The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-08-10
CHARLES LAMB.
-.sminiscsncss byIryeenvtiIs Murray
From the SI5iss Times.

From the i6iss Times.
I was a very small boy when l knev
Ella. He tried to make himself pleas
ant. but, with the best intentions, only
half succeeded. / mean that he did NOD
succeed at all. He was very shy, and
children do not understand shynes,
installing it for pride or conceit OF
fright.
But I knew some Of Elias intimateA
and could well understand from them -
later years what sort Of man he was, tha
grave. shy person in perpetual black
He would l~aughingly apologize, by thu
why, for this same suit of u~nvaryiia
duskiness. I'm like the raven-Ive M
other" And, poor fellow, he had moi
too much money to spend on clothes. A
clerk ut the old India House, with Ut
first n father and sister, and afterward .
sister to support, he had small pecuniary
scope for extravaganza.
II you met Ella at those delightful sup
per parties of his you would think him
simply q jolly dog in low life with an IN
accountable amount OF information, anA
a wit which, according to Britannia
ideas, seemed altogether out Of harmony
with the very humble surroundings a
the apartment. The feast usually con.
slated OF cold beer aud pickles, with por.
ter superadded. Byand by some jugs a
NV WnbCA 80a u DAuCh OOttAC WOuAu LlhAM
their appearence; nor would q basin a
sugar or o lemon be absent. Miss Lamb
would give o comical expression Of ~
signed despair as Charles proceeded -
help himself to q second tumbler. Nd
hat he was often drunk-though he va
sometimesNbut he would say silly thing
after the second glass of grog. A friend
once advised him to try teetotalism, an
he did, his sister helping him. Mta
Lamb, as Charles said, took to water Hn
"a duck; In fact, set woman's usual exam.
fully. But 1t was too much for him.
+, His sister dearly loved him, and ahs
had good reason. All the world know
how he sacrificed his life to her, eivtnG
up all prospect Of marriage snd ltvt11
in single straightness In order that h
istster might always have o home. Pcs
nhly he felt too that the most sacred@
Che awfuftalnt being hereditary. When
preaching, she would tell. her brother,
and the two would wend their way " the
asylum together. An acquaintance Qnce
met them on their sad journey: both
were weeping bitterly. But once Mary
Lamb had TO take Charles. Mary, by the
way, was much loved at the asylum; and
not for q moment ~confounded with ordi-
nary lunntfcs. She was so GENTLE"
they snid, this poor woman who had
killed her mother with q carving knife.
Persons deeply imbned with Catholic
modes of thought have blamed Miss
Lamb for living SO freely In the world
and partiking Of its pleasures after so
appalling q tragedy as tha murder of Ter
mother. Assuredly our fathers and
mothers of the middle ages would have
decided there could be hut one conclu-
sion to the incident for q C~hristian-the
veil. And the enlightened sense OF our
generation would hulf-unwillingly. half
alphabetically, echo tho sentiment.
But Miss Lamb lived in an age intellectu-
ally more remote from ours than the
fifteenth century. Separation from the
world for her was impossible, and so she
elected to make the best of the world.
And though she went occasionally to the
play, and enjoyed IN outing, or rather
made pretence to enjoy one, she lived us
true and pure and s~elf-devoted a life as
over did woman out OF the cloister. She
loved no one but her brother.
1t is a.melancholy fact, but the dreari.
est period OF Charles existence was
while his father lived. He shaved all day
at his desk, amt, by way OF recren-
ton, had to play chess with his sire i'll
the evening. ihe old gentleman. more.
over, wns extremely dull and short
tempered. One day Charles had played
six OF eight games with his father and
proposed to leave off. IF you won
play" quoth this delightful person, :.
don't see why you should stay in at all"
At last Fate--thGt much abused but very
kindly diyinity--removed Mr.. Lamb
,senior--for which Mt least two persons
must have been thankful. though too
pious to say so.
The happiest years OF his life were the
last nine. In 1875 he was pensioned OIL
In that charming paper tbut all that lie
wrote was delightful) entitled The SUI
pernnnuated Man Elm tells us OF the in.
tense pleasure hisnowly- acquired liberty
gave him.
The most human" side Of Lambs
characterize make use Of our cant
modern epithets-was its atfectionate.
mesa. His love for Coleridge was some
thing touching to behold. Few men Can
have loved that brilliant selfish geniu.
No well: not his own kindred. Lamb.
writes an acquaintance, never fairly rc
covered from the death OF Coleridgs
he thought Of little else--his sister wiz
but another portion OF himself -untii
his own great spirit Joined his friend.
. IL. Some old friends Of his saw him
two or three weeks ago, and remarked
the constant turning and reference Of