Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-06-21
A RIVER STORY.


should have brought the British solic-
itor to my feet-with such literary work
as l could obtain.
D Having an uncle an editor, and two
college friends successful journalists,
my efforts were not doomed to that dis
appointment which awaits the vast ma
jority of young men and women, who
are tempted by some early magazine
acceptance to engage in that great,
never-ending competitive examination,
comprised in the endeavor to earn n
living out of periodical literature, and
/ got as much occupation for my pen as
1 could perform without neglecting my
legal studies and prospects. Among
other pickings, received a guinea a
week for an article in the Blank ReUte1D.
Ostensibly it was the review of book,
but in reality the said book was the ex-
cuse or text for an essay which was in
tended to be witty, but was too often, l
fear, merely fippant. ......... -.
II do not care for dull account of
the. book you review; all want is
paper" said the editor. And did my
best.
One of my most facetious papers,
remember, was written dpropoS of a
little volume of poems issued in the
orthodox green cover, and entitled:
Echoes of the Heart" by Dora" l
did not take the trouble to read them,
but just dipped in here and there with
out cutting the leaves, to get points for
funny I" copy" l found one couplet,
for example, in which girl was made to
rhyme with curl, whereupon spelled
girl, gurl, drew an imaginary picture
of her as gushing young thing of fifty,
with. spectacles, and an ink-stained
thumb, and suggested that her proper
occupation was the artistic cooking of
a sleeps heart, rather than writing
nonsense about the echoes of her own.
inquired how heart can have an
echo, and insinuated that the Curl of
the Echoing Heart must be ventrilo-
quist; with great deal more fiippant
stuff of the same kind, winding up with
an affectedly serious diatribe against
poetasters of both sexes, and the pub
fishers who print their effusions; dis
graceful article which was exactly to
the taste of the nil ddmirdTi class, from
which the readers of the Blank ReUie,C
were principally recruited.
1t was during this early period of my
career, and at the season when London
is dullest, that | met my old college
friend Sinclair in the Strand and natu-
rally asked what brought him to town
in the autumn.
- have been ordering a dog-cart in
Long Acre." he replied; 60 but why are
you not out for holidayP"
81 have nowhere particular to go to,
and no one to go with me. AS has
ogt II
has more people in in 1t than any other
place when full,' said 1. " Besides if
went out l should be paying for my
empty chambers all the time as well as
for my temporary lodgings"
"Ay, ay; but still breath of coun-
try air does a man a world of good.
And you can afford it; and have made
a start, and expect the two ends meet,
ehp''
"Yes, but am waiting till they over
lap before indulge in luxuries."
"Look here" said Sinclair, after a
pause, II wish you would come back
with me to Aitcham this evening""
"YOu live at Aitcham nowP'
eyes, / have taken "a furnished
house there till the end of September.
Rather pretty nice place on the banks
of the Thames; lawn sloping to the
edge of the river; perch and pike, they
say-I have never caught any; boat
house and all that NY wife took a
fancy to the place, and it is just the
same to me as any other until the hunt
ing begins"
Is it farp'
"Oh, no, near Pangbourne; we shall
run down in couple of hours. 1t is
not any compliment TO ask you, own,
for we are monstrous dull. But YOU
have as good as owned that you have
nothing to keep you in London, and it
would be very good-natured if you
would come and take an oar"
"Take an oar?''
"Yes; | am rather tired scullinp
those two about every afternoon by my
self. Some of the girls in the neigh
borhood have taken to rowing them
selves, and letting their husbands,
brothers, ETC., steer, but my women
folk don't seem to see it,
"You speak in the plural"
"Yes; my wife, you know, must have
some one to speak to-"
She has you-''
Pooh! it is easy to see that you have
no experience. Why, we have been
married nearly two years! / can't talk
OF furbelows, and my wife can't talk of
hunting. She wants another woman
to talk to and so Miss Filmer is staying
with us. AndI want man to talk to,
and you will be he, won't youP There
is a quiet little room opening out into
the garden, where you shall do any
reading or writing you want, undis-
turbed all the morning. Gomez
He led me to my chambers, made me
pack my portmanteau, and had me
down to the station and in a railway
carriage almost before 1 had quite made
up my mind whether would go or not.
+" You have not forgotten how to row,
have YOUR he asked, as we pushed
through the country.
"No, fancy not; but I'm not in the
condition i was when we rowed in our
first boat during the May races. What
time DO you dine, by the wayp"
1--WE never dine"
Nor
"No. We breakfast and lunch, and
go on the water when the latter meal
has been digested, and come back to a
cold spread when we have had enough
mist and moonlight. 1t is very ro-
mantle, assure you"
mo doubt" said l, thinking that
would have pressing engagement to
tear me back to town very soon. "Do
you know what nightmare isp''
'fNot very well; saw picture of one
once, in an old almanac, think"
The clutch of the metropolis is never
shaken OFF while you remain in the rail-
way carriage which started from il;
nay, the turmoil of the streets still sings
in our ears for several minutes after
you have left the station.
We had almost reached lSinclair's
villa before the sweet OdOrs of grass
and flowers got fair hold of my senses,
or the strange stiffness of everything
ceased 10 confuse me.