The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1882-03-02
The Story of Charles Greenleaf

him remarkable. or perhaps, they had
rather ceased to comment upon his re-
markablenesS. At any rate, he slipped
i'll and out Of the homes of hundred diff
terent families with the familiarity of
shadow, and only strangers remarked
upon the oddity of the little old mans
ways. Only strangers marked the rest
less movements of bis slight figure, with
its crown of scanty gray hair; his small,
bright eyes, the more noticeable because
the face about them was clean -shaven,
and, most of all, from their manner of
CHANGING up and droop ng so suddenly
that it was about as easy for Mr.. Green
leafs acute Yankee tenefactOrs to decide
upon their color, as to name the precise
shade of Il trout cleaning in their swift
running brooks. The benetactors, afore-
said, used sometimes to say: "Well,
yes, old Greenleaf is queer but then he
don't eat much and he buys his own tea
Thus, dwelling among people who toler-
ated him chiefly for the negative virtue
OF abstinence, and looked upon him with
a pitying interest at best, lived the old
man of whom write
He had, apparently, no means of sup
porting himself, except the scanty sums
that he gained in teaching, whenever he
stopped long enough in one place to or
ganlzc what he called grammar
school, but which might more properly
have been termed charity school, in
which the benevOence was all on the
side of the pupils.
My first acquaintance with Mr.. Green
leaf dates from that childish period when
facts are too closely mingled with dreams
to be accurately stated. am no more
able to remember when first saw him,
than am to name the day of the month
Oh which saw the sun rise for the first
time. Indeed, Mr. G.eenleaf had a habit,
like the sun, of periodical appearance and
disappearance. | have known him to
stay 50 long al my fathers house that we
children had quite forgotten any other
state OF things, when, suddenly, he would
steal away with Arabic stiffness, leaving
Us uncertain whether We had ever enter
tanned this tleeting guest or not. He
might be said to have a habit of foot
journeys: for he indulged in them with
persistent irregularity that detied alike
mathematical calculation or whimsical
guessing. But, except when occupied
thus, or in teaching, he devoted all the
energies of his mind and body to the
compilation Of an English Grammar.
For this his days and great part of his
Ihights were spent in writing; on this ac-
count he allowed himself no exercise eX-
cept that condensed into the long walks
which took him from place to place. aud,
|aIthOugh the strongest emotion that he
had, except devotion to his work was pride
l. ,fal,n
vet he sacrificed even this far enough to
oeg money for aid in publishing his be
loved grammar. He was usually chary
of his words: but, once engaged in con-
Velsation on his favorite topic, he would
talk with fervor which made his eyes,
usually faded and evasive, glowing and
direct.
He made, as | have said, but shad-
owy part Of the family life through which
he moved, He asked only quiet cor
ner for his work, and a certain studied
secrecy in his ways of life repelled all at
tempts at acquaintance. But all the
more did his energies forbidden to eX-
pand naturally, obtrude themselves in
many queer angles which were prominent
enough for knowing ones to hang con-
lectures on. Reticent as he was, a Ques-
ton on the subject of his age would sting
him to sort of impOtent fury. 1remem-
Der hearing how one good man, perhaps
more curious than kindly, determined, as
he said, ''to see if Charles Greenleaf could
not be made to give some account of his
fore gone career" and began 10y asking
him how old he was. Old Greenleaf at
once rose, walked in stately way to his
room, and bringing thence a grammar,
placed it before his tormentor with his
finger on the following example: "It is
not polite to ask person his age"
Like most fanatics who believe them
selves raised by their enthusiasm above
the trivialities of life, he occasionally
evlnced tastes comically at variance with
the zeal Of one whose object it was to
make new departure in English speech.
Thus, at a New England dinner table, he
was one day helped literally to some
baked beans, of which he was especially
fond. Thesehe had only half eaten when
marking the decline Of the dish in the
centre OF the table, he said with an air of
great gentility: "A little more of the
beans, if you please; | see they are go
ing very fast"
But the carnal and natural man most
strongly asserted itself in Mr.. Greenleaf
in the matter of tea. He had truly
Chinese appreciation of that cheerful
beverage, and, like a Chinaman thought
that nobody knew how to make it but
himself. The process was simple enough
when Mr.. Greeneaf had '1air field" but
in my mothers kitchen was wont to pre-
side genius who made the connection of
. fny Il l. -,
Mr.. Greenleafs soul. With him the
''time and the hour" were every thing;
but, unhappily, he always chose the hour
which was also everything to Aurlla.
Mr.. Greenleaf, with an eye to brevity in
the boiling Of his tea, always wanted to
make it precisely five minutes before the
dinner hour Aurilla, with an eye to the
nice preparation of vegetables, at that
time in a critical stage of development
objected to this procedure with determi-
nation as invariable as Mr.. Greenleaf's
own. But whoever was victorious in the
struggle thus involved whenever Mr.
Greenleaf wanted to make tea scientifi-
cally, the contest itself was interesting to
observe. Mr.. Greenleaf was always de-
precatory, silent, but persistent; Aurilla
was tremendously aggressive. and inclin-
ed to offensive warfare. But, be it said
to the credit of cunning, Mr.. Greenleaf
usually won the day, no, the stove,-
while Aurilla and the vegetables came
off very much overheated
Our friends itinerant ways had bred in
him habit of carrying all his possessions
in bags, and these he refused to have
made Of any other material than green
cambria. He also laid great stress on the
point of uniformity their shape must be
obloDg, though rather wide, and they
must have capacious mouth at the top.
He would, think, have challenged any
person to single combat, who should have
suggested a different plan. But one
thing about them was indefinite, and
that was their number. Every new
possession demanded fresh bag. He
had very large one for his over coat, a