St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-01-09

was really noUicIndh, having ~
a genuine title from some petty German
Prince Palatine, was at one time very
fair actor. He then became fair law
yer. but some bee in his bonnet so in
fluenced him that he became very &C.
centric, and of late years was "guyed"
| in the most outrageous way In every
thing he undertook. His peculiarly
shabby genteel attire, stilted tragic
walk, gloomy brow, pOrtentOus wig and
dyed mustache, his blazing decoration
and lofty mein were familiar to every
one, from the newsboys up. Sothern
caricatured him, and the San used to
publish his prepOsterous nonsense with
an air of solemn awe and exaggerated
respect that was very funny in itself.
He died attended by his adopted
daughter, Avonia Fairbanks, whom he
had befriended with his usual Quixotic
chivalry. He hadn't real enemy in
the world, and many who laughed Of
tenest at the poor harmless old man
will feel sorry now he is gone. Even
the rowdy persons he occasionally as
saulted as he asserted his dignity never
bore malice.
Whether people should call in swal-
Iowtails or frockcOats, or whether there
was going to be any calling at all in
the time-honored fashion, first adopted
on these shores by the good Manhatta-
nese, has been agitating polite circles,
but with the first day of 1880 all doubts
were at rest. Everything went off in
the most jolly way, just as on many
happy New Years before, only possibly
little more so, for the clouds are roll
ing further back every day and getting
turned inside out, showing the silver
lining. The earliest call of the day was
paid by burglars to Canal street dry
goods merchant, whom they relieved of
$4,000 worth of silks and other fine
goods.
l spent part of the holidays in Hart
ford this year, and while there had the
good fortune to meet the man who has
probably given more people the luxury
of good laugh than any other indi-
vidual on this distracted globe. This de-
scription ought to be enough to identi-
fly Mark Twain, but to avoid all posi-
bility of mistake l will mention that he
is the individual referred to. Twain has
now in the press of the American Pub
fishing Company of Hartford, new
book which is going to add largely to
his already enviable fame. The title of
the new volume is ga Tramp Abroad"
and it is a fit companion to the now
world-famOus 'Innocents Abroad" 1t
is in the authors richest vein which you
know is saying a good deal, and shows
his marvellous resource and versatility.
One would think that the "Innocents"
had about exhausted the possibilities
for Twain's peculiar fun in connection
with European travel, but you will all
see when the present book appears that
there were plenty left. The latter deals
with higher ATTITUDES than the former,
being mainly devoted to Germany and
Switzerland, of which Twain sees and
depicts the humorous side exquisitely.
The book is profusely illustrated and
has for frOntispiece the only existing
steel portrait of the author. l should
not wonder if the new volume should
repeat the wonderful success of
"Roughing It,n of which 10000 copies
were sold the first week of its issue.
Like its predecessors, the new book will
be sold by subscription exclusively, and
is going to furnish lucrative employ
ment to a small army of agents.
Charity allied with the light fantas-
tic toe or the leaders of fashion in any
other way, is apt to rake in more money
than when like violet blushing I'M
seen. The remark is suggested by the
in, I,o &c
Regiment ArmOry Fair which wrote
about while it progressed. The natty
young miitiamen got $4,000 toward
fitting up their new club house and
drill room. Hospital Saturday and Sun
day was new idea over here at any
rate. Boxes with little yellow flags
were placed at all the ferries, stations
of the elevated railroads and the public
places, where people were supposed to
drop in their odd pennies, and collec-
tiOns were taken up in the churches.
The results were under $40, 900, which
will be divided among the hospitals.
The Grand Charity Ball comes off at
the Academy of Music on the 5th. This
is always the event of the season, and
as this year it is to be a masked ball
will undoubtedly bring in an enormous
addition to the treasury of the Widows
and Orphans Fund.
The Joint wizards of melody and wit,
"PinafOre" Gilbert and Sullivan, have
brought out their new farrago of pleas
ant nonsense, "The Pirates of Pen
zance," and set everybody laughing.
Whether it is as good as Pinafore is as
yet Il moot question. Some say it is a
good deal better, both in words and
music. Others say the airs, though very
pretty and sometimes enchanting, are
not 'whistleable," and will never be as
popular as Little Buttercup" and its
sister ditties.
The terrible disaster to the Tay
bridge in Scotland, where the Edin-
burgh express was precipitated by a
hurricane, together with half mile OF
bridge, into the raging waves below
has set the engineers here to thinking
about our iron truss bridges. Our ele-
waited railroads are, in fact, nothing
more nor less than enormous bridges,
aggresating thirty miles in length, with
numerous and very abrupt curves
Hundreds of trains rush over them al
very brief intervals every day, and
while no serious accident to the cars
has yet happened, the results of a very
little carelessness would be simply aw'
full.
Hart, the colored boy, who first ap-
peared as pedestrian in the last inter
national match, has won the latest OF
the tramps in a creditable way, having
completed $40 miles, thus beating the
Englishman Rowell, the champion, and
everybody else except the little ex-
reporter Weston.