Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1893-02-16
IN A LONDON CROWD.
Tho Big Englishman Who Enabled .
Young American Lady to See

Tho Big fnelishman Who Enabled .
Young American Lady to See.
Among the Spectators friends is q
Scotchman who came to this country
young, prospered here, married here,
but has often visited the old country,
making in all nearly hundred voy-
ages. One of these voyages was made
in 1851, with his young wife. That
was the year of the great worlds
fair, when the Crystal palace dazzled
the eyes of the visiters, whose Won
derful tales spread the marvel far and
wide.
When the Spectators friend reach
ed London all of the talk was Of the
coming opening of the 2ystal pal
ace. The royalties were to be there
in great force, to say nothing of mere
celebrities The gentleman himself
had seen all this sort of thing before,
including the royalties. But his
young wife had not. and a great
spectacle it would be to her Ameri-
can eyes. The price was rather steep.
Only those were admitted who held
season tickets, and season tickets
cost something like fifty pounds 1t
seemed a big price to pay for a single
sight of even so unusual a show, but
the Spectators friend was determined
that his wife should not lose the
chance--it might never come to her
again.
So he bought ticket and sent her
on opening day to the Crystal palace
with some English friends. Great
was tho crowd, and the young Amer
lean woman was person of unlucky
shortness Of stature. Tiptoe her best,
she could not see thing over the
mass of heads all turned in one d.
rection. The procession of royalties
swept in. but it was not for her.
Bitter tears of disappointment filed
her eyes that. after SO much cost and
trouble. she was to be completely
baked
A big Englishman stood near her,
with the kindliest of eyes. They saw
it all at q glance. Permit me.
madam" the Englishman said, and
with his strong hands he encirclcd
her waist and lifted her up above
the heads of everybody as easily as
if she had been little girl. He held
her there quite time, his arms not
seeming to know tired feeling, tell
ing her who everybody was, royal
ties and celebrities alike. When ho
at last put her down she had had Il
much better view than three fourths
of the tall people who were present.
In reply to her thanks he simply
said 1T is always special pleasure
to do favor for an American" She
was sure he was himself distin-
guished, but the friends who We're
with her did not know him. She
described him to al the English peo
pie whom she met, but could get no
clue to his identity. So she came
back to America ignorant who the
kind hearted Englishman was.
Some years after, in Brooklyn, she
went with her husband to Plymouth
church to hear a lecture by ccle-
brated Englishman. The moment he
appeared on the stage she turned to
her husband and exclaimed: That's
he! That's my Crystal palace Eng
lishman!" 1t was Thackeray. After
the lecture the husband and wife had
the pleasure of meeting him, again
acknowledging their obligations and
entertaining him at their own home.
Somehow the incident struck the
Spectator as just the sort of unique
kindness one would expect from
Thackeray 1t has in way justified
him III his feeling that You can tell
something about another from his
books. christian Union.