stories they
all marched by me, a procession of appari-
tons. Even my landlady's invitation, though
unborn, was not forgotten in summing up my
sacrifices. And for what?
Four o'clock. Hope was perfectly rldicu-
lcus. had been walking upon the hair
bridge over gull, and could not get into
Eysium after all. l had been catching moon
beam, and running after notes of music.
Despair was my only convenient refuge; no
chances remained, unless something should
drop from the clouds. In fhis last particular
l was not disappointed; for, on looking up
perceived a heavy shower of snow. 1 was
obliged to venture forth; for being supposed
to dine out l would not of course remain at
LONE. Where to go l knew not. was like
my first father-''the world was all before
me-" l flung my cloak round me, and hur-
ried forth with the feelings of bandit long
ng for stiletGo. AT the foot Of the stairs,
/ staggered against two or three smiling ras-
Gals, prding themselves upon their punct-
uaty. They had just arrived-to make the
tour of Turkey. How l hated them. As
rushed by the parlor, single glance disclosed
to me blazing fire, with Lucy and several
lovely creatures in a semi-circle Fancy. too,
gave me glimpse of sprig Of mistletoe Il
vanished from the house, like a spectre at
day-break.
How longI wandered about is doubtful. |
At last happened to look through kitchen |
window, with an area IN front, land saw a |
villain with a fork in his hand, throwing nim-
self back in his chair choked with ecstasy.
Another was feasting with a graver air.
he seemed to be swallowing bit of Paradise,
and criticsing its flavor. This was too much |
for mortality-my appetite fastened upon me
like an alligator. l darted from the spot;
and only a few yards further discerned a
house, with rather an elegant exterior, and
with some ham in the window that looked
perfectly sublime. There was no time for
consideration-to hesitate was to perish. l |
entered; it was indeed "a banquet hall de-
serted" The very walters had gone home
to their friends. There, however, found a
fire; and thereto sum up all my folly and
felicity in single wOrd.-I DINED.