Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-02-20
SAINT CALIeULA.
By ELrzARErH STUART PHELPS.


the first time that saw Caligula,
| remember, my cigars had given out.
was. it is needless to add, q smoker;
| Caligula was member Of a Baptist
Church. / was in the combatiye phase
of experience; Caiigula was in the
acquiescent. | wsss perhaps / may
venture to say, of speculative ma
ture; Callgula of an injurious one.
was twenty six; Caligula was sixty
two. | was reading Hopkins on
Original Sin : Caligula was blacking
my boots. / was junior ia the The.
illogical School of Yarmouth Univer
sity Cal,gula was the divinity sweep.
was white; Caligula was black.
To say that Caligula and / had
nevermet before, would be inaccurate.
| believe bad been in Yarmouth ten
days. Ten times, therefore, l must
infer that Caligula had been q visitor
in No. 2, West Depravity Hall. Ten
times ne must have stepped in slip
pered sanctity Of foot across my
smoke beclouded threshold. Ten
times he must have busted those Tyr
les of~Heine into the waste basket,
and put the English Bible consplcu
ously on top of the meerschaum. Ten
times he must have essayed to pro-
duce order in that awful bed room.
out OF which got with the utmost
speed every morning, thinking it the
L dtanraQfQv 1c al 4.
behind. Ten times-yes, it must be
he who had ten times washed the
soap-dish and forgotten to dry it.; ten
times made objectionable dust with
that particular kind Of broom. pat
ented for university purposes, which
can't go into corners, but leaves cir.
cular mark to show how clean the
middle of the room is. He it was,
| then, who had ten times BACKED my
ungrateful boots; but until this day /
mention | 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, land rained
Il put my amber-mounted pipe upon
the skewey little thin red cloth of the
unsteady library table lone of the fel.
lows had Whitfield leg short), and,
without raising my eyes from Shop.
kins,' said leisurely:
'Oh! Here, if you please. / want
an errand done down. town.
yes. MIST Hub'
'My name is Hubbard said, put
ting down the book. Il wonder, by
the way, what yours is
Il didn't supposed you'd done for
got, Mist HUB said the Negro, gently.
| closed the book and regarded him.
why, Caligula! Is this you?'
yes, MIST HUB
you were round senior year, in
college, week or SO. Somewhere
the end of the term, wasn't it p
81 had you three month, Mist HUB
said Caligula. slowly. i fought you'd
done remembered. You was very
good to me. had you ole weskits.
Mist Hub; an de neckties you trew
in. / didn't suppose you'd done for.
got, sar.'
I had said that this was the first
time saw Caliguja. The visual
power of a student in Yarmouth Col.
lege mot too much restricted in in
come, let us say, and not of an unpop
ular temperament during the last
three months of senior year IS a more
or less limited faculty. Could it be
expected TO focus distinctly upon a
Negro sweep of temporary history
and unobtrusive habits?
My Original Sim dropped with
resounding thwack upon the floor
Caligula picked it up. He stood bow
ing and cringing. l looked at him ST.
lently. A little man, gray, spare, bent,
bald, black as the French boots which
stood shining upon the pine shelf
somebody twas it he, perhaps p had
obligingly put up for them behind the
bedroom door. A little, obsequious,
embarrassing man, of an enslaved ma.
ture, l thought, 1attering myself upon
the judicial nicely of my perceptions !;
creature without even the crude
conditions Of heroism, of romance, of
poetry, which now and then attach
to select specimens of his rudimentary
race. Gentle, perhaps, with the gro.
tesque sarcasm of that name of his to
overset all possible gravity in ones
appreciation of the fact; gentle, ST.
lent, and commonplace. Oh yes, and
clean. Caligula was tolerably clean,
and his forehead was heavily lined.
He wore small round earrings too.
Next time / should know CaliguIa.
He wouldn't suppose / done forgot
again. My cheeks burned at the gen.
tlemanly rebuke.
Il stand corrected, Caligula,' I said.
you have better manners than t.
Come and shake hands But don't
know why you should remember me
out of so many fellows
1T was the weskits partly, Mist
HUB said Caligula, thoughtfully.-
But, we see, some de young men dey
yank mans earrings-an' old mans
earrings added Caligula, with. dig
nity-'dat doctor said would cure
liS va WON SyCSS sdts Ou ueDcT
fetched 'em, Mist Hub
Glad if l didn't, Caligula! said /,
hastily thinking what narrow escape
it was, if l didn't. But you needn't
have been at any trouble to remem-
Der the waistcoats. And now I re.
member that you used to get tobacco
for me before. | want some cigars
from Dobbins.'
Yes, sar. know. l remember de
sort l done used to got for you at
Dobbins. I'll go at once, sar,' said
Caligula, grsvely. He did not approve
of smoking. He gave it up when he
was immersed, and he always used to
say: 'I'll go at once, sar.' / began to
recall these incidents in Caligula's
history. Caligula turned, as he went
out that day, standing in the doorway,
through which Il had front corner,
ground fioor) / could zee that wet
graveled walk and the rain beating
the infirm October grass.
Oars one reason, sar, remember
You, Mist Hub. When Mari come
home wild de wash