The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-06-19
A VERY QUIET RUBBER.
BY JAMES PAYNE.

If the meditatios, If Mr.. Gray had oc-
CURED to him in the churchyard of Tat
bury, Burks, his @Elegy" would have
taken different turn, or at least there
would have been a supplementary verse
or two not quite in accordance with its
general tone. If he had had las in my
boyhood had) the advantage of the ac-
quaintance of Mr.. John Newton, of Tat
bury, he would have obtained some new
material, which, though not precisely
poetic, perhaps, might have been worked
up" into some startling stanzas. Mr..
Newton was the great "auctioneer and
upholder" of those parts, but incidentally
an undertaken also, and knew great
deal more about churchyards than Mr..
Gray did. He knew, at all events, all
those within 80 miles of him, and most
of those who had been in the occupation
of them for so years. 1t could hardly
have been said of Berkshire gentleman
of any position, during that period, that
he was 3happy" unless Mr.. John Newton
had conducted his obsequies; it was like
having no burial" at all.
When even the Marquis of Berks was
gathered to his forefathers, no London
firm was employed to place him in the
family vault at Tatbury; Mr.. Newton
was felt (by the executors) to be equal to
the emergency. In the marquis's will it
was known beforehand that he had ex-
pressed wish that his hearse should be
drawn by his own carriage horses, and
Mr.. Newton had the foresight (when his
lordship was given over by DR.. Trump of
Tatbury, whose word was law and physic
in one) to have them exercised every day
in plumes, lest they should be restive un-
der them on the stately occasion for
which their services were required.
Of course there were people, even in
Tatbury, so lost to all sense of authority
and solemnity as to make light of Mr..
John Newton. At the Town Club, for
example, which was held at the Berk-
shire Arms, and where he was accus-
toned to play whist, on one occasion-it
was under the regency-when he had
won three bumpers running, loser had
sarcastically observed to him, "Why,
uy
prince regent but the observation had
fallen fiat, as being profane when ad-
dressed to man of his grave position, as
well as slightly fippant with respect to
leading member of the royal family.
Yet if Mr.. Newton could ever be said to
unbend himself at all, it was at long
whist; when his manner of saying
aHushl" and aWe are playing at whist,
if you please, /" was Justly pronounced to
be perfect in its gentlemanly bearing.
The way in which he would set down his
cards with their faces downward, you
nfay be certain, for there were sharp
PLAYERS in the Town Club). and fold his
hands till conversation should cease, was
something that the lord chancellor of
England. or the speaker of the house of
commons, might have copied with ad-
vantage as a lesson in the dignity of re-
proach.
If a man SO well established and re-
spected as Mr.. Newton of Tatbury could
be said to have an ambition unsatisfied.
it was that his scientific genius as a
whist PLAYER was confined to the Town
Club. and forbidden to exercise itself in
private circles. But trade. even in its
uuietest and erayest form. which surely
can be said Of undertaking. was tabooed
among the oentrv of Tatburv. their in
comes wara m;croscon;c but thew made
nm for that bv beino exclusive and select
Evan the local banker was oniv cd.
mitted into their society ON snfferance.
and n was thoupbt q niece of imnert;.
nence in him las n was certainIv one Of
s,,1nerfuitvl To win at whist
There was one esnec;aI cliona @cons;st.
mo Of two ladies and two gentlemen who
nlaved the game with rioor every lawful
n;cht Of their lives. to which Mr. Newton
part;cnlarlv asn;red. but in vain Mr.
Ashton and Mr. Groves Mics T,aka and
Miss sutton were the names of this little
coter;e who had been nartners and onno.
nents for nearly one o1arter of their nat.
ural lives Their noints were bnt tbraa
PENNIES bpt their science was oraat. u
thew made mistakes in nlav thew acLno,yl-
edged them and away from the card
table thew made none. Their lives were
blameless. thew were looked nm 10 hv ali
their neipbbors and n Was said tbav 90 W. va
ali thew won to the Moor which can well