Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-07

charge Of ? careful man.
/ The rectory looked bright and pleasant
! enough the afternoon they arrived. mere
was a nice little dinner prepared, ana the
/ next morning the new-laid eggs on the
1 table and the cream in the jug showed
/ that the hens and the COW had fulfilled
1 their part Of the contract. The careful
man came, touching his hat, to the break
fast room window and asked whether
there were any orders about the carriage
to-day. A glow of pleasurable pride
aweke in Mr.. Pilgrims spirit as he lis
tened to the request, and he told the care
tul man be thought they would take lit
tie drive in the afternoon.
They went for drive every afternoon
for about a week, as the weather was alb
normally fine. AT the end Of that time
Mr.. Pilgrim began to think that either
the local roads must be very trying, or
that the construction OF Mr..
Rubicle's carriage must be very
delicate, for after every drive the
careful man would come in and
say that the spOkes in one OF the fore
wheels were loose, or that the shaft was
sprung, or that the stufflng in the back
seat wanted renewing. Mr.. Pilgrim
bore 1t patiently for week but then he
began to see that, as things were going
on, Mr.. Rubicle's carriage would be en-
tirely renewed by the end OF month, so
the afternoon drives we're given up.
Then the hens suddenly left of laying
and the COW went dry, as she alwas did,
according to the careful mans account,
at that particular season. For the first
day or so a dish OF straw berries graced
the dinner table, but these were soon re-
placed by some very wormy raspberries,
aud when Mrs. Pilgrim demonstrated at
this falling of the careful man informed
her that all the strawberries mad been
preserved by Mr.. Rubicle's order for his
own use. Thus by degrees the gilt was
rubbed of the ginger bread; but it was
not until the final audit came that Mr..
Pilgrim discovered how we'll up in the
art OF letting furnished house was the
simple priest with whom be had 60 deal.
Mr.. Rubicle, accompanied by the careful
man, went round the house and premises
and turned ont OF all sorts OF unnOticed
corners a motley collection OF rickety
forms and chairs, damaged crockery,
worn out broOms, and tubs and buckets
In the last stage OF dissolution. These,
Mr.. Rubicle remarked, turning with n
smile TO a clause in the agreement, Mr..
Pilgrim was bound to make good; but in
order to save trouble Mr.. Rubicle would
give a full acquittance for all damage in
con siderauon Of an extra check for
twenty-five pounds.
hr. Pilgrim returned TO the Chaplain
Road well nigh SICK Of country houses.
So loud and deep were his ObiurgatiOns
against all who let them that i was ra.
Their surprised TO hear from him AT the
end Of last June that he was gong 10
tempt fortune once more in little place
called The Pines, in perfect situation
about forty miles from town. Mr.. Pilgrim
gave me 80 glowing a description of this
last venture that | was almost disposed
to accept his invitation to visit him there,
though | had not slept out OF London for
thirty years. But the force OF habit was
too strong, and / decided TO await his re-
turn and near whether the later expeT-
fence was worthy of the early promise.
At the beginning Of October MIR. Pill
grim returned An altered man. When
/ went over TO see him, and ask him how
he had enjoyed his outing, he smiled
faint smile and took refuge in some gen.
erallty. / led up to the subject again
and again, but always in vain. His
manner at last became so peculiar that /
grew certain there was some mystery at
the back of this reserve. 1 determined to
lay the matter before Simpson the next
time he called, and to ask him to find out
for me an explanation of Mir. Pilgrims
altered MOOD. The very next day he
made his appearance. | placed the details
of the business before him, told him the
name OF the village in which The Pines
was situated, and bade him go and ascer-
tain what there was in the place to have
sent Mr.. Pilgrim back to town with the
air OF a man who had forged will or
committed a murder instead of the
happy-looking, open-faced gentleman he
was when he left town.
In less than a week he came back with
the following story:
Il do not wonder that your friend was
taken with The Pines, for a prettier little
residence l never saw. 1t must originally
have been very coy cottage, and the
present owner has built drawing room
on one side, and smoking room on the
other, he has patched on porches aud
Verandas wherever he could find room,
and thrown out bay windows in all the
principal rooms. The flower gardens
around it are just what English flower
gardens should be; IL IS covered from
ground to caves with roses and flower
ing creepers OF all sorts. Beyond the
garden is sloping pasture, at the foot Of
which runs little stream just big enough
for boat, and at the back rises wooded
mill sufficiently high to keep off the nor
thern winds. 1t gives one the idea of be-
ing something more than mere sum
mer residence The verandas must be
cool and grateful during the brief spell
of heat, and the easements tit perfectly,
virtues Mr.. Pilgrim no doubt appreciated
when there came that bit OF January
which nowadays always falls upon us
in the middle OF July. The
landlord left for the tenants use pretty
little pony carriage, smart brOugham, a
pony, and horse, two excellent COWS,
and yard full of poultry. The garden
was full Of fruit, ripe and riDening, and
for the first week Mr. and Mrs. Pilgrim
ate strawberries and cream four times a
day.
'But all the above named excellences
faded into nothlngness and paled their
Intellectual fires when compared with two
other treasures which your friends found
left for their use. They found perfect
cook and a man servant who seemed TO
combine all the virtues one hopes TO find
in an honest steward, a careful groom, a
sober butler, and clever valet. Timbury
for he was so called-was not only able
to do everything that any one expects to
be done by steward, groom, butler, or
valet. He was always ready and willing
to show his efficiency, One morning a
couple OF delicious trout were served up
for breakfast. They were two which
had taken out of the stream the
night before. He could concoct the most
wonderful salads and the most seductive
summer drinks. In short. il l were TO
give YOU catalogue OF bis virtues, l
should have no time TO tell you the rest of
my story.
''Mr. Pilgrim spent much Of his time in
the garden, but somehow he could not
get out OF the flower beds at The Pines the
strsN4 ~ hnN he a