Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-08-26
BACK WINDOWS.

ADfll II, 1S-.-ln utter eftftuE anu ues-
peration | have at last begun diary.
Did / ever believe that could descend
to such a missish expedient? But no one
knows what he is capable OF until he tries,
and +" the times that try mems souls" de
velop strange and unsupported resources.
Is this one of the aforesaid times ~
Well, all things considered, | should
rather say it is. Here am / Philip Leigh,
an utter stranger in the city, just about
launching on commercial career under
the most favorable auspices, eager-heart-
ed as a boy when first he leaves his
fathers field" and all the resto it. That
is what / was two weeks ago, and the
first clause still holds good. What am |
now? A bundle of aches, thing of
nerves and sensibilities. Bah! what is
manhood worth if slip on bit of orange
peel, a twist OF the knee, can reduce one
to such a pititul level?
No use grumblingg No, my philo.
sophie soul Would that you always ruled
this immortal Hane! Unluckily, you
don't. Human nature is weak, given to
repinings. and much haunted by black
specters of gloom and enaui. What de-
lenses have / against their too frequent in
cursions? Plenty Of pens and paper. GER
tainly, but to what use? Ihave no friends
TO whom care to pour out my woes
which is lucky for the friends. Books
my library is certainly limited. did not
come here TO lead bookish life, and be-
yond Bible, Shakespeare, and one or
two other volumes my shelves are bare.
Women never seem at a loss to dispose
Of their time. What do they do, l won
derg Sew, / suppose; but, alas! that
panacea is denied me. Oh, my mother
and my reverend grandmother, why did
you let me go out into the world thus un-
provided for?
Well, if / am to write diary some
thing must be written; that Is clear.
Shall feel my mental pulse and record
its variations with tender solicitudes
Hardly, think, for have a strong con-
yiction that " that way madness lies" and
what am specially beginning this diary
for is to avoid morbid inspections and inn
aginings.
What then? to journey round my room
after the fashion of Lemaistres Genius
might extract something from the aspect
of bachelors room, in the three pair
back" OF New York clearinghouse, but
| confess that it is quite beyond my ablli
ties. 1t is all new and prim. ! have had
no time to fit myself to my nook, nor my
nook to me.
Well, then, outside. Outside there are
yards-city yards-and a row of houses
with that wrong-side-out look peculiar to
the backs of city houses. The fronts are
brown stone, know. Are the characters
OF the inhabitants as different In the front
and rear, | wonder? Have they all back
doors, where the mean little higgling vices
come and go, while tire lordly virtues stalk
grandly up and down the front steps
How much could one learn OF ones neigh
Dors characters from these same litera
back-doors, wonder?
The house opposite looks rather more
attractive, or less repulsive, than the rest
The scrap Of grass-plot Is fresh ano
green, and the borders are brown with the
rich tinge Of newly-raked mold. TIVE
children are skirmishing about the yart
with the futile bowls TO which boys of {
tender age are so marvelously addicted.
Ettav' calls one of them in shril
squeal
"A girls head appears at the window
above.
MY fish has come unburiedr' plant
lngly walls the infant, who has been close
ly examining spot OF ground out OF nj,
range Of sight.
Eta" laughs.
Bury ii over again, then" she calls
in one Of those sweet, w-pitched voice
which, be they raised never so high, d.
not jar upon the nerves