Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-02-15
office clerk placed the register before

quiringly, waited pen in hand for the
old gentleman's directions.
"Hut! hut! No hurry young man."
Mr.. Pipperchirp responded. "Can l
have my roomY"
mo doubt we can obllgc you. When
were you here last?"
ain the ilfties; No. 1923; Mr.. Piper
chirp's room; fine view; quiet location"
"That was 40 years ago, Mr.. Piper
chirp," replied the clerk softly as he ran
his eye quickly along the vacant room
card rack.
"lIutl hut! What signifies 40 years?"
quite true; your room is ready, sir"
"Put Pipperchirp down, then"
"Mr-Pipperchirp
"Elut hut There is only one Pip
perchirp. Write it Mr.. Pipperchirp,
Madras"
Old Mr.. Pipperchirp was as radiant
over the transaction as though he had
accomplished life purpose, as perhaps
he had He beamed upon the clerk, be.
nignly feed the inn porters who relieved
the ships steward of his belongings,
and placed whole shining sovereign in
the Malayan's hand with tho gentle ad-
monitlon TO the latter to go to the devil,
he and all his yellow.skinned kind, aud
patting the polished carvings along the
stairs and Railways as with home-com-
ing affection and delight, he joyfully
assembled to his quaint old dormitory
whose windows opened upon the loaded
roof.
If old Mr.. Pipperchirp's individuality
impressed itself at all upon the hun
dreds of other odd characters at the
Slavistork, it was not because he diff
fered much from the punctilious and
aged thr0ng about him, but more for
the beaming radiance which seemed to
possess him. This found expression in
countless, noticeable and almost pathetic
little ways. For time he was busted
in journeys of rediscovery in every
strange old corner of the ancient inn.
Dear, dear, dearl' he would exclaim
as he wandered among the dim old
cellars where the mellow ports and
Madeiras lay sheeted in cobwebs and
Bacchanal dreams, Just as they were
In the tifties, dear, dear, dear !"
In the reading room he would lean
rumlnatively over great arm chair by
the fireplace and softly chirp, "My very
chair, Just as it was; dear, dear, dear !"
Standing by the glass partition where
all may see the unpretentious, ample
cooking of olden times. he would press
his almost childish face against the
panes and murmur, They're at it yet,
pom my soul; dear, dear, dearp In the
coffee room his swapping little eyes
would fairly gloat over the carvings,
the plate, the glasses, and ediblcs, and
rubbing his hands together with glee,
he would confide to his smiling waiter,
"Ah, my dear boy, a mans long way
from home where lie can't get glass of
Bishop or of Sack o winter nights !"
And though still much given to rice and
curry, he glowed over the turhot, brill
and salmon, cut from the fish itself; Or
dered wondrous plates of grouse, wood
cock, partridge and venison; and bowed
and nodded, and crooned to every one
he met with, "Ah, dear boy How dye
do, dear boy? Glad to see you back
here again; dear, dear, dear ~ as though
he had awakened from half o century's
slumber, bright, clipper and joyous
with deep-heart gladness that all the
things and faces he had loved were here
again to beam back his own happy re-
CuSHltlOn anu uSilSlt' say. ...a-., fE...t f.
Not month later the Slavirstork
office clerk one morning saw standing
in front of the desk another dapper
little old man, behind whom was wait
ing brown-faced ships steward bear
ing in his arms small, stout oaken
chest, while his head and shoulders
were swathed and hung with gaudy
rugs, mysterious bundles aud packages
OF curious knotted canes.
Don't set it down till / give the
world" said the little old man warningly
to the steward, as the clerk nodded u
pleasant good morning.
"Golng to leave us, Mr.. PipperchirpG"
asked tho clerk blandly.
The little old man gave start. ..
BLESS me, bless me" he returned
after u little, and as II half to himself.
Cant be possiblew And then louder
to the clerk, "Young man, how old
might you be ?"
"Oh, not far from &c."
Thought So" muttered the little old
man obviously. "Very strange; very.
Probably some one told him about Pip
perchirp. One one of us alive. Couldn't
forget the name; oh, dear, no II"
He took up the desk pen as if about
to register his name, and then said
hesitatingly:
"Bless me, its SO like home here, if
was quite sure could have my own old
room again, l might remain dear, dear
i might remain for-for life |"
"No trouble aboutitatall sir. Rooms
yours as long as you like"
BLESS me, bless me but that is pleas
ant. feared some changes, sir. In
deed did. Dear, dear, dear!" He
seemed in tlutter of delight and wrote
his name in the book uemblingly but
carefully ashe could,
Mr.. Plpperchirp, Ballarat
Accustomed as was this ordinarily
imperturbable clerk to the vagaries OF
eccentric old men, it gave him something
of turn to see the little old man before
him apparently so pitifully befogged.
Madras and Ballarat were both very
long way off; the one nearly as far from
the other as the Slavistork from either;
and Mr., Pipperchirp must be failing
rapidly, he sympathetically reflected.
But there could be no mistake about
the matter. There stood the verltable
Pipperchirp he had previously assigned
to No. 1873, with the same black coat,
waistcoat and trousers, the same capa-
cious collar and shiny satin stock, the
same excessively red face, shaggy eye
brows and silvery hair, with snulf-box
and silk kerchief in his hands, and the
same fiuttering delight in his face as his
eyes wandered from old familiar object
to object
"Show Mr., Pipperchirp to No. 123,"
he said kindly, nodding significantly to
one of the hall porters.
"Bless me bless me p exclaimed Mr..
Pipperchirp, almost beside himself with
resentful disappointment; 1876 you mean.