The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-11-20
A REMUNERATION.

Mr.. John Coploston Singlesby, G
scion Of the colonial Copleston fam
lily, had been to a farewell bachelor
dinner at the Somerset He sat al
the library window on the water side
of Beacon street smoking cigar. II
was quite dark, and the purple sky
was full Ct clear shining stars, which
were reflected in the basin of the
Charles. The scene was what un.
travelled people call Venetian, be.
cause there was water and on it shin.
mered many gas and electric lights.
But, though, as in Venice, Tasso's
echoes are heard no more, thatnega-
tive likeness is the only obvious one.
The CHASTITY forms of mud scows,
like vast marine gallows; the sordid
outlines of the Cambridgeport facto-
ries, the shouts of the "muckers'
from passing rowboats, suggest not,
except with sickly sense of con-
trast, the picturesque and gloomy
facades of the palazzo, the long
reaches and vistas of the winding
canal, the Pickering will-o' -the-wisps
of the gondolas' lights and the mu-
steal shrill cry of the gondoliers. OF
such and similarly unproftablemat-
tiers Mr.. Singlesby was musing, for
he was a travelled gentleman and
had gone forth repeatedly since his
college days "strange countries for
to see." In fact, he had never done
anything else but travel and study
heraldry, genoalogy and his family
tree.
In this way he had spent 80 years
and probably $4,000. He might
have gone on force or even so years
more, continuing TO spond the income
of the large property inherited from
the CoplestOns and to deserve no fur
ther attention from his fellow crea-
lures except from those who might
obsequiously acknowledge the re-
ceipt Of many hundred thousand dol
lars more dispensed by him for the
pleasures of a continued useless life,
except for a single circumstance.
There came a sudden loud splash
and Cry from the water beneath the
ruinous stone wall which bounded
the unsavory alley behind the house.
Mr.. Singlesby justified the initials
at" which followed his name i'll
The Social Register by the agility
with which he swung himself from
the balcony beneath the window,
dashed across the shed roof and drop
ping off his pumps at the brink ar
rived in the water ready for any
emergency in the not inconvenient
swimming suit of his light evening
clothes. He paddledabout a bit and
began to think he had been prema-
ture, when he saw at some distance
ahead, for he had not allowed for
the rapidity of the tide, a hand and
arm, the sight of which made his
heart beat with an unaccustomed
sensation and filled his body, which
had already returned TO it's usual lar
guild condition, with nervous energy.
On a second return to the surface
Singlesby seized heavy bundle with
q force which defied the death grip
of the drowning one and with a few
strokes reached one of the ladders
of the Humane society, which fortu-
nately had not entirely rusted from
it's supports.
Mounting to the bank, he remem-
bered that he had no means of enter
ing from the rear of the house. The
only thing to be done was to go
through one of the side streets to
Beacon, in the hope of finding po-
liceman. None was in sight. That
''one of the finest" especially paid
by the residents absent from the
town for the summer to stimulate
his official diligence, was at that
time increasing his immense girth
by absorbing soda water or other
beverage, gladly offered as due trib-
ute to the "pantata" in Charles
street. There was nothing for Sin
glesby to do but seek his front door.
With a rueful face, he was b sight
over which the angels, the only OBJ
might have wept-the fas-
tidious, the dainty, drenched and
covered with mud, shoeless and hat
less, carrying up his freestone steps
a shapeless, dripping thing, which
only the long hair falling to his feet
in a dark mass indicated to be a
woman. Mr.. Singlesby happened to
be alone in the house, as he was liv-
ing at Beverly and had unexpected
ly resolved to sleep at his town
house. The exigency of the situation
might have been embarrassing, but
the domestic teleDhOne. so often n