Litchfield enquirer., 1881-05-05

Uanklng DIS uS3Sss ana SnOWn soul superior to sordid money -gyulbing: the more So. that hrs wealit made him entirely independent. and that his .ceilers and cigars were beyond .impeaclmepb Though they, rather tolerated his benevolence as an f.amiable eccentricity, they thought liple the worse of hitn because he cherished the poor and spent 80 much of his leisure, in looking after the prisoners. At home or on his travels he was the same good fellow never setting himself up for censor thoilglrhe had, decided principles of his own i; always ready to laugh at joke. not unfre quently making a very good one: and invar- ia5ly synpaihslic in the pleasures of timetable, although isQnlatiipes his digestion might he troubled by remorse. Mir. Abraham was by ,lenperaIpent lsonlewhat sensually inclined, if his ct,nscitnce warned him towards ascrti csm. But by food or fell. in field or forest; whether paldinga il canoe or sculling an out rigyer, scrambling along some giddy Alpine ledge, t,r scaling the face of a frozen preci pice. you could only admire his pluck and dash. He showed slightly unwieldy, to be sure, and there was room for improvement in his winl and condition but that only made his efforts the more meritorious He was held in high esteem as one of the most enterprsing members of the Canoe Club; and though he hardly ranked among the elite of mountaineer. ing men, yet few of the ornaments of the Al
 
 heir companions or the guides.
 Que fine June morning in lS7 II found a note from my friend Abraham on my break tast-table. It was short, and went straight 10 the point. like his non pnilanthrOpic cores pondence generally :-
 'DEAR HOOPER, Il am rather OverwOrked aud over. weight, and on "Wednesday next am If to the Continent. What do you say ' Steam and rall to Cologne, canoe up the Rhine, and train to Wnrzbnrg. Rail to DOnau worth; ; Town the Danube to the Kaiserstadt; back as we may to Bregenz. and then hey for the High Alps!-Yours sincerely, A. Cox
 1P. S.-I have sent retainer to Peter WiIdheuer at Grindelwald for day to be Set led later."
 There was much in the short note that suited me down 10 the grouni." 1 like a nut of canoeing abroad, and delight in tll,. wild scenery of the upper Danube. am good at any time for some mild mnnntaineer ing; was beginning to get somewhat restless nyselt and always got on captally with Abraham. So promptly returned an assent. though making my own c0ndi ions. Crcum. stances prevented my leaving England so sud ieny as Abraham desired and besides. had strong constitutional objections to padding ,,erseveringly against rapid stream. So proposed to start q few days later, making an appointment for the fair city of Mayence. shther he was to undertake the charge Hf my canoe. By way of rider, 1 added a civil hope ina; he would not mind the solitary voyage from Cologne. Abraham curtly acknowledg d by telegraph -'Ali right. and need n" 'e uneasy. He took servant with him who vas something of fr:rnd."
 That latter bit of information might be nHre consolatOry to him than to me. fg ired to myself one of the old family retainers 'f his venerable father, not knOWinga word of foreign tongues. and helplessly ignorant of the habits of the natives; and fancied we might nave bothersone work cut out for us in acting curriers' to a petted menial. But the appoint nent was made could hardly back out. had cared to; and so, though my anxiety was awakened by fits and starts. hoped for the nes. and thought little on the matter. There are few more comfortable hotels in Rhineland than the EnglisCher Hof at May ,.rce. Descending at the door lit le before inc dinner hour. found Cox had made every preparation to welcome me. He had satis. faction in roughing 1t on occasions, or when Ie was alone; really enjoying the sense of self modification nearly as much as the best served banquet. But he gladly hailed any iecent excuse to make friend happy by pro tuse hospitality. aud there was a table laid for three in the little sittingrOom, with heavy >lenlmed gobets of Venetian glass, and sun- try long ntcked f1asks scattered about among fruits on salvers and bouquets ot flowers. The third cOnUtue was just the sort of man should nave expected to meet. He was a rheumatic chaplain from an adjacent bath, who had ,natie Abraham's acquaintance in the sGLon iown stairs, who had identified the philan hropist by the autograph in the hotel-book, md had expressed himself warmly interested in his works. Dinner over, we drew our chairs to the window, and admired the ever glorious panorama of the Rhine. But our clerical acquaintance was more practical than .oeticai, and w0nld continually bring back he conversation to the churches, hospitals. and prisons. The meagreness of English ec 'eesIastlcal endoWments on the Continent was irplorahe, especially where the fields of Ia. mur were so inviting among our frivolous country people at the fashionable watering places. Abraham did not 'rise," but frankly avnwed his c0nvicti, that there were more argent claims nearer nome. So the chaplain 'hlfted his ground, and came back on the safer ,eFrGtn of the ref0rmatOries. With that and .he Rauenthaler Berg, Abraham warmed. as Vas his custom He grew eloquent on the good that might be doneto society by saving
 
 t"llits. Many q discharged convict, balancing 'etween good and evil, might be swayed in he direction of respectable life by the exer else of seasonable and discriminating liberali y.
 And no man has better right to speak on these subject than Mr. Cox" exclaimed the reverend guest with honest effusion, ''Pray. now. sir" he proceeded. in Boswellan fashion do give us chapter from your own experl- ences. Nothing could be more profitable or nore interesting"
 Mir. Cox reddened slightly. as was hls habit when any of his good deeds were alluded to Then he glanced somewhat guitily at me. and finally spoke with perceptible sta,nmer you an explanation. and perhaps an apology; and as we happen to have got upon the sub jet, may as we'll make them now. This is. "f course, in confidence; for the future of fellow creature is at stake !" The clergyman bowed an assurance of secrecy, for myself, pricked my ears at the exordium. As the family servant had hitherto been invisible, llad begun to hope he was myth; but if there really was mystery anywhere should be glad to have the solution.
 Then Abraham gave us MT. Lurcher's story pretty nearly as have told it. except that he rested as lightly IS possible on his own gener- "sity and in referring to Mr. MOlyneanx's recommendations of the captive, he made tlle ,nost casual allusiou to that genllenan's dangL- ter .... -.a ... .-.
 ''I took the poor fellow up" he said, land have no reason to regret it. kept my eye upon hi Il through a short probation elsewhere and then had hlm into my own service; and upon my word, do not believe that man had ever Il more attached or more willing servant In fact he was evidently intended for sonc thing mucn higher than valet, and shough l have said nothing as yet of what mean to do for him. hope to help him to far better things. He has had very decent education and is daily picking up something more. He writes an excellent hand-I sometimes ust. him as d sort ofananuensis has capital head for figures. believe that in spite of his anteced d-nts he is to be trusted with untold gold, tn nish in the me ilti ne, in simple jus tice. don't put him much into temptation Necessarily we have been thrown together good deal in the last few days-when lad is