Litchfield enquirer., 1874-08-20

the inscription Excelsior Hall" No one was going in, but as stood there young man in a white overcoat, with his hat on his nose, came out and planted himself viciously, with tell-tale yawn, in the doorway The poor Colonel had lost an
 auditor. was determined he should have a substitute. Paying my fee and making
 my way into the room, I found that the situation was indeed one in which units rated high. There were not more than
 twenty people present, and the appearance of this meagre group was not in striking
 harmony with the statement on the placard without, that Professor
 Fargo's entertainment was thronged
 with the intellect and fashion of the me
 tropolis. The Professor was on the plat
 form, unfolding his budget of miracles;
 behind him, as at P. sat the Colonel
 and his daughter. The Professor was ev-
 idently depressed by the preponderance
 of empty benches, and carried off his rev
 elation with an indifferent grace Disap-
 pointment made him brutal. He was
 heavy, vulgar, slip-shod; he stumbled in
 his periods, and bungled more than once
 Tn his guesses when the the folded papers
 with the names were put into the hat. His
 brow wore vicious, sullen look, which
 seemed to deepen the expression of mel ancholy patience in his companions. I
 trembled for my friends. The Colonel
 had told mo that his bargain with the i'm
 presarlo was poor one, and was sure
 that If, when the Combination" was in
 a run of luck, as 1t had been at P, his
 dividend was scanty, he was paying
 heavy share of the penalty for the present
 eclipse of fortune. I sat doWl by the VUh hon
 thrifty dimness, so that had no fear of ly was reckless-a fact which rather pug zled me in so shrewd man. When he
 had brought his OWL performance to an
 unplauded close. instead of making his customary speech on behalf of his coad- tutor, he dropped into chair and gaped
 in the face of his audience. But the Co., lonel, after a pause, threw himself into the breach-or rather lowered himself in- to it with stately gravity-and addressed
 his humble listeners (half of whom were asleep) as if they had been the flower of the Intellect and Fashion. But if his manner was the old one, his discourse was new. He had too many ideas to re- peat himself, and, although those which
 he now attempted to expound were still above the level of my frivolous apprehen- sion, this unbargained abundance of in spiratiou falr convinced nc that his claim to original genius was just. If there had
 been something grotesquely sad in his ap- peal to the lrresponsivo intellect of P 1t was almost intolerably dismal to sit there and see him grappling with the dusky void of Excelsior Hall. The sleep CTS walked up, or tulned over, at least, when Miss Clifford came forward. She wore, as yet, neither pink dress nor an artificial garland, but it seemed to me that l detected here and there an embrv- onlc hint of these ornaments-a ruffle round her neck, a colored sash over her
 black dress, curl or two moro in her halr. But her manner was as childish, as simple and serene as ever; the empty benches had no weary meaning for her.
 l confess that in spite of my personal interest in my friend, the entertainment seemed wofully long; moro than once was on the point of departing, and await ing tho conclusion in the street. But had not the heart to infiict upon the poor Colonel the sight of rctreating specta- tor. When at last my twenty companions had shuffled away, made my way to tho platform and renewed acquaintance With the trio. The Professor nodded with un- compromising familiarity, tho Colonel cordially glad to see me, and his daugh- ter, as l made her my bow, gazed at me with even more than usual of her clear eyed rarkness. She seemed to wonder what my reappearance meant for them. 1t meant, to begin with, that went tho next day to sec the Colonel at his lodg- lngs. It was q terribly modest little lodg- ing, but he did mo the honors with a grace which showed that he had an old habit of hospitality. He admitted frank ly that the ''Combination" had lately been doing a very poor business, but ho made the admission with gloomy stoic- ism which showed mo that he had been looking the event full in the face, and had assented to it helplessly. They had gone their round in the country, with varying success. They had the misfortune to have circus keeping just in advance of them, and beside the gorgeous pictorial placards of this establishment, their owl superior promises, even when swimming in del uge of exclamation points, seemed pitiful- ly vague. "What are my daughter and l." said the Colonel, "after the educated elephant and the female trapezist? What even is the Professor, after the great American clown?" Their profits, however, had been kept fairly above the minimum, and victory would still have hovered about their banners if they had been con- tent to invoke her in the smaller towns. The Professor, however, in spite of re- monstrance. has suddenly steered for New York, and what New York was doing for them l had seen the night before, The last half dozen performances had not paid for the room and the gas. The Co., lonel told me that he was bound by con tract for five more lectures, but that when these were delivered he would dissolve the partnership. The Professor, in insisting on coming to the city, had show signal want of shrewdness: and when his shrewd- ness failed him, what had you left? What to attempt himself, the Colonel couldn't imagine. 'At the worst,' he sad, ''my daughter can go into an asylum, and ing him whether his colleague had vet es- tablished, according to his VOW, the yeri- ties of spiritual magnetism" |" he stared in surprise and seemed quite to have for gotten the Professors engagement to con- vert him. "Oh, I've let him off" he said, shaking his head. sHe was tipsy when he made the promise. and expect to hear no more about it.
 NoAJ 1NCy1 ssAASA OAAO RC1AOAtO OAt man was gloomy company; but his char acters and his fortunes had such mela@ choly interest that found time to pay him several visits. He evidently was thankful to be diverted from his sombre and his paternal anxie- ty, and, when once he was aronsed from the dogged resig nation in which he seem cd plunged, enjoyed vastly the chance to expatiate on his multitudinous and irreal- izable theories. Most of the time his meaning was Q cloud bank to me, but listened, assented, applauded; felt the charm of pure intellectual passion. I in- cline to believe that he had excogitated some extremely valuable ideas. We took long walks through the crowded streets. The Colonel was indefatigable, in spite of his leanness and pallor He strode along with great steps. talking so loud, half the time, in his high. quavering voice, that even the eager pedestrians in the lower attitudes of Broadway slackened pace to glance back at him. He declared that the crowded streets we him a strange exhil-