The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-05-31
Boston Society in 1888.

DOSVOA OOClCOy III
"We had medley of eccentric trades
men in Boston in 1888, who were com
pound of fiat simplicity in manners and
acute cleverness in conversation. Shrewd,
perhaps somewhat cunning, often witty,
always smart and intelligent. Such as
Copley, my tailor; Billings, of the same
trade; but, above all, Balch, the halter.
His shop was the principal lounge even
of the first people in the town. Governor
Hancock, when the govt permitted, re-
sorted to this grand rendezvous, and there
exchanged jokes with Balch and his com
pany, or, as sometimes happened, dis
cussed grave political subjects, and, tout
en- badin0nt, settled leading principles
of his administration. Such, as late as
1888, was the unsophisticated state of So
ciety. But we must not believe that in
trigue was banished from this artless as
ISOLATION; on the contrary, every little
boon in the Governors gift was bestowed
upon him who could work the wires with
nimblest fingers.
''The higher circles were not less sim
was Mrs. Jeffrey. She was sister to the
celebrated John Wilkes, and the widow
of Mr.. Hayley, who had been Lord Mayor
of London. Nothing could more exactly
resemble her brother than she did, except
in the double squint which she had not
and as he was the ugliest man in Eng
land, the family likeness so strongly
stamped on the face of the sister left her
without any claim to beauty. Yet her
highly gifted mind and elegant manners
much more than balanced that deficiency.
Mr.. Hayley had been merchant, and
large sums were due to him in New Eng
land. After his death his widow fitted
up ship, and took passage in it for Bos-
ton for the purpose of collecting her late
husbands claims. Pleased with the
place she purchased beautiful house in
fremont street, formerly the residence of
the Varsall refugee family, whose villa
on Chaplain Common, near London, re-
member seeing in 1871, and who are re-
lated to my brother-in-law, James Lloyd.
Thus splendidly lodged, she formed her
whole establishment in a style suitable
to the mansion. The gayest liveries and
equipage, the richest furniture, and most
hospitabe and best-served table - all
these were displayed to the greatest ad-
vantage by the widow Hayley. She had
certainly passed her grand climacteric,
and in her mouth was single tooth OF
an ebon color. Her favorite dress was a
red cloth riding habit and black beaver
hat In these she looked very like an old
man. Thus attired on some gala day,
she was paying visit to Mrs. Hancock,
when Van Berkle, the Dutch envoy, hap
pened to be in Boston. He came, of
course, to salute the Governor, with
whom, however, he was not personally ac-
quainted. On entering the room, he saw
a venerable head, decorated with hat
and plumes, belonging to person robed
in scarlet and seated in an armchair in a
conspicuous part of the room, and know
ing that Governor Hancock was too equity
to walk, he very naturally concluded that
the person before him was the master of
the house. He accordingly approached,
and, bowling, said he hoped his Excellen-
cy was better; that being on visit to
Boston, he had ventured to introduce
himself, for the purpose of testifying in
person his high admiration, etc, etc. Be
fore his compliment was finished, the lady
undeceived him, but in such a manner as
put the minister perfectly at his ease.
'This most excellent woman had sur
rounded herself with menagerie, so that
her courtyard was filled with cockatoos,
poll parrots, and monkeys; yet she felt
herself lonely, and set her cap for hus-
band. There was a young Scotsman then
in Boston who was agent for British
mercantile house. His name was Jeffrey
(uncle to the famous editor Of the Edin-
burgh Recie,o)-a man we'll educated and
of gentlemanly address. To him Mrs.
Hayley gave her hand and fortune. Out
of sixty or seventy thousand pounds ster-
ling, she did not reserve shilling for
herself but, in a fit of girlish love, poured
the whole into the pocket of this young
stranger, whose age could not have been
one half her own. OF this act of eyre
gious folly she lived long enough to re-
pent."-Ha,per's Magazine.
| AN OLD BERLIN SToRy.-The elders
of the gossipy critics have only to tax
| III. an <r,Aa 20 r,> hoc III 70 ha