The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-06-11

ley IN sensitive point. he admired
ladies with the enthusiasm of a youth
Of twenty years, and was anxious to
have their good opinion. He could not
bear their ridicule. He hung his head,
and felt that he was dsgraced for all
time and yet he could not close his
ears.
What can possess man to do such
a thing p
"Why, Clara, that is young Sparks,
who graduated in our class last winter"
SIS it? | do believe it is. What
could have brought him down 50 low
Drink, | suppose" "
How can such a strong, healthy,
and good.looking man make himself so
ridiculous He hasn't an atom OF
pride"
SO commented the audience on the
street, at windows, in doors, while all
the time the miserable performer did
his duty on the sidewalk.
The scavengers stopped to laugh and
ridicule. They could not understand
how a man could stoop to such a busi-
ness. The chain gang FROM the jail
sneered and ieered at him. The walters
at the restaurants and hotels the men
shoveling coal the hodcarriers OF new
buildings; the applo-women, and the
very beggGrs, all joined in coarse Jokes
and loud laughs at his expense. Char
ley was severely tried. A hundred times
he caught the cards to throw them OIL,
but the thought of the situation at home
nprypd him TO do ANYTHING
When he reported i'll the evening, he
found that only one other man had
stood the test with him. He was to re-
ceve his pay after the performance Mt
night--after the people had seen his
ghost. He was not only to be laughed
at on the street, but was to be critically
examined by the most intelligent audi
cnce that could be assembled in the
city He wondered if his aunt would
have done such thing, and would she
approve his action this day? Would the
feeling that had animated him pass for
pluck or for in ensibility?
That night young Sparks wns behind
the scenes. He was TO appear in several
ghost scenes, and was to take part i'll
several interesting manmuvres. The
people saw his image appear in air on
the stage, disappear and reappear, They
saw his ghost pitilessly plain, and stud
led every feature and the cut of his gar
ments. As he stood behind the curtain,
attitudinizing before the glass or mir
ror, which showed his image III air, he
was disconnected By the calls and cries
from the gallery:
"There he is (" "That's the fellow I"
Glow are you, Sparks p etc, and was
as much disconnected by the whispered
comments from the more respectable
part OF the audience. He INDUCED in
one look Of fierce contempt just pre-
vious to his final disappearance, and
while the audience were trying to nc
count for this, received his dollar and n
half and left the building,
His aunt read, the next morning, in
her borrowed paper, facetious account
of the iourneyings of the ghost adVer-
tisers the day before, and she inclined
to the opinion that the men deserved all
the censure and ridicule. When Charley
announced that he was one of the lin
fortunates, she was scandalized. 1t
would have been better to have shovcled
coal ell day, she thought.
"Just so" remarked her nephew ;
"but where was the coal ?"
Charley wondered scriousl = what the
outcome would be, however. Would
his venture in the ghost business make
better or worse his chances to secure
employment? This was what concerned
him. People who had never noticed
him before noticed him next day. Gen.
tlemen aud ladies stole glances at him,
and children did not hesitate to call at.
tention to him as the ghost. Nobody
cared for him personally, nor for his
troubles. They paid no more attention
to his applications for employment than
if he had been Neritable, airy nothing
He didn't frighten any one, but he failed
to convince any one that he was a crea
ture of flesh and blood in distress.
But he did secure employment. Some
shrewd tradesman took advantage Of hit
notoriety, and employed him as ushel
in his dry goods store. charley under
stood why he was employed; and al
though the whole transaction was often
sive, he saw that his entire stock il
trade consisted of his ghost reputation
and that he must take advantage of it
He was the tigurehead to laugh at TO
week, and then he did not care whethe
people laughed or frowned--he had hi
situation.
His one companion in the ghost bust
ness was in disgrace. He had beel
willing to masquerade OH the street TO
money enough to buy his supper ant
liquor enough to become intoxicated
The next step was the city prison, an'
his case was paraded in the papers. 0
course the inference was that the othe
man was animated by no higher motive
But the story, as narrated by Mis-
Jane Ann Sparks, became, in good time
part of the current talk at a ChurcI
social; was referred to as striking ex
ample of pluck at workingmens meet
ings was enlarged upon by impressibl
and enthusiastic young ladies' was quo
t ted often by Charley's intimate friends
and finally young Mr.. Sparks locke
back upon his ghost venture as one O
, the lucky steps of his life. But he los
. his peace of mind for two weeks an
0 lost his first and only sweetheart, pi
G auant little hirt of sixteen, who dis
: missed him with the information tha
r she would not be seen with him for any
thing. And this, any young man wi
r testify, was sufficiently severe and pos
e sibly the story of young Mr.. Spark
could not be stopped at more provoh
/ ing point than here-where it naturall
: ends.
o 1t appears that Spain has deter
e mined to make the United States ie'
T. that the encouragement of Cuban insul
s gents is costly business. There are
!. be heavier taxes on Cuban exports, an
. - oo,,,,nooro of the prOductS