Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-04-30
Roger MacphersOn's Fate.
Paris Correspondent New York World

On Saturday last the Stanley Clue
dined "Mark Twain" Three and thirty
people, members Or guests, came to
meet him, among the latter, Don Emilio
de Santos, ex-governor of Cuba, whose
portrait Dumaresq has Just painted tor
the Salon, Gen. Mott, Mr.. Riggs, and
young Bakmetchef, of the Russian En-
bassy, a foreigner distinguished for his
good taste, inasmuch as he is the hus
band of al American wife. Gudin, old
as he is, left his h4 hue at Auteuil to do
honor to the occasion, and left two of
his pictures to decorate the reception
room, 'The Discovery of the st. Law
renee by Jacques Cartier" and the ".Last
Shot of De Ruyter," THE tough old adj
miral giving sort of parting salute be-
fore going to the bottom of the Medi-
terranean rather than strike his flag to
a Frenchman. Mark Twain, I thought
looked i'll, and [ thought so chiefly
because herd it from his own lips.
He is suffering from rheumatism and
study. What is he studying? shall
try to find out. The dinner over, he
was called upon for the inevitable
speech by the chairman, Mr.. RYAN.
Thanks to this gentleman's eXertions,
the Stanley is quite an oratorical club,
and you may study all rhetorical styles
there good deal better than in col
lection Of elegant extracts. He has a
very dexterous way of tapping his man
for just what he wants and, when
he alluded to the guests of
the evening as an innocent
abroad" we knew that he wanted
something i tn ole vein. 1t was given,
and / wish [ could give it in my turn,
but my bare precis OF it would be moth
ing without that incompatible manner,
the American drawl set to music,
scored according to the laws of time
harmony, point and counterpoint
When first heard him,-and that was
a year ago,-I thought it was his stage
manner only, but since then | have
seen enough of him in private to con-
vince me that he would pause and
linger and drag the weary syllable in
the same style if he were ordering a
outlet or asking the way to the Mad
eleine. He began by sagety, and | be-
lieve quite severely, complaining that
he should have been called up. He
thought he was among friends. How
ever he had found out his mistake, but
the discovery came too late to save
Roger Macpherson" l thought this last
phrase must be some well-known allu-
sion in history or fiction which [ had
missed in the course Of my reading, so
[ determined to look as though l knew
all about it, but wouldn't tell Eyes,
sir" he drawled again in his very
mournfullest cadence, 1.-THE news came
too late to save Roger Macpherson.
And 1t is always SO; the road of life is
strewn with the gravestones Of our
murdered opportunities. 90 | suppose
he has known a good deal Of trouble"
said gentleman near me, who took
him literally in view of his rather
long face, his smallish eyes blinking in
the light Of the chandeliers, it might
be with the deepest emotions, his long
hair lying in a sweep of utter self
abandonment across the brow-above
all in listening to that dirge-like note.
mo man can have known naore,"
I said, "for every word he utters
is expected to be Joke" But
listen.) "Had l known of this, Mr..
Chairman, might have prepared my
self. l might have told you something
of what I had seen in this wonderful
city-something of the church of Notre
Dame, of its cabs and other antiquities,
of its intellectual life in the three great
branches of modern French thought
the fine arts, science, and--adultery.
But, sir, why tell you what / might
have done? The news had come too late
to save Roger Macpherson" This
phrase was getting troublesome. At
any moment some one might ask me
for particulars, and [ should have to
answer evasively, "One of SCOTS char
acters," with the risk Of being found
out. "Roger Macpherson, sir, was a
mana light was coming at last-"I
met on q voyage from the Bermudas,
who had been permanently saddened
by an experience which befel him in
| Wisconsin. He had been asked to con-
yey the remains of valued friend to
his home in that state from distant
town where he died. He had the body
put in rough case, which, [ am sorry
to say, was exchanged at the depot dur
ing his momentary absence for case
of rifles which very much resembled it
in outward form. The rifles were put
ia VIC OhI, ttllu 4GoSeI IOOk LIS pace
beside them in awe-struck silence,
thinking he was still guarding the re-
mains of his friend. Another traveller,
sir, had meanwhile deposited Timber
ger cheese in the car, which, somehow
or other, | can hardly tell why, tended
to keep up the mOurner's illusion. Mac
pherson knew nothing of his having
this delicacy for travelling COM
panion. Yet it was in all probability
the cause OF his thinking necessarily of
his late friend. 1t mad the same effect
on others. Did he die recently, that
is, this year% asked the expressman in
a tone of commise alton, looking at the
rifle-box. He amt in no trance add
ed the honest fellow after pause, con-
templating the box. Hes permanent,
I'll 90 to bail for him. I've
carried a good many of 'em, too,' gasps
the expressman presently, but for gen
uine power and he looked at the
box again. They smoke necessarily,
! thew burn feathers and at last the ex-