Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-12-01
THE OANVAssER's TALE.

THE OANVAssER's TALE.
Poor, sad-eyed stranger! There was
that about his humble mien, his tired
look, his decayed-gentility clothes, that
almost reached the mustard-seed of char
ity that still remained, remote and lone
ly, in the empty vastness of my heart,
notwithstanding l observed a portfolio
under his arm, and said to myself: Be-
hold, Providence hath delivered His serv-
ant into the hands of another canvasser.
Well, these people always get one in
terested. Before | well knew how it
came about, this one was telling me his
history, and was all attention and SYM
pathy. He told it something like this:
My parents died. alas, when | was a
little, sinless child. My Uncle Ithuriel
took me to his heart-und reared me as
his own. He was my only relative in the
wide world; but he was good and rich
and generous. He reared me in the lap
of luxury. ! knew no want that money
could satisfy.
In the fullness of time l was gradu-
ated, and went with two of my servants
my chamberlain and my valet-to
travel in foreign countries. During four
the beauteous gardens of the distant
strand, if you will permit this form of
speech in one whose tongue was ever at
tuned to poesy; and indeed l so speak
with confidence, as one unto his kind,
for / perceive by your eyes that you too,
sir, are gifted with the divine imitation
In those far lands l reveled in the am
brosial food that fructifies the soul, the
,sv,1 H. D,,A ..f
that which most appealed to my inborn
aesthetic taste was the prevailing
custom there, among the rich, of making
collections of elegant and costly rarities,
dainty Q6jets de Uertu, and in an evil
q hour tried to uplift my uncle Ithuriel
to a plane of sympathy with this eX-
quisite employment.
-' wrote and told him of one gentle.
mans vast collection of shells; anOther's
noble collection of meershaum pipes;
another's elevating and refining colec-
ton of undeciphered autographs; an
others priceless collection of old china;
another's enchanting collection of post
ge-stamps-and so forth and so on
Soon my letters yielded fruit. Ny uncle
began to look about for something to
make collection of. You may know,
i perhaps, how fleetly taste like this di
lates. His soon became raging fever
though knew it not. He began to neg
lect his great pork business; presently
he wholly retired and turned an elegant
leisure into u rabid search for curious
things. His wealth was vast and he
spared it not. First he tried COW bells.
He made collection which filled five
large salons, and Comprehended all the
different sorts of cow-bells that ever
had been contrived, save one. That
one-an antique, and the only specimen
extant--was possessed by another col
lector. My uncle offered enormous sums
for it, but the gentleman would not SELL
Doubtless you know what necessarily
resulted. A true collector attaches no
value to a collection that is not COM
plete. His great heart breaks, he sells
his hoard, he turns his mind to some field
that seems unOccupied.
Thus did my uncle. He next tried
brickbats. After piling up a vast and
intensely interesting collection, the for
mer difficulty supervened; his great
heart broke again; he sold out his souls
idol to the retired brewer who possessed
the missing brick. Then he tried flint
hatchets and other. implements of
j Primeval Man, but by and by discovered
that the factory where they were made
was supplying other collectors as well
as himself. He tried Aztec inscriptions
and stuffed whales-another failure,
after incredible labor and expense.
When his collection seemed at last per
feet, stuffed whale arrived from Green
land and an Aztec inscription from the
CundurangO regions of Central America
that made all former specimens insignifi-
cant My uncle FASTENED to secure
these noble gems. He got the stuffed
whale, but another collector got the in
scription. A real Cundurango, as pos
sibly you know, is possession of such
supreme value that, when once col
lector gets it, he will rather part with
his family than with it, So my uncle
sold out, and saw his darlings go forth,
never more TO return; and his coal. black
hair turned white as snow in single
p night
Now he waited and thought. He knew
another disappointment might kill him.
lie was resolved that he would choose
things next time that no other man was
collecting. lie carefully made up his
mind, and once more entered the field
this time to make a collection of echoes.
"Of whatp said l.
Echoes, sir, His first purchase was an
2 echo in Georgia that repeated four
timesi his next was six-repeater in
Maryland; his next was a thirteen-re-
peater in Maine; his next was nine-re-
peater in Kansas; his next was twelve.
repeater in Tennessee, which he got
cheap so to speak, because it was out
OF repair, portion of the crag which
reflected il having tumbled down. He
believed he could repair it at cost of
few thousand dollars, and, by increasing
the elevation with masonry, treble the
repeating capacity; but the architect
who undertook the job had never built
an echo before, and so he utterly spoiled
this one. Before he meddled with II, it
used TO talk back like motherin-law
but now II was only fit for the deaf and
dumb asylum, Well, next he bought a
lot OF cheap little dOuble-barreled echoes,
scattered around over various States and
Territories; he got them at 90 per cent.
OF by taking the lot. Next he bought a