The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-11-03

"Uncle Billy, Won't you come along
with me, and, over 4 mug OF -FOUR ale
and q fresh pipe OF tobacco, tell me
something About yourself and Mixer
He looked At mo suspiciously for
moment while emitting something be-
tween 4 childish sob and surly growt.
but as the vision Of preferred cheer
gradually broke over him he yielded 10
its Establishments and fell 10 behind me
with soldierly step on our way 70 the
little tavern With tho big name in his.
toric Franklin's Row.
say historic Franklin's Row, for the
very place where We were finally costly
seated before huge deal table, beside
a cayernous Are place, was the kitchen
OF the identical house In which the dis
solute Charles, touched by the generous
pleAdings Of kindly Nell Gwynne, gave
TO her, TO BIO instantly transferred by
his iayorite ne slte for pensioners
hospital, King James College and its
pleasant surrounding meadows which
Charles had just purchased for bis
sprightly Nell at the beggarly price OF
thirteen hundred pounds.
The cookies Of the old pensioners
heart were soon warmed, and noticing
my interested looks about the dark and
Anticipated place, after a deep and com.
forting draught at his mug aud a few
sputtering whiffs at his pipe, the veto.
ran rpmina.ively began:
"Ay, ay, pardner-no fense sense
Mike Is gonel-its Eells Of 'ome; ome
O. th' horarnge gal as made rs TIL 'ome
n'ar theeF aech as IL be- !"
Here he pondered awhile as II fixing
It all in his memory just as legend had
brought the pretty tale down to its
trembling old beneAciaries.
"Ye see. Nell did 'eOp 0. dreamin'
fur 'er lordly barrymore. She dreamed
this, that an 'tother, rapid like. King
Charles allus 'eeded or dreams. Maybe
that made Ter dream more an more.
Any'ow, one night Nell dreamed mighty
lard. Next day she wuz glum, like. The
king shook lie cad an Worried DER 1t.
w Pats hup, NellT GO pumped at or.
rough an ready. oh, ye won't mind
wa'rs hupv she an'sers discouraged
like. 'Odso, give it name ? says go.
So she hups an bouts wi it"
Here the old pensiouer closed his
eyes, pursed his lips aud began in q
hoarse whisper OF secrecy which could
be plainly heard into tho middle OF the
street.
.Mcthought,' says Nell, rolliu' FER
fine heyes up'ard, 4 was in TIL fields O.
Chelsy, an slowly theer rose afore my
heyes gorgus pallus, wi a thousand
chambers. In an bout theer walked
many old an' worn out soldier men, wi
all kind O. scars. an' many MANNED O.
limb. All O. them was aged an past
service; an as they went out an come
In, th' Of men oil cried out: God
bless King Charles!" Then | opened
nv heyes an wuz sorc worritted DER
my dream Hup Charles roars: .Nell
Gwynne. wish you'd dream dreams as
didn't cost 60 much' Then she ans'er
hup: "oh, o'course ! know'd you
wouldn't do itP wen ee says: 'Well ye
knew amisS that time, Nell Gwynne, fur
l pip do it' An ee did"
lie snor.ed and beamed on mo in
very excess OF triumph at his historical
recital and continued deprecatingly:.
"That's TIL way tn 'ospital coined Z
be, sir, an no 'tother. 'Thout Nell
Gwynne's dream, right ere in this very
'ouse, sir, hus as made tn British
Hempire what it be. wouldn't 'ad airy
place Z lay our OF an worn.hOut
'eadsl"
"Old? Why, Uncle Billy. you're not
old;" insisted encouragingly.
He looked at me moment commlser-
atingly. He tuGged at his pipe furi-
ously. Then taking his wrinkled face
in his two hands and planting his elbows
on the table stolidly, he said with child
ish vanity and woebegone earnestness:
"I'll be ninety-two year oil, this
month, God willing!"
"Im possible!" / retorted affecting
amazement.
"Ninety.two year." he repeated SOL
EMMY. "LiHted in TIL 3lst Foot, in
1919; served over forty years; an' come
back Z tn workus or that-that 'ere
pen as amt much bctter!"
"Kith and kin all gone, Uncle Billy"
"kith an kin all gone"
mo brothers, or sisters, or friendsr
Notary one"
"No children, or wife or"
$500 ERE, now, parduer-no Tense
sense Mikes gone Z Brompton!-l told
yer oil was mustered out"
"Why didn't you ever have q wife,
Uncle Billy"
| canno. tell why drove him 80
close on this point. Perhaps it sprang
from vagarous human contrarineas.
But did it with dim sort OF notion
there had been perhaps somewhere,
sometime, a little woman, proud In
her way OF this battered old hulk in
its drawer days, and that he might have
forgotten the fact, along with other
things old soldiers should often better
have remembered.
civilian Merrill-shat's my full
namo, sir, an born in Bedtordshire-.had
n vito, forty or fifty years ago, sir"
"Forty or fifty years ago!-hore in
London, Uncle Billy?"
GAY, right here in Lunnon."
"What became Of herr"
"Dead."
"Do you know that?"
"Does l know Pm lookin' at your"
"But hoV do you know that she
died 2"
"Does know 'ave this ere 70 se.red
dec'rashuu on my breastie2 Does I
know / ave this ore yaller an blue
dec rashun on my tother breastie2 Docs
know were an 'ow l got EN-? Does
know wen left service on bob IA
shillIng) a day pension, marched moro
miles o'er Lunnon streets, a searchin' OF
'er than hever trod in Turkey or tn
Crimoa7 Does know that nothin' on
yoarth'd made mo give hup tn search.
In an TIL pension, an lay my bones In
that theer Twin greave. 'cept l was
cock-sure she was dead Rn' gonel-get-
tin nothin' but penny day, fur ale
an 'baccy money, bunk no bigger
than poor Mixes box . sleep on, an