Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1891-02-28


Some years ago occupied the set Of
chambers in the Temple. London, that
are generally associated with the names
of Pendennis and George Warrington.
Four windows look out upon the gar
den court, the fountain and the Middle
Temple hall The rooms are among the
pleasantest in London. A Mr.. James
Burnett Ia stranger to mel lives in the
apartment ascribed to George Warning
ton; the remaining FIVE rooms of the set
accommodated two friends of mine
Edward Bold bar2ister in fair prac-
tice, and his younger brother, a student
at Charing Cross hospital, one of the
brightest, che,.iest lads | ever knew
We had small kitchen il common and
were ministered unto by a couple of
venerable ladies-Mrs. Swatman. a glob-
ular spinster of about co, and her asso-
ciate and assistant, widow of mysteri-
Gus age.
These two excellent personages were n
source of vast entertainment to us. Mrs.
Swatman would announce, with the
greatest gravity. 1--WE want some new
shirts" or 1--WE shall need new great
coat this winter" or Don't you think
we'd better get IL so-le coais?" Speak
ing of Edward Bold, she once said 70 me:
We've been together seven years now"
am afraid that Mrs. Swatman regarded
me with mild contempt. She had "done
for" barristers all her life and was pos
sessed with the notion that other men
were for the most part suspicious char
acters. Her misgiyings regarding me
We're somewhat allayed by the discovery
that wrote for one or two newspapers
and magazines: many of "the gentle
men," as she phrased it, being engaged
in similar pursuits. She was at all
events a faithful, industrious and adj
mirable old creature, and, compared
with the average Temple laundress. a
jewel among washerwomen.
Her worthy book" was fearful and
wonderful sight. The handwriting re-
quired as mucn and as serious study rs
would have qualified me to decipher
cuneiform inscriptions with ease; and
the theory of orthography affected by
the scribe was--whatever else might be
said of it--delightfully straightforward
and unsophisticated. "Kollurd he'd, +"
''stak," singer" "corfy." are examples
that occur to me of an achievement in
this direction; and there was also a mys-
terious item which cropped up every
now and then under the name of flag
gifts" Regarding this last curiosity and
proper sense of economy conspired at
length to make me request an explana-
ton. MRS. Swatman." said. "how is
it burn SO much wood? | see half a
crown constantly for faggots; surely
there must be some mistaken
"Lor bless you. sir" was her reply,
with an indulgent chucsle at my opac-
ity, "that amt faggots, it's 'forgets'
Mrs. Swatman's assistant was n queer,
understood, shriveled old person who
looked as though she had been mummi-
fed in the time OF the Pharaohs, and by
magic arts had been brought back to
life. Whether or not this were a true
account of her origin she was at any
rate that most inestimable of treasures
a willing servant. No amount of trouble
ever moved her to complain; on the
most tempestuous days she would trot
out on errands without a murmur, and
she would fetch the most extravagant
quantities of bath water as spontaneous
| ly as If it had been SO much beer for her
own consumption. You are not to infer
from this comparison that she was ad-
dicted to the beverage referred to: both
she and Mrs. Swatman Were thoroughly
sober, respectable old bodies. For my
part soon became their sworn ad-
mirer, and this long before had any
suspicion how important part one OF
them was to play i'll the little drama OF
my life.
One afternoon Eward Bold came into
my room to ask whether cared to go to
some private theatricals. Now | hold
private theatricals to be little better than
public nuisances; nevertheless, after
duly considering two possible contingent
advantages of the enterprise, l decided
that 60 would; and in the course OF