Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-02-24
A STRANGE INTRODUCTION.

MUST, suppose, introduce myself,
as have undertaken to bring portion
of my history before the public, and
shall begin by telling my name and
state.
l, George Falconer, then, am one of
the members of the Civil Service whom
Punch so unfairly likened, some time
since, to the fountains in Trafalgar
Square, accusing US, like them, of play
ing from eleven till four daily But
MIR. Punch was for once mistaken, and
should be informed that we who thus
ciriilu serve our country have not the
easy times we are supposed to have.
Having relieved my mind by which pro-
test, will proceed with the narration
of my story.
.Well, then, being tired with heavy
days work, 1 walked, perhaps some
what languidly, up Regent Street, MAX
ing for my rooms in Margaret Street,
where I knew / should find my dinner
awaiting me. It had been sultry
August day, and London, with its slack
trade time and many suffered windows,
looked like a city Of the dead.
Nobody was in town, which means
nobody worth knowing; and was my
self longing to get away among the
grouse, or by the salt sea waves, to in
hale the briny, and blow off the London
smuts and cobwebs, which gather alike
on mind and body; and indeed men
need this bracing-up of nerves and
sinews, to enable them to resist
the. suicidal feeling engendered by
the London fogs which are to
folIow-thick enough to brighten
the Zulus, if they could only be
enveloped in them for few hours. As
said before, was tired, and longing
to get away for a holiday But my sem
iors had to be satisfied first, and had
to await my turn; and that is why was
in the great metropolis when every one
else was gone, with the exception of a
few unfortunates like myself.
1t was one of those days of leaden
heat, when the sun does not seem to
shine so brightly after all, nor to send
down scorching rays; yet when the very
fish in the Serpentine come to the sur.
face and gasp; when the payements scar
your feet, and your boots feel several
sizes too small; when to hold up an UNI.
brella would be useless exertion and alb
surd. and it is impossible to find on,
which direction the wind is in, for there
is not the faintest breath of air to indi.
cate it; when the weary cab-horses loll
out their parched and thirsty tongues,
with scarcely the energy to whisk the
tofmenting flies from their harness gals
when one could drink the sea dry, If only
it were not salti / had taken long
time walking home; but I was nearly
there at last; had only to turn the cor.
ner of the street, and within a few doors
l should find one which fitted my latch
key-t1sat knew-when slight diver
sion occurred.
An elderly gentleman passing in 8
hanson cab was frantically gesticulat
ing to some one near me, but to whom,
could not Imagine, as, on looking round
/ saw no one at all likely to be the ia
milar acquaintance Of the person in tn,
cab, who was an aristocratic-lO looking ole
man. z4
One thing I felt sure about
could not be me he was signaling to, a
Ihad never set eyes on his face before
and it was face which, if seen once
would not readily be forgotten. Th'
cabman was drowsy, and, having re
ceived his orders where to drive, he wa
enjoying q sort of dogs sleep, with onll
half an eye open, the faithful hors'
chiefly guiding himself amid the no
very crowded traffic of the dull streets
and not troubling himself to pass an,
vehicle which might be said to be trot
ting.
l couldn't resist a half smile at tn,
futile efforts of the gentleman to get thu
driver to stop. and thought for mo
ment of going to his rescue; but thi
would have entailed exertion, and tina
was out of the question on such day
And, after all, what business was il Q
.mineP The man might be maniac TO
all I knew, grimacing at his own retiec
ton in the plate-glass of the shop win
dows. lsssaas4 ft gt 49,
Iturned my corner with the full in
tention of putting on my slippers and
white-fiannel boating jacket, and sittin:
down to dinner looking more like mil
Ter or baker than a respectable mem