New-York tribune., 1885-07-05
" MRS. PARTINGTON."
A GENIAL INVALID.
HOW WELL sfR. sHILLABER BEARS TIE BURDEN
OF ILLNESS.

| OF ILLNESS.
lTRoM Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT THE TRIDUsE.l
| BOsTON, June 2S.-Chelsea Is an inferior
Brooklyn but its fnferory Is decidedly marked. 1t Is
to the Hub what the City of Churches s to Gotham Eut
1t Is the seepiest OF Boston suburbs. As dead as
Chelsea Ia the Bostonnns rc phrase OF dersion. The
congregation OF dwellings tho Mystic rejoces In o
city charter and Is said house 5000 inhabitants.
Where the Inhabitants disport themselves Is matter OF
coniectue. They In the streets. and II
you call npon them they at home. Chelsea Is
one OF those places to which nobody and from
which nobody ever away Chelsea Is o mystery
To its citizens and object OF pity to aliens. Its main
street stretches nerurabs and winding length as
If had especial object In life, and ,rs byways ranble
hther and thither I'm arness fashion, running either
into marsh one hand bringing up at board fence
or sand bank the other. Architccturaly Chelsea
is dshcartening When Its houses arc not OF melan-
choy colorel wood they arc OF depressing arrange
ment VI brick There is theatre which, for Some occult
rcason like all similar structures In small towns. IS
called an Opera House Academy OF Music and
where opera and music are things unknown. This
Thespian temple fronts large square, so-called be-
cause It Triangle and out Of this three sided square
leads wIlllams-st modest which seems to go no
where In particular but only 10 afford passage to lot OF
unpretentios wooden dwellings, and growing space for
rows OF discouraged Gins which long gave up all
hope OF height or expansion About midway OF
Williams ST. lives b. p shillaber whose name ia n
household word in every American hoe the author OF
familiar to the reading public as the observations Of Mrs.
Partington and her hopeful offspring Ike"
Mr.. shilaber Is over seventy, and II not giant
physically he Is q good man. weighing 200 pounds.
But with all his mental machinery in running order
5hillaber Is cripple For thirty years rheumah'm has
been terms Of intimacy with him and IN the autumn
of'si he completely lost the OF his lower limbs.
Since that time he has not been outside OF the apart
ments which as his chamber and study. LOcomo-
ton, in wheeled chair 10 impossible with him.
lie neither stand walk, but, while In these re-
specs he ia as helpless babe his general health Is
sound his appetite generous and his spirits are un-
clouded It Is hard for man OF his activity, one who
has for half century been a busy journalist. TO be
INJURED up between four walls and confined 70 sort OF
gigantic perambuator; but Shlaber never complains.
He accepts tho situation phlosopnicay and he tempcrs
his philosophy with imperturbable good nature Ache
on he says apostrophzng his altogether useless legs,
stand 1t II cam Some OF the funniest OF
Mrs Partingtons sayings have been vritten when he
suffering the most acute pain. He has way OF
laughing OF disc and for days together will hardly
givo II thought. The .mind cure" which has as
sumed such proportions IN this vicinity that 1t Is called
tho latest Boston craze" has been broached TO
shilaber and tried bat while he believes in ts
general efficacy and points with satisfaction to the
marvellous recovery Of certain old neghbors his faith Is
not dominant enough 70 remove his own disability The
first thing they ask you to do he says In his quiet way
Is to believe that have disease but to ask man
who cannot walk inch and whose feet will nots
tain the weight OF dozen ounces, and who has been
prey rheumatism for half q lifeme-to ask him to
believe that Ia hale ana hearty and free from COM
plant Is far beyond my fertile powers OF magma
ton."
Mr. shillaber bought tho little honse in wilams-st
thirty years ago To II he brought his wife, In 1t
his children horn and from 1t OF them have
carried their long rest in tho quiet churchyar
years ago his died and his chdr en- eDdeavored
persuade him to sell the place and to live with them
But the old house has his allegiance He loves every
in It. It Is full OF tender associations for him. In
1t he has written the lines that have made his reputation
OF tho leading American humorists and there he
has spent the happiest days OF his c. His study Is
front the second floor. 1t Is a. nprctenous
a. occupant and indeed 1t has tho plain and homey
aspect OF Chelsea itself. In Largo wheeled chair In
which, ne prope himself to any part Of the room.
shabcr his desk through the greater part OF the
day The desk itself is covered with truly journalistic
litter OF papers rens books, lax bottles and pipes.
for the master OF the den IA fond smoker and the pre-
vaiing fragrance OF the "a that OF tho soothing
weed Above the desk is little bookshelf on which
English Words. Polyglot Bible, Noted Names OF
Fiction. and webster's Unaoridsed od fashioned en-
cravings and photographs the walls, and
monumental parlor stove hangs an OIL painting OF
tx G sqsns iP q S1S on
table. with cumbrous jackHniie; This was sent to
her irrepressble had become famous The artist
never disclosed himself aud shlaber only knows that
Mr. shillabcr ia the pioneer Of american newspaper |
wits. when he started the Mrs Partington papcrs he
sIcdgs hammer vsgarcs which pass for humor in
an" and so had not made their debut in the
daily press. Shlllaher opened career for these now
ncionian squib was greeted with laughter Throughout
the country and It created demand for more The |
fame of Mrs. harrington was. IN sense. accidental
shlnhcr never prcmedita,ed any snch rcsut and his
t'rst Parng,onianism was merely aestng fancy: Il
lust been appointed local reporter OF The Boston Post
aud IN that capacy on the very H first day OF M bis & ,erSG
penned words that made him famous lie had long
Mrs. harrington yalnly hopping back the Atlantic
Ocean. the day o bis entrance uron report Dra
a. advised in the European mail OF that morning:
Mrs Partngton says tha the price of bread may have
9or haif dollars worth" This copied far and wide
IN ali the newspapers OF the country shllaber had
written II with idea OF the result and only ms bit OF
ard pleased lin. and thereafter DO wrote desaory cay
n Of the kind upon the topics of the day and PRESENTLY
he kept up running nre of them Mrs harrington Was
Quoted s s Of wrote s rs np from m
the country Who the deuce Is Mrs. Partingtonf But
the identity OF the good lady was concealed FOR some
But shlabers reputation and labor never brought him
riches Journalists then as now worked harder and
ucrc noid less than men In any o'her profession. And
Mira fa ting,on could receive from shlabcr but little OF
unon M, POST All Boston no had with his
ewes and his own rcn. and frequently he was called TO
the nsnas deC WE'RE 20 sS se a e ws
from the word GO" When he was lad OF teen lie |
loft the public school OF his native town. Portsmouth
and entered the Office " The Dorer Palladium. weekly
journal that LONG ago gave un tue ghost He learned the
priners art In every detail. from manufacturing the
rollers that ink the type TO making the forms OF
IGmo vo,rme when the editor was away he wrote the
cory put It in type printed the sheets and delivered
the papers to the Subscribers When he came to Boston
he worked several years tpe-scter on Ihe Post
rnt the lucky day when le WIS made reporter ana i'll
,roouced his Mrs Parngton to the world.
Mr. shlllaber retired from active Journalism In 1870
uia od ogre rheumatism was steadily getting the letter
of him But he has entirely severed his connec-
ton with the press and he s sending weekly letters
r. 11s Uaf(ord Post over the signature OF The Old
Man with tie Cane" shilabers spirits are as buoyant
as ever Uis temperament Is remarkably cheerful and
sangune and he VIII allow himself 10 think OF his
crippled state - a burden. Though imprisoned In his