The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-01-30
THE PRESS.
Meerscllaun.
BY HENRY KINGSLEY.

singular substance DeloTe LlSilSn Sclellce
stepped in and called it ''soap-stone."
Forty wears ago it was not much known in
England: now, combined with amber, it is in
Ibe mouth of half the lawyers clerks in
London. 1t Is wondrous vehicle for to-
bacco: better even than the root ofthe 6rAy-
ere or wooden pipe, which is made OF the root
of the Mediterranean heath, but the name OF
which has been vulgarized into 'brlerr root,
and is derived, after all, from the welsh
''brwg," heather. We repeat that meerchaum
is the best vehicle for tobacco. ana now tlie
question rises, what is the best tooacco 10
put in it? The, milder, we should say, Inc
better. Such tobacco as we have lusl III VIII
hurt no one. Puff! there goes the cloud.
How it rolls up and and obscures the prints
which hang before me! the dead emperor,
with the crucifix on his breast, is no longer
visible. the woman looking for the piece OF
silver has her lamp put out. Lord Dutferln,
Bishop Wilberforce, Sis Bartlett Frere, Sir Gil
bert Scott, have disappeared; Anne Boleyn
was being arrested just now; we suppose
they have carried her off. The smoke swellS
like storm-clouds, and rolls about like ocean
waves, width no obvious figure at first Stay;
there is one forming, growing more real every
instant-now distinct as he was years ago.
A boy, large for his age, say about twelve,
with very bold, fearless, courageous, handsome
features, and most remarkable eyes; head well
shaped and well set on, curley crop OF hne
hair in want of the barber; dress, two gar
ments only, a ragged shirt with no buttons,
and an old pair of footman's breeches with
but few buttons.
There he stands at the end of the bench,
just come in, holding his breeches s ana snlre
together with a clutch with his left hand on
his left hip. We have never seen him before,
On the tramp? No; his well-shaped feet
shows signs of it. A thief? No; he would be
better dressed. Tried with hymn-book up
side down, he knows no difference, but says
he came there to see if the gentlemen would
teach him something to get his living by.
This demand for technical education being
pretermitted until the proper time, the boy Is
asked if he knows any thing; he replies that
he learned some of the Catechism once.
Here Is an opening. 3.IEDsE G1ff}e
"What is your name ~
eWho gave you that name?"
"Judas Iscariot." ia'r-t ia
This would not do by any means. There
was burst oflaughter from the. more bols-
ferrous of the Field Lane boys, and the interro-
CATER was about to suggest more private in
tervew, when Meerschaun explained further,
with the most perfect amiability:ssl
at amt his name, but they give him that
name because. it was wrote. up similar over
her trouble because Akers wouldn't give her
evidence; which Tcould have given the same
evidence asIwbat he did, but the magistrate
wouldn't let me, cause he said didn't know
the nature of cath. ought to, for | have
heard as many swore as he has. Know the
nature of an oath! why, l could swear as
many as a clever gentleman like you. But
don't do it, because Judas says God will be
angry with you for it, and"
Meerschaum was proceeding into theolog-
ical regions far Leyond the farthest flight OF
his -questioners, when the Evening Hymn
wassstarted,s previous TO the closing prayer,
which was fortunate for one of the two par
ties in conversation, at all events. Before
the bows were sent to bed the original inter-
rogator of Meerschaum and the manager had
an interview with the boy. II
Father had been a sailor, drowned. Moth,
er had been very Kind tohim, until the Judge
gave her six years about bad halt crown;
they were always giving his mother bad mon
ey. Any relations? An aunt, married at
Gravesend, but no good, at least to him. He
wanted to learn TRACE. Would he be good?
If he hadn't wanted to be good he wouldn't
have come here; if he wanted to be bad he
might have gone to heaps of places. Wanted
to De like his father; wanted to be like the
good gentleman that, old Judas told him
about-Jesus Christ. What did he know
about Him? Nothing, except he was good
gentleman without any money; though he
would have helped him to learn trade if he
had been alive, but he was dead now, though
Judas said he was coming alive again. Wished
heswould come soon thought he was very
much wanted, Asked as to the character of
whom he had SO often mentioned as Judas,
he replied that he was general cove who
lived in Gravel Lane with a young girl the
same age as he. Meerschaum, was. The BOY,
was dismissed to bed. f-N rsTTlg 4, 4
The original interlocutor and the manager
merely nodded their heads at one another.
The former said the ''Great Queen street, OF
eoulse;' and the latter said, "Of course"
Then the interlocuor took his hymn-book
and departed up harrington street, past Cold
bath Fields Prison toward his home at High
gate, praying for compulsory education, de-
nominatfsnal or other, an any price.
Before he was well past Kings Cross, look
ing for an omnibus, the manager had gone in
with his lamp. to see if the boys we're
asleep gMeersehaum emphatically was; he
had put on clean shirt provided for Elm,
and was lying on his back, picture of inno-
cence and beauty among the more squalid
and meaner faces around him. The shirt he
wore was too small for him, and he had pulled
it up until his left forearm was barred. On
it, done in gunpowder, probably by he sailor
father, was the initials M. D. -.-F-x1.s -
Shortlysafter the manager slept the sleep
of the just and the next day Field Lane knew
Meerschaum no more he was absorbed into
Great Queen street, into the home for house
less boys, an Institution which honors ITSELF
while it disgraces the state which so feebly
supports it, al.I..stg aglf gfssiE i,lLf,
After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes
the French Protestants fled away, Ike storm
birds in yale of wind in spring-time to find
the nearest place in which they could make
their nests. The nearest place for many OF
them was the east of London and in Spital-
fields, where we may find them still, or, to be
more correct, their descendants. grs...tt.
The Couliers came theresat the Revocation !;
they were Dieppe people, and worked at ivo-
ry. Long after the revocation of The Edict,
even after the Great Revolution, itself had
been forgotten, the name Coulter stood over
the shop in the east. and in part which was
then a suburb. They were in their way what
the Childs are in the banking way
1t was never known, and will never be
known, exactly what money they made, bat
at the end of the first half of this century
their business had utterly declined. There
was little dusty ivory-work still in the win
dow, but no one went in to buy it, and if
any one had, old Jerome Coulter would have
asked hin six times its price, and then have
made faces at him. Jerome Coulter was sup
posed to be the last of the whole family. He
was very old and morose. He lived wholly
alone in his house, doing even his own house
work. He was deeply pitied by his neigh
bors, for the story of his life was too well
known by repute about there, and had been
more than once confirmed from his own
mouth. In an evil hour, when pressed for
money, he had, for the sake of ten years
more life, sold bis soul to the devil in consid-
Grafton of ten silver forks and fish-slice,
which he 'afterward discovered to be plated
The neighbors were very sorry when the
devil took him off one windy night, because
the devils money is better than nobody's
money; and in spite of his bad bargain
about the silyer.forks and the fish slice, be
had money out at interest somewhere, and,
instead of keeping it, to himself he used to
give tito lbs neighbors when they had need
OF it. Mrs. Nym said that that was to try
and save his soul from his most unfortunate
bargain. Mrs. Brough would never believe
word about the whole story, but insisted that
ifsold Jerome had sold himself to any one, it
was to God, and not to the devil. Neighbors,
however, like to talk aboat neighbors, and as
what they say is never trne, it all comes to
the same thing in the end. 4
Jerome died, and The next day young gen.
tleman from Albert Gate appeared; the solicit
tor of the French embassy accompanied him.
Then the old man was buried, but the old
house was only shut up for a few days. its
new occupant was coming. He was fully in
ductad aud mt in r1osSaSSion No alteration