Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-12-06
SIMPSON, or BUSSORA.

| have Il profound distrust OF all travellers
Not because they are prone to tell me- ur-
truths about their experiences, Tor That mas
in IA great measure become dangerous 2per-
iment: wherever they may haVe been, othtr
people have now also been, and 1t Is easy, II
may use IA prof, ssionAl expression. to cor
rect their proofs :" my distrust arises from
the ideas in my own mind of the experiences
that they do nat tell me. When they get
away from the regions of civilization, ahu
ont of the influence Of public opinion, think
TO myself what is it these people do not uoF
For the very fact of q mans being traveller
is between ourselves, by no means a good
sign Why does lie not stop ut home III the
bosom OF his family, or if he has no family,
acquire one 1t is his duty AS cltlZeh.
When "A boy runs away from school, IL Is Oh
course. the correct thing to call him 'Intrrp-
i'd" "gallaut." ''high-spirited, and indie
nendeut. but that sort of boy is in reality
not-gencrally speaking-a good boy. II
uny b. very true that nation owes It's raut-
icai supremacy to this description OF youth
but he doesn't run away to sea IRON thhl nla-
tant and patriotic motive he goes to sea be-
cause he doesn't like what is good for him on
the land and almost Immediately, though
that is beside the question, finds he has maue
n great mistake. Similarly, "A man does not
90 to rartary or Kamtschatka to improve MS
mind If he ventured to tell Inc that (sup-
nosinp he was not a very tall man, and | had
no reason to suppose he had yHiASnan ",l''I oI
any other outlandish weapon concealed about
| his pereon) | should laugh in his face. No ;
| he dies to such obscure regions because the
| restraints of civilization are abhorTent to ms
/ undisciplined mind, and has some morbid
/ taste say, for human tiesh-uncooked. Inc
| mildcst spoken man ! ever met IN my ne,
! and the greatest traveller, once contded TO
/ me. after a most excellent dinner AT our cluo,
| that, after all, there was nothing hke uh-
cooked food. He did not sdy human flesh,
but knew well enough what he meant. lie
has IT epented since of having let ont so huch'
| and endeavors to reassure me by his cohNeh-
tional behavior and conversation.
.eThe world is small, " lac says Che has been
| rou,d il two or three times), and give HIM
ENGLAND for when all is said, that Is the
| hest MACE to live I'M" but this does not dc
| ceive me for moment That man Is can
| nibal mt heart. | have seen him look -a'
plump and tender people in II very pecuilal
wav. and would not trust him alone witt
NV baby for small fortune. Ihat swee
child would take rank among the mysteri
ous disappearance" lie woulu say % %IloN
sbould / know 2" like the frog who swallow
eI the duck's egg; but should know bette
than the duck. II You think these apPrehen
sions extreme, you are, of course, welcome u
YOUR own opinions some people are NOR
sanguine than others, and also more SIMPLE
NV mind is, think, tolerably far one
and | have never entertained suspicion
against those who are compelled to visit dls
tsut lntitudes against their wills. Queen
messengers, convicts, sailors, etc, ETC., ma.
be very respectable persons i'll their way, moi
withstanding where they may have been 10
Such was my charitable belief untll wthl
| x, Nuh 1 have see
some reason TO change it. One OF the qule'
oct aud hest fellows / ever knew-aud hay
known him all my life Simpson OF Bu'
soria WINS at school with him hVe-and-tol
tv wears ago, and though his house OF bus
ness is at the distant spot Just mentioned
Lod met him from time to time during his pc
riodical visits to this country, and alway
found him unchanged gentle unassumint
modest and orthodox in his opinions, ou
! house does "A little business with MN !
ghawls and carpets, but our acquaintance
, mainly social My wife and daughters al
l very nartial TO him, and delight in his Persia
talcs which are picturesque and full of loc
color He brings them little bottles OF scei
: which perfume the whole neighborhood, an
Q nov and then scarf that is the envy
their friends. l never, however, entertaln'
y any idea of Simpson as a son-ln-law uhtl II
r wife nut it into my head, He lived too 4
r away for me TO picture him in such rel
L ton, and though knew he had made none
n | did not think he had made enough 10
+, tpyn home and settle His income was
e very handsome one but living at Bussor
n he had given me to understand, was dear, al
d did not admit of much saving, Above a
!, Simpson struck me as by no means a MARI mari
l. INC man. Whenever the subject OF mat
rs mony was mooted, he always smiled in til
dry, cynical way which Proelaims the co co
armed bachelor. Household matters d
not interest him he did not take mach
children; he would smoke until the slll
hours of the morning, and raise his eyebro
when one said it was late. and perhaps on
wife might be sitting up. He would
''Realyi" as though such an idea as ON
wife sitting up for one was preposterous'
could never concern nan.
need not go into the causes which lea
my oonversing with Simpson on the subj
of matrimony. Suffice it to say that
! not do so of my own free will had