Smyrna times., 1885-03-18
COpperfeId Court.

It would be difficult to point ont the
exact spot where COpperfeld Court
Little Britain, once stood Suffice it to
say that the metropolis has been robbed
of its existence years ago. 1t was no
thoroughfare, being only sort of bay
out of a once great fashionable river of
street. IT held six houses, two on each
side and two across the end, and there
was a placard bearing the words, No
pedlers permitted to enter
Number one contained old Mr.. Flack
and his wife, but they were each seventy
years old, and rheumatic Number two
sheltered the deformed little librarian of
a certain library i'll the city, and his con-
sumptive young sister. Number three
held-how, they only knew-a schoolmas-
ter's widow and four daughters. Num-
Der four was occupied by an old lady
who had son at sea, an officer on ves-
sci in the navy. He was always being
expected home, and branches of coral,
Chinese curiOsities and boxes of foreign
iellies and cOnserves attested to the fact
that he did return occasionally but the
chances were that he would be in mid
ocean at any given date Number five
was occupied by Miss C3rnelia Copper
field, a single lady Of eiglt-aud forty, and
a very old poodle. And number six, be-
ing haunted, was left to its ghost Prob
ably want of patronage rather than the
placard banished the pedlers.
The reason why the Copperfield Court
people set their faces so sternly against
peilers was that they were not genteel.
And the people Of Copperfeld Court
wore gentecl or nothing. It's occupants
all lived on limited incomes. and not one
Of the ladies had ever earned penny in
AL her life. Mr.. Fllcl had a pension
under Government. The librarian was
connected with wonderfully geDteel
society. A naval off .er'5 mother is a
person of position. 81 is a schoolmas-
ter's widow sometimes. And Miss Cor.
nela Coppertield was the or relation
Of the magnificent Copperfeld who
/ owned The court, was said to be worth g
million, and who had presented the small
| dwelling in which Miss COrnelia lived tc
! his cousin, her mother, lady always a.
/ luded to by Miss Cornelia as "my late
ma" A ghost is seldom vulgar, though
son etimes alarming, and the ghost al
number SIX was that Of a bankrupt bank
er who had shot himself
Occasionally a carriage, with severa'
men in livery perched upon it. paused a
/ the entrance to the court, and fat lady
in fine clothes, and thin gentleman
with a great diamond on his bosom, en-.
tered Miss Cornelia Copperfelds door
1t was then whispered through the cour
that that lady's family had called upol
her.
Thus all might have continued TO
many years but that Mrs. Rooney cam,
into her prandfather's property, afte
having quite given up the idea of his de
cease, for lie lived to be a hundred anC
two years of age, minus a few months
the exact number of which may easily b
obtained by a reference to the registrar
book at Somerset House and feeling
herself entitled to be landed proprietor
employed an agent to buy her bit Of
house.
The agent having looked about him
proposed No. Copperfield Court. MI
Copperfeld, weary of tenant who pai
no rent-we allude to tine bankers ghos
agreed to the price offered and on
morning the house-keepers Of the coul
peeped through their green blinds upo
the arrival of Mrs. Rooney's househol
goods; and two boarders came with Mr.
Rooney. One was a young man VIII
habitually wore a red shirt The otht
was foreigner in shabby black Il
looked genteel, but alas appearances al
, deceitful
On the morning after his arrival he ws
seen to leave the court bearing a sma
tray, on which were ranged in rows pipt
of all sorts, except very costly one
There were china pipes, with painte
flowers upon them, the humble clay dl
deem, and others more or less artist
cratic.
Pedlers were not admitted to the couI
bub one had come there to reside.
"That I am alive to-day" said Il
schoolmaster's widow, "is a proof tn
one can live through anything"
AS for Miss Copperfeld, she shut he
self up in her fowery chintz bower al
seemed inclined to remain there
ever.
!. A week passed
One night Miss Copperfeld was ava
ened by awful groans. She started I
bed and listened. The grOaning was
her window she also heard raps.
She went to the window Within
foot of it she saw face-her next do
y neighbours, the pedler of pipes
what do you want2" she ask'
sharply.
" Pardon, madame" replied we
voice. with strong French accent, ''p
don, but I have some cOlics.
Coolies ?" repeated Miss Copperiel'
"Vera bad, responded the neighb
"I expire of pain, and Madame Room
goes of her cousins child to the funer
,. and in re house is no one Perhaps y
90 will ave leetle eau de Uie-brandee. E
90 you comprehend, madame?"
"Yes, yes, said Miss Copperfeld,
whom returned n memory of genteel
- sons in French, taken in her earl
- days.
I 1--WE, Monshure; jer compmny-jer-
. but the elegant memory was but fa
one, and she added, " don't ku
about brandy-perhaps l have a little
will see"
~ Madame is IN angel, responded
neighbor.
- Miss Copperfeld brought the brand,
: about half gill in a cologne bottles
y presented it on small iire-shovel.
The neighbor. thanking her in p
r, fusion Of complimentary French, retir
~