, 1884-02-17
JERRY JARVIS WIG.

tR H Barham in Swinton's Story Teller
"Joe," said old Jarvis, looking out of his
window-it was his ground-ioor ~back-@Joe,
you seem to be very hot, Joe, and you nave
got no wig"
@Yes. sir" quoth Joseph, pausing and rest
ing upon his spade, ATS as hot a day as ever
see; but the celery must be got in, or
therou be no autumn crop, and"
We'll, but Joe, the SUMS so hot, and 1t
shines so on your bald mead it makes one
wink to look at 1t You'll nave a coup de
Eoleil, Joe"
"A what, sirr'
mo matter; it's very hot working, and II
you'll step in doors III give you"
Thank ye, your honor, a drop of beer will
be very acceptable"
Joe's countenance frightened amazingly.
Joe, I'll give you-my old wigI'
The countenance of Joseph fell, his gray
eye had glistened as a blest vision OF double
x fitted athwart his fancy; its glance faded
again into the old hlnIy, gooseberry-colored
hue, as he growled In a minor key; "A wig,
sirl'
ayes, Joe. n wig. The man who does not
study the comfor OF his dependents is an un-
feeling ~scoundreL. You shall have my old
WORKOUT wig"
Al hope, sir, you'll give me a drop Of beer
to drink your honor's health in; it is very
hot, and -"
"Come in, Joe, and Mrs. Witherspoon shall
give it to you"
Heaven bless. your honor" said honest
Joe, striking his spade perpendicularly into
the earth, and pursuing his way to tho door
Of the back kitchen.
@Joe," said Mrs. W~itherspoon, a fat, comedy
dame, Of about fve-and~- forty-"Joe, your
master III but too good to you; he's always
kind. Joe, he has desired me to give you his
old wig
"And the beer, Ma'am witherspoonf' said
Washford, taking the proffered wig, and
looking at it with an expression somewhat
short Of rapture.
The beer, you guiding wretchi-what
beerf Master said nothing about no beer.
You ungrateful fellow, has he not given you
a wigF"
"why, yes, Madam Witherspooni but then
you see, his honor said it was very hot, and
I'm very dry, and ="
"Go to the pump, sotl' said Mrs. Wither-
spoon, as she damned the back door In his
face.
Joe remained for a few moments lost In
mental abstraction; he looked at the door,
he looked at the wig; his first thought was to
throw it into the pig-sty-his evil nature rose,
but he resisted the impulse: he got the better
of Satan; the half formed imprecation died
before 1t reached his lips. He looked disdain-
fully at the wig; it had once been a comedy
jasey enough, of the color OF overbaked gin
gerbread, one of the description commonly
known during the latter half of the last cen
fury by the name of a brown George" But
Mr.. Jarvis wig had one popularity; unlike
most OF its fellows it had a tail-"cribbed and
confined" indeed, by a shabby piece OF faded
shalloon.
Washford looked at It again; he shook his
bald head. The wig had certainly seen its
best days; still it had about it somewhat of
an air Of faded gentility; it was "like ancient
Rome, majestic in decay" and as the small
ale was not to be forthcoming, why-after
all, an old wig was better THAI nothing!
Mr.. jeremiah Jarvis, of Appledore, in the
Weald of Kent, was a gentleman by act of
parliament-one OF that class OF gentlemen
who, ~disdaining the plain-sounding name of
"attorney-at-law," are, by a legal fiction, de-
nominated solicitors.
jeremiah Jarvis was a worthy exemplar of
the class to which he belonged. Few persons
in his time had created greater solicitude
among his majesty's lieges within the aweald.p
He was rich, of course. Indeed his posses
sions were SO considerable ms not to be alto
gether accounted for, in vulgar esteem, even
by the usual modes of accumulation: nor
were there wanting those who conscientiously
ehhSi hihea u Othc luhL u CefLdln DARK
colored gentleman Of Indifferent character,
known principally by his prediction for ap-
pearing in perpetual mourning, had been
through life his great friend and counselor.
and had mainly assisted In the acquirement
Of his revenues. That "old Jerry Jarvis had
sold himself to the devil" was, indeed, a
dogma which 1t were horesy to doubt in Ap-
pledore.
When the worthy solicitor next looked out
Of his ~ground-fioor back, he smiled with much
complacency at beholding Joe Washford
again hard at work-in his wig-the little
tail aforesaid oscillating like a pendulum in
the breeze. II 1t be asked what could induce
a gentleman whose leading principle seems
to have been self-appropriation to make so
magnificent a present, the answer is that Mr..
Jarvis might perhaps have thought an occa-
sional act of benevolence necessary or pol
itic; he Is not the only person who, having
stolen a quantity OF leather, has given away
a pair of shoes, pour l'amour de Dieu.
Joe, meanwhile, worked away at the cell
ery-bed; but truth obliges us to say, neither
with the same degree Of vigor nor persever-
nnce as had marked the earlier efforts of the
morning. His pauses were more frequent;
he rested longer an the handle Of his spade:
While ever and mon his eye would wander
from the trench beneath him to an object not
unworthy the contemplation Of a natural
philosopher. This was an apple tree.
Fairer fruit never tempted Eve or any of
her daughters; the bending branches groaned
beneath their luxuriant freight, and, drop
ping to earth, seemed to ask the protecting
aid of man, either to support or to relieve
them. The fine, rich glow Of their sun
Streaked clusters derived additional lowell
ness from the level beams Of the descending
day-star. An anchorite's mouth had wat.red
at the pippinA.
The heat was still oppressive; no beer had
moistened his lip, though its very name,
uttered as It was in the ungracious tones of a
Witherspoon, had left behind a longing as
intense as fruitless. His thirst seemed super
natural, when at this moment his left ear
experienced a slight and tickling sensation,
and n still, small voice-it was though a
daddy-long-legs wero whispering to him-a
still, small voice seemed to say: 1Jool-take
an apple, Joel"
Honest Joseph started at the suggestion :
the rich crimson on his jolly nose deepened to
a purple tint in the beams Of the setting sun;
his very forehead was incardinate. He raised
his hand to scratch his ear-the little tortuous
tail had worked its way into 1.-THE pulled it
out by the bit of shalloon, and allayed the
itching, then cast his eye wistfully toward
the mansion whore his master was sitting by
the open window. Joepursed up his parched
lips into an arid whistle, and with a desperate
energy struck his spade once more into the
celery bed.
Its northern extremity ended at the hedge
before mentioned; its southern one was in
fearful vicinity toa Ribstone pippin-tree. One
branch, low bowed to earth, seemed ready 10
discharge its precious burden into the very
trench. As Joseph stopped to insert the last
Ilant with his dibble, an apple OF more than
| ordinary haauty hobhaI aUatuaf bQ EnnnGlaa
Shes taking snuff. Joe,n whispered the same
.uaau ,roioa. TIA tau I'D tuui.taa LII i.4a