Los Angeles daily herald., 1873-11-16

upon their ears. In an instant, TWO
0rthree who were expert swimmers,
plunged into the river, and swan to-
wards the spot whence the eXclama-
ton had proceeded. One OF them was
within an arms length of Fortescuo--
he saw him; before he could be reach
ed, he went down, and his distracted
friend beheld the eddying circles of
the wave just over the spot where he
had sunk. He dived after him and
touched the bottom; but the tide
must have drifted the body Onwards,
for he could not be found! They pro-
ceeded to one of the nearest stations
where draws were kept, and having
procured all the apparatus necessary,
they returned to the fatal spot. After
the lapse Of above an hour, they sue
ceeded in raising the liteless body Of
their lost friend. All the usual reme-
dies were employed for restoring sus-.
pended animation, but in vain; and
they now pursued the remainder OF
their course to London, in moumtul
silence, with the corpse of him who
had commenced the day of pleasure
with them in the fullness of health, OF
spirits, and of life! Amid their severer
grief they could not but reflect how
soon one of the joyous twelve had
slipped out of the little circle.
The months rolled on, and cold De-
cember came with all its cheering
round of kindly greetings and merry
hOspitalities; and with it came the
softened recollection of poor FOrtescue;
eleven of the twelve assembled on the
last day of the year and it was impOs-
sible not to feel their loss as they sat
down to dinner. The very irregularity
of the table, six on one side, and only
five on the other, forced the melan-
chOly event on their memory.
There are few sorrows so stubborn
as to resist the united influence of
wine, circle of select friends, and a
season of prospective gaiety. "A dec
orOus sigh or two, Il few becoming
calculations, and an instructive Obser-
vatiOn on the uncertainty of life,
made up the sum of the pOsthumOus
"Offerings to the remains of poor
George FOrtescue' as they proceeded
to discharge the more important du-
ties for which they had met. BY the
time the third glass of champagne
had gone rOund in addition to sundry
potatiOns of fine old hook, and "cap-
ital Madeira they had ceased to dis
cover anything so pathetic in the in
equality of the two sides of the table,
or so melancholy in their crippled
number of eleven.
[The rest of the evening passed off
very pleasantly in conversation, good
humored enjoyment, and cOnviviality,
and it was not till II o'clock that poor
George FOrtescue was remembered.
They all agreed at parting, how
ever, that they had never passed such
a happy day, congratulated each 9th
er upon instituting so delightful a
meeting, and promised to be punctual
to their appointment the ensuing
evening, when they were to celebrate
the new year, whose entrance they
had welcomed in bumpers of good
claret, as the watchman bawled
"twelve O'clockw beneath the win
dow. -..I
They met accordingly, and their
gaiety was without any alloy or draw
back. 1t was only the first time of
their assembling since the death OF
poor George Fortescue, that made the
recollection of it painful; for, though
but few hours had intervened, they
now took their seats at the table as If
eleven had been their original num-
Der and as if all were there who had
ever been expected to be there.
1t is thus in everything; The first
time a man enters prison-the first
book an author writes-the first pic
ture an artist executes--the first bat
tie general wins-nay, the first time
a rogue is hanged-(fOr a rotten rope
may provide second performance,
even Of that ceremony, with all its
singleness of character)-differ incOn-
ceiVably from their first repetition.
There is charm, spell, novelty,
freshness, delight, inseparable
from the first experience, Changing
always excepted, be it remembered }
which no art or circumstance can im-
part to the second. And it is the
same in all the darker traits of life.
There is q poigancy and anguish in
the first assaults of sorrow, that is
never found afterwards. In every
case, it is simply that the first fine
edge of our feelings has been taken
off, and that it can never be restored.
Several years had elapsed and our
eleven friends kept up their double
anniversaries, as they might aptly
enough be called, with scarcely any
perceptible change. But alas! there
came one dinner at last, which was
darkened by q calamity they never
expected to witness, for on that very
day their friend, companion, brother
almost, was hanged!-Yes Stephen
Rowland, the wit, the oracle, the life
of their little circle, had, on the morn
ing of that day, forfeited his life on
a public scaff0ld, for having made one
stroke of his pen in a wrong place.
In other words, a bill of exchange
for G70O passed out of his hands for
G17O0: he having drawn the important
little prefix to the hundreds; and the
bill being paid at the bankers without
examining the words of it. The for
gerry was covered-brought home
to Rowland-and though the greatest
| interest was used to obtain the re-
mission of the penalty, poor Stephen
Rowland was hanged. Everybody
pitied him and nobody could tell why
he did it. He was not poor; he was
not a gambler; he was not q specula-
tor; but Phrenology settled it. The
organ of dcquisitiveness was discOv-
cred in his head, after his execution,
as large as pigeons egg. He could
not help it. ~ WE 1t
1t would be injustice to the ten to
say, that even wine, friendship and a
merry session, could dispel the gloom
which pervaded the dinner. 1t was
agreed beforehand that they should
not refer to the distressing and mel
! anchOly theme: and having interdict-