Litchfield enquirer., 1879-02-06
SAINT CALIGULA.
BY ELIZABETH STUART PHILIPS.

BY ELIZABETH STUART PHILIPS.
 T,e first time that saw Caligula, remem- l b re |. my cigars had given out. 1 was 1t is ueediesS to ad |, smoker; Cali ] eula was member of a Baptist church. l l was in the cumulative phase of experience j; CaliguIa was i'll the acquiescent. l was, per-
 haps, 1 may venture 10 say, of speculative l nature CaIigula of all incurious one was twenty-six: Caligula was siXty-twO l was l reading Hopkins On Original Sin :" Caligula was backing my boots l was junior i'll the l Theological School of Harmouth University i; Caligula was the divinity sweep. l was wnitc i; l Caligula was black.
 l To say that Caligula and l had never met l before would be inaccurate. 1 beleve had 1 been ill Harmouth ten days. Ten times, there | fore, must infer that Caigula had been vis- l itor in No. 2, West Depravity Hall, Ten times he must have stepped in slippered sane tity of foot across my smoke -be-ciouded thresh- old Ten times he must have dusted those | lyrics of Heine into the waste basket, and put | the English Bible conspcueusly on top of the l meerschaunl. Ten times lie must have essay | ed to produce order in that awful bed rooI', out of which got with the utmost possible speed every morning thinking 1t the dlscreeter l part of yalor not to look behind. Ten times yes, it must be he who had ten times wash ed the soap-dish and forgotten to dry it; ten | times made unpardonable dust with that par ticuar kiud of broom, patented for universi- " purposes. which can't go into corners, but leaves d circular mark to show how clean the middle of the room is. He it was then, who
 had ten times blacked my ungrateful boots; but until this day mention l am quite clear | that had never bestowed upon Caligula any such share of my valuable mental processes as could be philosophically called attention.
 That day-it was Friday, and rained-l put my aaber-lnounted pipe upon the skewy little thin red clot of the unsteady library table Gone of the fellows had whttled leg short), and,
 without raising my eyes from Hopkins" said leisurely:
 On! Here if you please want an CT rand done down town"
 '~Yes, Mist Hub.
 My name is Hubbard" I said, putting down the book, Il wonder,by the way, what yours is."
 Il didn't supposed you'd done f'fso'' Mls' Hub," said the nesro gently closed the book and regarded him. "Why. Caligula Is this you:" ''Yes, Mist Hub"
 ''You were round senior year. in college, q
 week or SO Somewhere the end of the term, wasn't it :"
 '.I had you three month, Mist Hub," said Caligula, slowly. ''I fought you'd remember ed. You was very good to me. l had you ole weskits. Mist Hub an de neckties yo4l trew in. didn't supposed you'd done forgot, sar."
 have said that this was the first time l saw Caligula The visual power of a student in Harmouth College (not too much restricted in income, let us say, and not of an unpopular tenlperament) during the last three months Of senior year is more or less limited faculty. Could it be expected to focus distinctly U .,Dn Negro sweep of temporary history and unob- ,r,lsve habits?
 Nv Original Sin dropped with resound- ing thwack upon the floor. Caligula picked it up He stood lowing and crihging. l
 :pare, bent, bald, black as the French boots which stood shining upon the pine shelf some body (was It he, perhaps , had obligingly put up for them behind the bed room door. A lit tie, obsequious. uninteresling man, of an en- saved nature, thought, tiatterihg myself up-
 ,n the judicial nicety of my perceptions; creature without even the crude conditions of leroism, of romance, of poetry, which now and then attach to select specimens 0f"his ru- mimentary race. Gentle. perhaps, with the .rotesque sarcasm of that name of his to over set all possible gravity in one.s appreciation of the fact; gentle, silent, and commonplace Oh. yes, and clean. Caligula was tolerahly clean, and his forehead was heavily lined. He wore small round earrings too. Next time l should know Cagula file wouldn't sup posed done forgot" again. My cheeks burn cd at the gentlemanly rebuke.
 Il stand corrected, Caligua," said. You have better manners than |. Come and shake hands. But don't know why you should re, member me out of so many fellows"
 Tt was the weskts partly, Mist Hub" Hoi; nit ft,li some de young men dey yank a mans ear rings-an' old mans ar-rings," added Caligu- Ia with dignity dat doctor said would cure me of weak eyes, sar. You neber fetched
 em, Mist Hub"
 ''Gad if didn't, Caligula !" said I, hastily thinking what narrow escape it was if l hadn't. "But you needn't have been at any trouble to remember the waistcoats. And now remember that you used to get tobacco for me before. want some cigars from Dob- bins"
 "Yes, sar. know. I remember de sort
 lone used to got for you at Dobbins. I'll go It once. sar, said Caligula, gravely. He did not approve of smoking. He gave it mp when ne was immersed, and he always used to say m go at once sar." began to recall these
 incidents in Caligulas history.
 Caligula turned, as he went out that day. standing in the doorway through which q had a front corner. ground aoorlI could see the wet travelled walk and the rain beating tue 1nirln October grass.
 "Dar's one reason, sar remember you. Mist Hub. When Mari come home wid de wash" .... 4.
 Mari ?"
 Mari is my wife, sar l fought you'd
 lone remember Mari. She washed for you for two years, sar, Mari" ...s
 ''Caligula," said I, decidedly, Il have been in Germany for two years, studying biol ''gy;'" rrv .m-.v.-.t a.
 And when man studies biology in Ger many for so long time, Caligula, it is diff cult for him to keep all his American acquain- tances as distinctly in mind as he would like Don you seer Biology pre- occupies the men
 ry to rious extent"
 ..Yes. Mist Hub" A look of awe stole over Caligulas humble, listening face.
 But really think, Caligula-yes I do think that remember Mari. Short, wasn't she ?" gte9n -sa .s...
 Tall. sar: Mari is tall of her size and we'll put togeder." fa
 .Yes, I mean-rather tall Just tall enough to be good looking and somewhat somewhat
 '.She's pretty stout." said Caligula. patient ly; pretty stout of her weight, an lighter complicated than l, sar. She's handsome to see, Mari An, she had one twenty-five dozen for starched, sar; she did up SO well. Now I am sure remember her, ,' contin- ued, enthusiastically. "A handsome woman, stout and short -a -#eEr@uE 4 ~ stta Tall, sar." s.a Gl9.. ..Stout and tall l mean. who asked one twenty five for starched things. I remember perfectly. An admirable woman. But what was it did about Mari, Caligula ?' IsSsona flo voNnv roeh cbaH at her cJid Caligula, with reviving spirit, ''seein' she was washwoman and black Oar was some rooms she wouldn't go nigh, sar. She's sperit- ed in her feelin's, Mari. She used to send me l to their rooms Mist Hub, I tank you, sar. You treat my wife like lady" Caligula drew l himself mp. He had put on his hat; but took l it off again, and bowed gravely to me, stand 1 ing Tn the rain, before he shut the door. l Some of the fellows were in when Caligula | came back with the cigars l nodded at hi.n 1 lindly, with vague sense of gaining experi- v 2 | ; .