St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-19
TWO OLD SETTLERS.
Combs and Heard-Amateur The
atricaIs in Early Days.

aIrlcaIS HI EIdTIy OdJSs
William S. Combs may be seen every
day on our streets, a Well-preSerVed
man. He kept book store up town,
and dealt in town lots. His store was
the rendezvous for Charles Rice, the
Farringtons, and many dealers in the
only staple production of the country
real estate. Each one of these gentle
men was frequently to be seen plying
his avocation on the public streets
or places of business, displaying
platS of town-sites, additions, ETC.,
descanting on the beauties OF location,
certainty of becoming denSely popu-
lated and the sure increase In values OF
500 or more per cent Ill very SNORT
time. Very many of our merchants In
vested i'll these promising town lots. but
to what extent their expectations were
realized as to the promised rapid in
crease of values | was never able to
learn. 1t is presumed, however, that
very few, if any, ever got rich from
such investments; for it is matter OF
history, as well as the experience of
manv of the old pioneers who were
loaded down with real estate i'll 1856
ana 1857, that they could not at that
time buy a meals victuals with l60 acres
of wild lands, such were the reverses
caused by the financial crisis OF that
period.
1t was in the sos that our higly es-
teemed fellow-citizen /. V. ID. Heard
arrived here fresh from Orange county,
N. Y. and was installed III the law
Office of Wilkin & Van Etten as a law
student. The senior member OF that
firm was Capt. Alexander Wllkm,
brother of w. w. Wilkin, at present the
- 6iCfr 0t
Wilkin was secretary of the territory
under the Fillmore administration. |
was also engaged in the Secretary'S
office, and there made my first acQualnt-
ance with young Mr.. Heard. We slept
in the office, and to while away the
tedious hours of evening and to give
the law student rest from peruslng
Blackstone and other law authori-
ties, we agreed to study theatrical
elocution; so, purchasing a copy
of the play of "The Lady of Lyons"
we commenced our studies and re-
hearsals. Mr.. Heard took the character
OF Pauline. and of course L had to take
Claude Melnotte for my character.
Play-book in hand, every night we could
have been seen walking the long, mar
row office, reciting and committing to
memory our several parts. Just imagine,
my friend, our performance or Inat parG
of the play where Claude is describing
to Pauline his beautiful palace by Lake
Como. The lines commencing with "a
deep vale, shut out by Alpine hills, }"
etc. At the conclusion of which Claude
turns to Pauline and says. ''DoSt like
the plcture?" fauline replies: "Ah,
| could hang upon the honey of thy
lips" or words to that effect. Claude
rebukes her thus: Had | painted toll
and poverty and care, thOu'dst found no
honey upon my lips! Pauline. that is
not love-"
The presentation of this episode of
how we spent part of our time in early
history is only valuable as a remi-
niscence of the ludicrouS picture my
friend and | cut when rehearslng our
respective parts, at the same time will
ing that ali who know or may hear OF
the fun we enjoyed at that time may
Join in congratulations that we did no
worse.
Mr.. Heard and myself have reason to
be thankful to God for sparing US to the
present time. Not altogether unknown
| to many Of the junior pioneers, the
picture we presented i'll personatlng two
such refined characters in Lytton Bull
wer's play can be we'll Imagined by you,
| but not described by me.