Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-05-30
THE OLD Man OF THE SEA.


earned enough to pay the rent Of his gar
ret i'll the Rue Cornrilr, OF the price Of
his admission to the Bal Bullicr.
one summer evening he wandered in the
Champs Elysees The lights CLEANED
through the trees Crowds saunterrd
among the pupprt shows. Through the
shruhhery came the applause of specta
tors slipping their coffee or their "GruE
American at the Concert dies Amhassa-
deurs. Occasionally could be heard the
patter IF wild quadrillr on the stage or
the stridcnt notes of Vocalist
Denied the entry Ia these delights,
Kingston ramhlrd "n towards the Arc de
Triumphe Suddenly hr was arrested 10y
the agreeable smell of perfumes. he
caught the sound of many instruments
playing in concert, and SAW a grand feast
about 10 lie served up. \ magnificent
lackey, powdered and padded. stood at the
door OF the mansion where these prepaTu-
tions We're being made
pray, sir" said Kingston. whose house
may this be"
The house of Kingston, the Commo-
dUrr, replied the lackcy. atTahly.
And who. sir. is Kingston. the COmmO-
dore!" he continued
Young man rejolned the domestic,
mot To know Kingston, the Commodore,
is 10 argue yourself 80 entirely out Of the
fashionable world that hardly dare to
hold further discourse with you
Pardon my ignorance. said Kingston,
hdmhly, am but IA poor devil out of
luck"
Won have my compassion" said the
laCkey. And for your guidance | will tell
You that Kingston, the commodore, is the
Monte CriSto of America. He inherited
great wealth from his father. He owns "A
newspaper. He invests his money in all
sorts of enterprises, from cables to Turkish
baths. His miniunS cover the globe One
of them explored in Blue mountains Of
Thibct: another discovered the River of
Golden sand, a third is projecting a voyage
10 the moon. And though my master is
courted 10y princes. diplumatistS. women Of
fashion, and Is 81 tiHttered 10y lick-spittles
that he has little chance of learning the
truth about his own affairs, he is, never
theleSS, a good fellow. 50 generous that he
is ready 10 divide his substance with the
neCessitous. 81 considerable that he has the
esteem Of the more honest members of his
court"
Il am glad" said Kingston, to hear so
good an account of him, for am an
American myself
In that case" replied the servitor, Il
pray you To follow me. My master is
always pleased to welcome gentlemen of
his own nationality
With that he led the way into sitting
room. Nothing could exceed the splcndur
of the room. Priceless treasures were
thrown CaTeleSsly on the chairs or tables.
MasterwOrks Of the modern French paint
ers adorned the walls. Rembrandt etCh-
ings lay neglected in corners. On single
easel stood TenIerS, Cuyp, and IA
Gerard Dow. SatSuma vases adorned the
filled with mass OF letters.
bills and memoranda. And in the midst
of this confusion sat "A tall man, prema-
turely white, with IA commanding air and
refined presence
This, sir" said the lackey. address
ing him, is an American in needy circum-
stances
Pray be seated, friend" observed the
master of the house, As the servant with
drew. And before We enter into Conver-
satlon, let me beg you to accept this
watch. The cover is thickly enCruSted
with emeralds and amethystS. Ii was pre-
sented to me by the Grand Llama of
Thibet, in consideration of my service in
exploring the Blue Mountains"
Il am stricken dumb by such generos-
ity," said Kingston, timidly
1t is nothing" replied his host And.
by the Way, while l think of it, do me the
favor TO accept these two pictures ON the
sofa, One is Caravaggio-the other
MurillO. Both are exceptionally rare.
% f, lI.l., So.
the morning"
Before the visitor could express his grilt-
tude for this magnificent gift, servants
in livery entered, bearing the choicest
wines and the most exquisite cordials.
Pouring these into small cups. fashioned
If solid gold. Kingston. the Commodore,
invited his guest To drink, and as they
pledged each others healths, the strains
)f delicious dance music, played by Metras
orchestral i'll an ante room, stole upon their
.ars.
And now" said Kingston, it becomes /
ny duty To tell you that my life is not al
Ways 50 luxurious as you might fancy. On .
he contrary, | haze seen hariships and
survived perls As commander of a
'acht have known almost as many re
'erses of fortune IL my prototype, Sind
lad the sailor.
Il was sailing once on the Potomac with |
party of jolly fellows. The wine had !
)een flowing freely, and | am bound to |
,Onfess that, i'll those days, | was nothing
# an anchuritc We had been ruyally en-
ertained by pUtentate Of those parts. |
md altugethei were in a state of much /
,eatitude.
suddenly We heard the look utter a
ry:
Sea -serp"pt ahead was what he |
huuted.
To seize the helm was my immediate |
movement. But it was too late. My com |
AIDES had hardly scrambled on deck when |!
We saw the portentous creature bearing |
Own on US. 1t mouth was opened wide !
Ne could almost look into the cavernous |
epths of its throat | made Il last effort |
o steer out If its reach and then heard a /
lorrible crunching as my vessel and her |
rev passed through the monsters jaws |
How | escaped know not can only !
elate that found myself thrown on the |
hores of city which have since learned |
o he Washington. The place where | lay |
ppeared a delicious garden abOuniing ,
With the choicest of fruit trees | NJ |
reshed myself plentifully and resolved to
enetrate further into the country in /
eaI ch of inhabitants
Il had not advanced far when | saw a !
riZZled old man. who, though his arms |
nd legs Were covered with knotted mus
les, pretended Ia be very weak
nd feeble. He told me that he had Just
een thrown out of the office of a newspaper !
'hich he had served for many years. and !
e asked me TO give him pecuniary assist
nee. In the plentitude Of my -ood nature
not only presented him with all the
Money that had in my pocket, but hade
i'm mount on my back that might carry
i'm to some comfortable quarters. Ibore
i'm to the best hotel in town, and there
npueSt.G hin, tn Jis,r,uu- Ir.,aa3 -