The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-18
"MRs. PARTINGTON" AT HOME.
a Birthday Tribute to the Veteran Humorist
II. z. Shillaber

Il. L. Shillaber
Elizabeth Porter Could in Boston Transcript.
II never call a man old till he gets to be
octagon or centurion" said B. P. Shillaber to
friend who congratulatng him upon having
reached the good age of seventy-one. UNLESS it
should be foreordaned beforehand in advance"
playfully reiOined the friend, that he should
survive his factories and become idiomatic be
fore that time" And at this unexpected burst
OF PaItlngtonian humor. SO appropriate to the
occasion, the two friends laughed heartily, and
then resumed the general tenor Of their CONVEX
satOn.
This occurred on his recent birthday, the 18th
of this month. The genial humorist seated
in his favorite room, which in these later years
has confined him for months at time But
who of his callers would dream of this fact! The
ever hearty welcome which they receive, and
the absence of any personal complaints certainly
do not hint Of the severe pain which is frequent
visitor. Only the crutch by the wall suggests
that.
AS the friends were talking, there looked out
from the painting on the wall behind them the
roguish face of Ike" the ''prodigal Of virtue
the very same Ike who caused Mrs Partington
to wonder why he didn't get a medal, for GER
tainly more meddesome boy she never knew"
although at the same time, she dared to hope
that with judicial training he might yet be-
come useful membrane of society"
On the shelf below the painting was Sidney
Morse's fine statuette of Mr.. Shillaber The
writing desk which has done him faithful service
What pleasant things this might have said
could it have spoken! such as the bits of humor,
pathos, description and genuine sentiment Of the
large eplstolary CORES pondence it has felt All,
do not the silent parapnernalia of public writer's
receive many strokes of genius which never
reach the public ear? On shelf over the writ
ing desk were what Mr.. Shilaber calls his essen
tails, large POlyglot Bible, which has an inter
esting family history, Shakespeare, dictionary
Webster "on-a bridge"-and few books ofref-
erence.
There was a twinkle in his eye when he re-
marked that through these he showed his 10y
atty to the Angular Saxons" Upon being
asked where his own books were he naively
replied that she kept them in another room, out
OF sight" The first copy of each one of these,
he tenderly said, he inscribed to the who,
for forty five years, was true and loving help
meet But death claimed her over two years
ago, and left him alOne vet not wholly alone,
for the bright, helpful presence of an unmar
ried daughter, who has now sole charge Of him,
is daily elixir which any man might envy.
Unfortunately for himself and for the world
for more generous man never breathed-hlr.
Shlllaber is not as rich CreosOte," and never
has been. 1t is even possible that he has lOnged
Ito have a william in the country and become an
amatory farmer, under the canister of heaven"
But he has surely illustrated quality of mind
in his life and in his works which not even
Cr9suss money could buy, that lit is better to
speak paregorically of person than to be all
the time t1inging epitaphs at him" This large
charity and genuine humanity are his distinct
i've characteristics
In the confinement which is now his he is
ever interested in the outside world, and still
says by his pen many helpful things His in
terest III politics is as fresh as when he
young man--before, as he says, he Inherited
the govt from his wifes ancestors" His wife
was descendant Of noble Huguenot family
He is rooted and grounded in the principles of a
true democracy. The Boston Post, which first
introduced him as Mrs. Darlington, is still
welcome, daily visitor
But i'll talking with him on political matters.
who can help thinking of poor Paul, the corporal
of the bloody Seventh, who was inclined to
politics, but wasn't propergander oily
garchist or an averitionist, nor a demigod all
he wanted was exercise of his suffarings and
the of his elective French eyes" Surely
such an association argues the strong indi-
vidual power of Mrs Darlington upon our
American literature. But Mr. Shillaber's inter-
est in politics, great as it is, is not to be
pared to his interest in his many friends for his
ell-endowed nature makes his capacity for
friendship boundless. This is repeatedly shown
in the apt impromptus which unexpectedly greet
them. An instance of this may not be out of
place here. With copy OF Browning's Aga
memnon and Dramatic Idyis," which he sent to
a friend one Christmas time, he wrote on the fly
leaf
"A Merry Christmas send with this
Though it seems absurdity crowning,
To wish for cachinnatOry bliss
Over the works Of Browning
The many rhymes-he does not call them
poems-which have added pleasure to festive
occasions express the benevolence of his nature.
But these are growing fewer, and in his home in
Chelsea within a half-hours ride of Boston, his
thoughts turn oftener than formerly to the I'M
known country which he dares to hope is to be