The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-03-11

The Asnoyanos That shs philosopher u


The Annoyancs That ths Philosopher I'm
derw~nt While I'm Vermont Village.
A young man in New York has among
his most cherished possessions letter
written nearly twenty-one wears ago by
Ralph Waldo Emerson. 1t was sent
by the philosopher to the young mans
mother under rather singular circum-
stances.
Il never saw Emerson but once"
said the possessor of the letter the
other day, @apd then / was too young
to remember much about him. When 1
was child he came to our town in
Vermont to lecture, and was invited by
my mother to spend the night at our
house. An odd thing happened after
the lecture. AS he was leaving the
lecture-hall his pocket-book was either
lost or stolen. IL contained the amount
paid him for the lecture, and some
money and other things besides. He
came to our house. but said nothing
about his loss that night remember
that i was in the dining-room the next
morning when he came in. The impress
sion left on my mind is that he was a
wonderfully tall man with q kindly
face. He came into the dining-room and
took me up in his arms, and, lifting me
up as far above his head as he could,
he said:
"'Whepe did you get those big blue
eyes?'
al don't remember whether he ate pie
for breakfast. III he did, it was provided
especially for him, as that article was
never served at that meal in our house.
After breakfast Mr.. Emerson asked to
see my mother alone. Then he ex-
planned the misfortune that had be-
fallen him-that he had lost all his
money-and apologized for being under
the necessity of asking for q small loan.
This. of course, was promptly made.
The next day or the day after he re-
turned the money loaned. Here is the
letter he wrote, and the speaker hand
ed out the following letter, written by
Mr.. Emerson's own hand:
"DELAvAN House, ALBANY, Jan. Ii,
1S64.-DEAR Mis-: inclose $40,
the sum you so kindly lent me, with
my best thanks; but am still vexed
with clouding your pure hospitality
by sympathy for such an absurd mis-
hap.
ain the bare chance that the wallet
should be picked up by an honest find
er, / add. what L believe 1 told you.
that there was no name; it was O COM
mon purplish one, containing the I'M
counted bills which Mr.. - had just
given me, and perhaps $50 or S2S
more, two or three bills being of the
Concord Mass Bark, some postage
stamps, and blank check on the At
lantic Bank, Boston. do not think of
any other means of identification. and
/ am quite sure none will be wanted.
But i am soYry 1 did not say to you
that / bad rather lose it than have it
advertised in any manner.
Il recollect your house and its in
habitants with great pleasure, and L
hope I may see you again. If you are
in my neighborhood it will give me
great pleasure to show you my house
hold. One of these days Willie Zone
CT the lady's sons) will come to see me
on his way TO- Cambridge, 1 hope, if
Cambridge mends its faults and desires
the best boys. But the boys of this
day, as 1 told you, seem to me to have
proud future before them. Yours
with kindest regard,
II. w. EMERSON.
"Mrs. -"
The letter was, written on heavy linen
paper, in an irregular but easily legible
hand.
Il never saw Mr.. Emerson after
ward" the young man continued.
"Whether Cambridge mended its ways
or not, i did not go there, nor did my
brother. Perhaps, though, We were
not the best boys i often thought 1
should like to go to Concord, recall
this occurrence to Mr.. Emerson's mind,
and introduce myself as the boy whom
he lifted in his,arms, and whose blue
eyes he spoke off But 1 never did. And
/ never heard the lost wallet was re-