Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-03
CHAPTER II.

Colonel Mulberry Sellers-this was some
days before he wrote his letter to Lord
, Rossmore-was seated in his "libmry,"
! which was his drawing ROOM and was also
his picture gallery" and likewise his
'Uorkshop." Sometimes he called it by
one of these names, sometimes by another,
according to occasion and circumstance
He was constructing what seemed to be
some kind of frail mechanical toY, and
was apparently very much interested in
his work. He was a white-headed man
now, but otherwise he was as young, alert,
buoyant, visionary and enterprising as
ever. His loving old wife sat near by,
contentedly knitting and thinking, with a
cat asleep in her lap. The room was large,
light, and had a comfortable look; in fact a
home-like look, though the furniture was
of humble sort and not overabundant, and
the knick-knacks and things that 60 to
adorn living room not plenty and not
costly. But there were natural flowers
and there was an abstract and undesirable
something about the place which BETRAYED
the presence in the house of somebody
with happy taste and an effective touch.
Rven the deadly chromos on the walls
were somehow without offense; in fact,
they seemed to belong there and to add an
attraction to the room-a fascination, any,
way; for whoever got his eve on one OF them
was like to gaze and suffer till he died-you
have seen that kind of pictures Some of
these terrors were landscapes, some libelled
the sea, some were ostensible portraits, all
were crimes. All the portraits were recog-
nizable as dead Americans of distinction,
and yet, through labelling added BY dar-
ing hand, they were all doing duty here as
"Earls of Rossmore The newest one had
left the works as Andrew jackson, but was
doing its best now as "Simon Lathers, Lord
Rossmore, present Earl" On one wall was
a cheap cid railroad map of Warwickshire.
This had been newly labelled ''The Ross
more Estates" On the opposite wall was
another map, and this was the most impos-
ing decoration of the establishment and the
first to catch a strangers attention because
of its great size. 1t had once borne simply
the title Siberia" but now the word
Future" had been written in front of that
word. There were other additions, in red
ink-many cities, with great populations
set down scattered over the vast country
at points where neither cities nor popula-
tions exist to-day. One of these cities, with
population placed at l, 100000 bore the
name tyorloffskoizalinski," and there
was still more populous one, centrally
located and marked Capitol" which bore
the name domslovnaivanovich"
The mansion-the Colonel's usual name
for the house was a rickety, old two-story
frame of consider able size, which had been
painted some time or other, but had nearly
forgotten it. 1t was away out in the ragged
edge of Washington, and had once been
somebody's country place. 1t had neg
lected ward around it, with paling fence
that needed Strengthening up in places and
a gate that would not stay shut By the
door-post were several modest tin signs.
Colonel Mulberry Sellers, Attorney at
Law and Claim Agent" was the principal
one. One learned from the others that the
Colonel was 4 materializer, hypnotizer, a
mind-cure dabbler and so on. For he was
man who could always find things to do
A white-headed negro man, with specta-
cles and damaged white cotton gloves, ap-
peared in the presence, made stately
obeisance and announced:
''Marse Washington Hawkins, suh."
Great Scott! Show him in, DanI, show
him in.''
The Colonel and his wife we're on their
feet in q moment. and the next moment
were joyfully wringing the hands of a
stoutish, discouraged looking man whose
general aspect suggested that he was 80