The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1894-04-18

Qeal, anu Wueu ueCesedTy ue mofeN
quickly about the room with hopping
motion, as if stepping on his toes. he
| was the first man Of over eighty whom
Leah had ever seen.
He took Leah by the hand and led
her to his arm chair on a rug before
the glowing sea coal fire, where he held
her affectionately between his knees
he told her how glad he was to see her,
and how much pleasure the visits OF
his little friends gave him; he asked her
her name, her age, the name OF the
school she attended, and many similar
questions. At first Leah's little heart
was in her throat; but she remembered
that such an opportunity seldom re-
peated itself, and she answered up
bravely and clearly. He asked her
what series of readers was used now In
the Boston schools, and was pleased to
find that 1t was still the excellent series
edited by bis old friend Of the past, Mr..
g.. 8. Hillard. He told her that about
all Of his old companions had left him;
had lost one Of the last of these within
the past week, and had gone out fifty
miles into the country to attend his
funeral, only yesterday, It had been g
wild and clustering afternoon, to be
sure, but he felt none the worse for the
exposure. He asked Leah II she had
honored him by reading any Of his
poems; and she was able to answer that
she knew some of them by heart, such as
"Old Constitution" "The Chambered
Nautilus" and "The Last Leaf" His
face lighted up at the mention of "Nau-
tilus," which, with its pretty allegory
of immortality, was evidently favor
ite with him. Had Leah ever seen q
nautilus at the sea side9 Did she
know how it looked3 Leah's notions
upon this were Of the vaguest. Well,
he happened to have nautilus in that
very room-not live one, to be sure
but there it was on the sideboard In the
corner; and passed him splendid
specimen Of q golden-yellow nautilus
shell, larger than a big football, and
neatly sawed in two in the middle, 80
az to show tho beautiful convolutions
Of its inner chambers. He had seated
Leah upon a chair by his side, still
holding one Of her hands, and he now
explained to her, In dainty words, how
nautilus is a shell fish which crawls
over the bottom OF the sea-how 1t In.
habits only the outer chamber Of its
shell, while others are filed with gas
how it was formerly supposed to Dos
sess membrane which served as sail
and to 60 merrily sailing over the sur
face Of the water-how the shell is Of
ten washed ashore when the little voy-
ager is dead-and how this very speci-
men, longer years ago that he cared to
remember, had suggested to him the
allegory Of the poem which has become
30 popular.
Or. Holmes told us, In particular, q
good deal >abttut two of shis famous
tr;spds of long sgos One Of thess wF
nah, .sst0c 5dtsfussa rtrrrscs7,
had lived at the other end Of ths sarH'
Beacon street, and who died in thai
year 80 fatal to historians, 1859, wher
Macaulay and Hallam. and Washing
ton Irving, and the French Miehelet
aiso passed away. The story Of Pres
colt was one OF those to rouse the
blood of brave men like trumpet call.
For in i'll health, almost blind, often
able to read only one hour day, and
that In sections Of five minutes each,
he never faltered, but toiled right o;
until he had produced several gran
books in addition to his magical &C
counts of the way in which the Span
iards conquered Peru. But the great
est friend OF Prescott and OF Holmes, was
that lion among men, Nathaniel Ha"-
thorne. DIR. Holmes gave us, IN minute
detail. the account OF his famous last
interview with Hawthorne two or three
days before his death in 1884. He hap
pened to meet him in the passages at
the head of fremont street the day be-
fore he set out with his lifelong friend,
Mr.. Franklin Pierce, the ex-President
otthe United States, upon that Journey
which was his last. He was distant,
magnificent, Olympian, but to DIR.
Holmes practical eve, evidently ill and
suffering. DR.. Holmes fastened him
self upon Hawthorne and accompanied
him upon his errands about the city,
watchfuf for an opportunity to help
him. He would not be shaken OIL but
hovered about him, according to his
own comparison, like fly about a hu-
man head, now on this side Of the giant
and now on that. 1T was always an
adventure" said DR.. Holmes, with one
OF those smiles for which he is 80 IA
mons. "whether one could succeed in
inticing Hawthorne into anything like
communicative intercourses. He went
his way through life, like a whale
through the crowds Of lesser fishes In
the sea; you might stand in your boat
and hurl your harpoon at him as ne
passed-it was hit or miss; II you sue
ceeded In bringing him to, he was &C.
NAL enouah company for awhile, in
his abstracted Olympian way; II you
missed you would hardly have another
chance for a year." On this occasion
Hawthorne seemed greatly pestered al
first, but could not long resist the Doc
tors vivaclous attacks. When they
found themselves before Metcalfs drug
shop on Copely Square, DR.. Holme'
said: "You are not well; come in here
and let me give you prescription,
and the giant good aaturedly obeyed
Holmes gave him quinine, and wha
else he could not remember. Haw
thorne promised to take 1t, "an'
doubtless" said tho doctor, 'chucke'
it out of the window as soon as he 60
home" They parted outside Metcalfs
and three days later the greatest Amer
lean author was no more. Leah's eye