New-York tribune., 1874-10-23

mlIos passing unuer Two Urluge5 Dy ho way mn
Tosh looks he fances that he dscerns. at the fur
ther extremity of its dark length. faint spark OF
light. 1t is the lantern Of the steam-tug approach
ing with the canal-boat in tow.
Tosh is neither surprised nor alarmed. he docs
not b,anch. and tremble, and scream with terrorj
does not even set bis teeth and resolve to demean
himself AZ brave man should violent death
NAV be but dozen minutes OF. yet T0sh stands as
indifferent az idle as sleepy as though hfty years
remained for him to prepare in. He has seen tue
same tue pass innumerable times bef0re-yes and
with the identical canal boats in tow. 1t is nothing
TO him. Yet some lazy impulse brings him out OF
his box: be crosses the breadth of tho bridge and
leans over the parapet, making bet with himself
perhaps, az to how long the tug, with its convoy,
will be 10 reaching the bridge. How long it bel
Tosh lazily pulls out his watch and looks at IT,
Seventeen minutes to five. Six minutes, as he cal
culates, must pass before that distant spark
of light reaches him. All. Tosh. That spark
slowly enlarging as you gaze upon IL,
Is the eve of destiny! Does its light
strike no dim prophetic horror through your heart
Not a bit. Tosh taps his foot idly on the massive
bridge; how strong it is-permanent as the earth
itself An earthquake would scarcely shake it. And
the canal-t seems to have lain there in its stone
bordered channel, ever since time began doubtless
il will continue, as quiet and unchanged ages after
Tosh has in due season. been gathered to his fathers
These trees along the banks. which have already
grown to so goodly size, will be half as tall again,
and five times as big Of girh: and still the old canal
will glisten beneath them. aud perhaps reflect the
face of some future Tosh peering like his progentor
over the ancient parapet Of the bridge. Here Mr.
Tosh yawns audibly. Is that your last yawn, Tosh
Truly though, life is very stupid affair-has not
half so much variety as it might have. Everything
goes ON the same from day to day. little excite
acknowledgement freshen one up wonderfully.
Tosh has had ill-luck; has not seen go much as
fight for month past. And this last night. 1t seems
to Tosh has been tho dullest, the most uneventfui
of any he can remember. There has not been
sound-an incident. He would do better to takea
position as captain of of these canal-boats by
the way. Tosh, what time is itf Only fourteen and
a half minutes to fivef How lazily these minutes
pass to be sure! And you will be little out in your
calculation; the tug will not be here for full four
and half minutes, you may rely upon 1t. You have
lost that pint of beer you wagered with yourself
Just now. What bad luck you have, Tosh Sud-
denly and without the smallest premOnition,
TOsh puts up his watch, buttons his coat
over it, puts his hands in his pockets, and
walks rapidly away. He leaves the bridge. gains
the mainland and hastens with sharp steps along the
footway He passes the convoy of boats and fancies
but cannot be sure that there is slight disturb
ance-a nervous moving hither and thither of two
or three dark fgnres-on board the last but one OF
the canal-boats Is anything amiss or are the men
only larkingf Two minutes more, and all London
hears the upshot of that lark"
But Tosh escaped. Why. neither he nor any one
else will ever know. 1t was the reasoness, inexpli-
cable whm of moment something as trihing,
doubtless, as touch of pettshness at the miscar-
lUA N
"make it up" by taking ten minutes grace and going
to call his SUCCESSOR instead of waiting to be regu-
larly relieved. That odd ten minutes probably did
not seem of much account to Tcsh, one way or the
.other-at the time
= The actual effects of the gunpOwder were confined
to the bridge and the boat the rest of the damage
was occasioned merely by the upward rush and con-
cussion of the atmosphere The trees in the neigh
borhood were completely stripped of leaves and
bark, and three or four were wrenched Of and
thrown away. As looked at them in the rain the
next morning they seemed to have been dead for
years. As for the houses which faced the scene OF
the catastrophe they presented fantastic spectacle
of ruin. The entire facades were crushed III, as
though by the blows of giants club. Their appear
ance somewhat resembled that which would have
been brought about by bombardment or an earth
ouake: vet it was different from both. 1t was
our viewless and apparently impalpable atmosphere
The ton courses of brick WALL foot in thickness,
were shaken off. brass door-plate was twisted
from its screws A piece was blown out of a wooden
door. two inches thick and carried up stairs. Over
the entrance of one of the handsomest of the houses
and that which suffered most, was inscribed IN gold
letters the word "Salve." The unfortunate propri-
etor was unknowingly extending a welcome TO
destruction. Some distance off, on a side street,
was a shop which was very badly shattered. Its
sign read ironically as follows: Furniture made
and mended. Repairs of all kinds neatly and
promptly executed"
1t is curious how much the good appearance OF
house depends upon the integrity OF Its doors and
windows Houses are like men. who. be they never
so aristocratc. if they have their eyes blacked and
their teeth knocked out descend at once to the level
of blackguards so far looks 90. What has before
added to their respectablity-fne coat, tasteful
crayat. neat hat-now serves only to render them
the more disreputable. Violence is an ugly thing,
and makes its victims ugly as itself.
There is a strange fascination connected with ali
exhibitions of superhuman, uncomfortable force; !;
the crowd which thrOnged everywhere was witness
of it. On the first day, it was mostly composed OF
rouQhs who seemed to have been attracted from
their lairs by the breaking loose of something
conpenial to their natures They were, in
general, anything but compassionate or SYM
pathetic. They grinned at the smashed
windows, and then turned to grin at one an
Other and pass joke. "Say, 'arryp roared one
fellow, across the crowd, don't We wish we was
elaziersr At this there was great laugh. Indeed
the GLACIERS had o thriving time of it; an army of
them collected from all parts of London, and every
house for mile round had one or more sitting on
its window-sills, busy with hammer and putty
Furniture movers were likewise in requsition. SO
many houses being temporarily uninhabtabe; they