Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-09-02
Hatlcaster fntelIigeilrer.
THURSDAY EVENING. SEPT. 2. 1880.
Give.


A Spirited Story.
n. w. H. in n. Y. Sun Book Review.
In the poem which, to our thinking, is
the most spirited of all these sketches of
Browning's, an old comrade Of Clive's
tells story which he heard from the lips
of the victor of Plassy. Dining once with
his old comrade in London, the narrator
had asked him which feat out Of all his
famous doings stood foremost in his own
calm estimation, as cvincing what Give
himself called courage. To such query
Lord Plassy, like most bravo men, could
or would give no answer, but he would
tell his guest, le said, when he felt most
fear, and hc went on to recount an incl
dent whose mere remembrance, he insisted,
still froze his blood. 1t was in his early
days of poverty and drudgery, when he
was an humble clerk in tho Indian civil
service, and when, as a great honor, he
was permitted to lose his meagro earnings
ut a game of cards in company with his
social superiOrs. 1t befell one night, when
Inc was playing with some regimental off,
ccrs, that one Of them, a captain, made a
certain movement with his hand, whose
significance was at once detected by the
civilian. Give rose and confronted his
antagonist with the words:
" Such the new mMnGuvre, Captain? I'm
nOyicc knowledge grows.
What, you force a card, you cheat, sir?''
Of course such an accusation On the part
Of a wretchcd clerk was bitterly resented
by all the military gentlemen and tho out
ragged Captain bado Give down upon his
knees and whine for pardon, or have his
life snuffcd out. TO which Clivo rcioincd,
simply, "Well, you cheated"
"Thcn outbr0kc a howl from all the
friends around.
To his feet sprssng each In fury, fists were
cIcnchcsi and teeth were ground.
End il no time like the present! Captain,
yours wero our Disgrace!
No delay, begin and finish! stand back, leave
Let civilians De Instructed henccfortii simply
Fly tho sword This clerks no swortlsman
Suit him with aplstol then!
Even odds dozen PAGES 'twtXt the most anu
least expert ,,, .,,.,,
Make u dwarf Il giants clual; nay. Inc uWaFI
ifhG's alert,
LikeIicr hits the broader target!
They stood up accordingly, but, when
the word was given. Gives fOrefingcr i'll
advcrtently pressed the trigger and dis
charged his weapon before no could take
aim. OF course it was now tho Captains
turn
"Up hc marched in flaming gtriumpli-twas his
right, mind-up within ,.u,
u
chuckled COcky with grin
As the lcvclled piece quite touched me, now.
Sir Counting io IioSse; ;r rsIeat au ,rovc, ,od
manners did cheat? ~
Cheat you did, you knew you cheated, and,
this moment, know as well.
As for me, my holnely breeding bids you-ftre
and so to hell y
barrel, Hurried wrist,
Either spOils steady lifting. Thrice. then,
Laugh at hell who list,
can't! Gods no fable either. Did this boys
eye wink once? No!
There's no standing him and hell and God all
three against me-so,
And down he threw tho pistol. out
rushed"
Such was Clivo's account unfinished, as
VIC shall sce) of a sccnc whose memory, he
assured his friend, still made "gOosetlcsh
risc'' Ills friend rcjoins, with laugh,
that everything is relative, and he can SEQ
nothing fearful in tho story when compared
with other incidents in Gives life. In a
common case, no doubt, wherc a bully
caught at cheating thrusts !. pistol in your
face, it would be trial to the nerves, but
the victor OF Arcot, Plassy, and score of
fields had come, in his time, to oven closer
quarters. At this Give bounds up in all
outburst of wrathful scorll, indignant that
his friend should miss the true cause Of his
terror:
Look here! Suppose the man.
Checking his advance, his weapon still extend
not Il span
Distant from my tcmplc-cursc hnl-quictly
had lGldc INC, There,
Keep your life, calumniatOr !-wOrthlcss life L
freely spare:
Nine YOU freely would have takcn-mur'lcrcd
me and lly good tame
Both at Oncc-and all the better! Go, and
thank your own bad aim
Which permits me to forgive you! w hat IL
with such words rs these.
lie had cast away his weapon: How should L
have borne me, please?
Nay, I'll spare you pains and tell you. This,
and only this, rclnaincd- -
Pick his weapon up and use IL on myself. l so
had gained
sleep the. earlier, leaving England probably to
pay on still
Rem. and lakes for half India, tenant 1T the
Frcnchman'S WILL
The more these lines arc pOndcrcd, the
more appalling appears the crisis which
Browning has here pictured. 1t is plain
that had tho blackleg had the wit to dis
Germ his advantage, not only would suicide
have been Clivc's sole resource, but even
suicide could not have cleared his blasted
reputation. 1t was the thought of the
foul blot-unmcritcd, yet ineffacablc-
which might have frosted Oh his name,
which, recalled after the lapse of years,
still had power the shake the pulse and
hc,I tJ,c hroxy Of tl,o conuucrOr Of plaSSV