The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-02-26
POL

al, as all Ill IL lever, but ue was Sooi' ti>
laid he was sorry to disturb me, but as he
was passing he noticed that | needed some
lightning rods. | said, "Yes, yes-go on
what about it ~ He said there was
nothing about it, in notwithstanding
except that he would like to put them up
for me | am new to Housekeeping; have
been used to hotels and boarding houses
all my life Like anybody else of similar
experiences, try to appear Ito strangers
| to be an old housekeeper; consequently
said in an off hand way that had been III
| tending for some time to have SIX or el9h'
liohtninp rods put up, but The stranger
started, and looked inquiringly at me, but
| | was serene ! thought that if CHANGED /
TO make any mistakes, he would not catch
me by my countenance. He said he would
rather have my custom than any man IN
town. said, " All right and started oil
to wrestle with my great subject again,
when he called me back and said it would
be necessary to know exactly how many
"points | wanted put up, what parts oil
the house | wanted them on. and what
quality of rod | preferred. 1t was close
quarters for a man not used to the exigen-
cies of housekeeping; but l went through
creditably, and he probably never suspect
ed that | was novice. | told him to put
up eight "points," and put them all on the
roof, and use the best quality OF rod lie
said he could furnish the "plain y article
at 90 cents a foot; " coppered,' % cents;
:. zinc. plated spiral twist, at 80 cents, that
wouId stop a streak of lightning any time,
no matter where it was bound, and "ren-
der its errand harmless and its further pro-
cress apocryphal.' | said apocryphal was
no slonch Of a word, emanating from the
source it did, but, philology aside, | liked
the spiral twist and would take that brand.
Then he said he could make two hundred
, and fifty feet answer; but to do 1t right,
and make the best job in town OF 1t, ana
attract the admiration of the Just and the
unjust alike, and compel all parties to say
they never saw a more symmetrical and
0 hvnothetical display of lightning rods since
a they were born, he supposed he really
! couldn't get along without four hundred,
though he was not vindictive, and trusted
he was willing to try. l SAID, go aheaa
and use four hundred, and make any klhd
of \ lob he pleased out of it, but let me
oct back to nav work SO got rid of him
t at last: and now, after half an hour spent
!, in getting my train of political economy
/. thoughts coupled together again, l am
> ready to go on once more.
d richest treasures OF their genius, their ex'
Is perience of life, and their learning. The
If great lights of commercial jurisprudence,
is international confraternity, and biological
,s deviation, of all ages, all civilizations, and
:, all nationalities, from Zoroaster down te
s Horace Greeley, have
I'd TUere | was interrupted again, and re
II uuired to 90 down and confer further VIII
at the lightning rod man. l hurried off, boil
ii ing and surging with prodlglous thoughts
N wombed in words of such majesty tina
II | ~. ~, OF
H. procession of syllabes that might be fiji
at teen minutes passing given point, ano
r, once more | confronted him-he so calm
y and sweet, | SO hot and frenzied. He wa
standing in the contcmplative attitude
re- the Colossus of Rhodes, with one foot OF
re. my infant tuberose, and the other amohS
&c nv pansies, his hands on his hips, his hat
d' brim tilted forward, one eye shut and th
, me other gazing critically and admlrlngly II
the direction of my principal chimney
ali He said now there was state OF Things L
" make man glad to be alive; and added
81 leave it to uou if you ever saw anythin
he more delriously picturesque than elgh
to lightning rods on one chimney? said
nc had no present recollection of anythn
that transcribed it. He said that in hi
~ opinion nothing on earth but Niagara Fall
ny was superior to it in the way oil mature
en- scenery. All that was needed now, Il
r. verify believed to make my house perfet
j. balm to the eye, was to kind of touch u
w. the other chimneys little, and thus ad
he to the generous coup dell soothing un
ng formity of achievement which would ALA
itv the excitement naturally consequent upo
- the first coup d'tat.' | asked him If h
IA learned to talk out of a book, and II
Isl could borrow it anywhere? He smile
a pleasantly. and said that his manner {
pd speaking was not taught i'll books, and thu
:, nothing but familiarity with llghtnln
a' could enable a man to handle his convers;
on tional style with IMMUNITY. lie then nj
led ured ND an estimate, and said that abol
"A eight more rods scattered about my ro
49, would about fix me right, and he guesse
my five hundred feet of stuff would do 1t; al
ao- added that the first eight had got lit
vas the start of him, so TO speak, and used U
the a tritie of material more than he had ca
-, culated on-a hundred feet or along Their
tne | said ! was in a dreadful hurry, and
MIR. wished we could get this business perm
nently mapped out, so that could go
with nv work. He said, 81 could ha
on put up those eight rods, and marched {
a. about nv business-some men icoutd ha
ser done it. But no: | said to myself, IL
sn nI man is stranger to me, and will die
y as fore I'll wrong him; there amt iightnll
my rods enough on that house, and for one
Won never stir out of my tracks till I've do
dis as | would be done by, and told him {
the Stranger, my duty is accomplished; II t