The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-11-01
Copyright. 1888, by Edgar w. Nye.l

S sss2gEASHES
FAREWELL TO THE LANDLADY.
now and then an American may be seen
buying something and trying to pay for
1t without saying over in his mind:
4farthings make penny.
IL pence shilling.
20 shillings pound.
Then the half crown comes along and
knocks out his calculations. So does the
guinea.
Darn guinea anyhow.
lived next door to a flock of them one
summer in North Carolina, and they got
up so much earlier than I did in the
morning that Reason tottered on her
perch.
My former lodgings were at Chiswick
pronounced Chizzick). Chizzick was
the home of Hogarth, and his body lies
buried in the Chizzick churchyard. There
also is the beautiful estate of the Duke of
Devonshire, known as Chiswick House.
Chiswick House is built after the plan
of an old Roman villa and is massive
pile. Lots of old statuary from Rome
and some decorations even from the Vat
lean are there. Several stone benches
from the Roman senate were put under
the trees at Chiswick House. They were
the genuine thing, too-seats that the
Roman senator had sat in while he
thought of his speech; cold, hard stone
seats that they sat in on wintry morn
ings in December with nothing between
them and the hot blooded Roman but q
cotton toga.
Is itany wonder that Rome fell and
that "the barbarian Goth stabbed his
horse in the palace of the Cesars?"
Chiswick House is most richly deco
rated in white and gold, with beautiful
~ painted ceilings done by Italian art
lists of 200 years ago. The grounds are
laid out in magnificent park of SO acres.
Here Pope was constant guest, and, as
Plum Levi, my barber friend in North
Carolina, would say, Pope used to be
around Chiswick House right much.
His favorite walk between two huge
evergreen hedges 10 feet high has also
been favorite walk of mine while here.
Ii he had not been snatched away before
came to England, Pope and would
have helped each other. He was strong
in some ways, while came out better in
others Pope could have shown me how
to get about London by the mysterious
railroads, while l could have corrected
his essays for him.
The Duke of Devonshire is well off
and leases the place at Chswick Just as
Mr.. Gould might have leased Irvington
to some one in New York, or as George
Washington might lease Mount Vernon
to Denver man, with use of tomb and
right of piscary
If the duke had been there, he would
have doubtless sat the dog on me, but
the lessee, DR.. luke, told me to 20 any
where over the place, eat dollhouse cranes.
pick orchids, climb the tree planted by
Queen Victoria, or do my literary work
where Pope did his. There are trees
there planted by Garibaldi and many
other eminent people living and dead.
The tree planted by her most gracious
majesty does not seem to thrive, and I
feel almost positive that she did not
mulch it properly when she first sat it
out.
l use the word sat advisedly. use it
on the advice of my valet, Clarence, aged
Of, who says he belongs to the hupper
clahsses
1 got to talking with Clarence quite
freely the other evening, for l do not
want time to hang heavily on his hands.
There was no good theatrical perform
ance that l felt like taking him to see.
30 we chatted the evening away, Clar-
ence and l. 1t is pretty hard for an
American gent to entertain valet. not
being accustomed to it. never had one
before, so it comes rather awkward.
He thinks ought to have my boots
freed every night. l told him to tree
them if he thought best, but that he
would have to knock them off the
branches in the morning, for would
not go UP after them, so he puts a sort of
dofunny inside my shoes at night to fill
them up and keep them in place and says
it is better than to keep them on at night
for that purpose.
l have lodgings now just off Piccadil-
ly, as I said, having made the change
two days ago. My former landlady was
an amateur in that line. She sent mo
up an egg that was intended for parlia-
ment. 1t was good egg for riot, but
not for eating purposes. It looked on
the outside rather tottering. 1t looked
as an egg might that had been laid un-
der the Tower and forgotten for a few