New-York tribune., 1902-06-19

question. He was right for long dlo the
brance remain in the family Of that delicious
rarity and Of the mode in which Mr. Lamp
.talked I'D and down the passage with d i1lHS
1erious harbingering look and stride. mutter-
snp something that sounded like q, conjuratlon,
holding the precious jar under ms arm anu
feigning to have found it slowed away IN
dark chimney somewhere near
Beyond these references, and feW ouleLS'
there is little evidence as to Lambs way WIN
children for whom he wrote SO much
vrhetber o- not Mrs Coe is the only person
IN england now living who remembers Charles
Lamb 1 cannot say: but ii is. think prooaele'
In Italy the Countess Gi6liuccl tnee CARA NO NO
xellol AND her sister Miss Sa bila Novelo hoth
Of whom knew him. still happily survive,
Mrs Coe Cnee Elizabeth Hunt. Of Nldforo'
who is now in her eighty-fourth year. refnelm eaa
hers Lamb as he between 49, and io1--
In 1S27-aged ffty-two and free of the lndla
Eo,se-he used often TO walk down TO NloloTu
+ure-,tv-fyo miles from London-to stay day
or two among old friends and Older assocla Iiohs-
These little visits probably stgnihed that Man
Lamb was i'll, for Mrs Coe does not rernefnpei
I11at Mary Lamb ever accompanied her brother
Al anv rate she never saw her Miss lSola
she saws came with him once. and her feet were
so sore from the journey that she mao I" ne III
he'd for two or three days. Mr. Lamp waiting
for her recovery Mr. Lamb often had hllsters;
too but he did not seem to nina ne loNe"
I.an1b's chief friends at widford in those days
we're tl1e Norrises Randall Norris. sub-treasu-
rer of the Inner Temple, a very old friend OF
the Lamb family. died in January, 1871. leaV-
ing widow. deaf son and two daughters very
ance of Crabb Robinson in doing something 1or
them but their means remained slender. and
moving to Widford the two Miss NorTiseS
opened a school for girls. They lived AT GOO
fiard House. and the school was Goddard House
School The sisters We're known as Miss Betsy
and Miss Jane. Mrs. Norris was the good anger
of the v;llage-doctor. nurse and every ones
refuge in trouble. Mr.. Richard Norris, VINO
was deaf and peculiar. lived in the house. too
Among the pupils at Goddard House was
Elizabeth Hunt of the three little daughters
Of Thomas Huat. of the Widford water mill,
old <riag 1FlS
Lizzie Hunt afterward became Mrs. Coe, and
she is now living London. with faculties
unimpaired and a number OF very pieasalll
recollections of the famous visitor from town
who made red-letter days for her family ano
friends
In those days-seventy and more years ago
h she was Mr.. Lambs favorite of all the Widford
ff children-partly she suspects, from her quick
" ness in catching rnischievous idea She re-
members with a vividness that is. to some ex-
tent, communicable. his affected conviction thai
her hair curled only by artificial means. anc
his repeated warnings at bedtime that she mus
on no account forget to put in her papers
But don't have TO curl it, Mr. Lamb. dom [
I cont" We'll. bring me mug of beer from
old Bogey and We'll say no more about 1t oic
Bogey was the big cask For. rule. wher
Mr.. Lamb walked down to see the Norrlses ne
used to sleep at the mill Now, Mrs hunt
he would say, are you going to let me creeI
snto a goose's belly tonight? for ne always
had his joke, and no one would expect him to
call a feather bed a feather bed like other
folks. He said it was like heaven, in a goose 5
belly. When he made a joke ne did not iaugf
himself.
He always brought book with him. some
times several. and he would read or write a
great deal His clothes rusty and Sha bby
like a poor dissenting minister's. He was very
thin and looked half starved. partly the effect
of high cheek bones. He wore knee breeches
and CATERS and high stock. He carried a
walking stick with which he used to strike al
pebbles He smoked a black clay pipe No
one would have taken him for what he was. but
he clearly man apart He took pleasure
in looking eccentric. He WAS proud Of being the
Mrs Coe does not remember anything about
Mr.. Lambs taste in food, except that he was
fond of turnips He used to come down to
breakfast late
He was very free with his money To beg
CARS he always gave: just what his hand hap
peIsed to draw from his pocket, even as much
as three shiiiings Poor DEVIL he wants II
more than ! do: and I've got plenty he used
10 saw He would take the children into the
village TO the little general shop. II had q
door cut in two like butchers and he would
lean over the lower half and rap his stick on
the floor calling loudly, Abigail Ives. Abigail
Ivest' "Ah. Mr. Lamb" she used to reply from
the inner room. I thought / knew your rap.
Yes Abigail il Is l. he would say, and I've
got my money with me Give these young
ladies sixpennyworth of Gibraltar rock" Glib
Tai4ar roct. Was Abigail Tves-s specialtv and
sixpennyworth unheard-of amount ex-
cert when Mr. Lamb was in the village. II had
20 be broken with hammer The children
Mrs. -Coe says, always stood a little in awe OF
his unlikeness 10 other people. in spite Of these
When he Joined the Norrises- dinner table he
kept every one laughing. Mr.. Richard sat al
be there. too One day Mr. Lamb gave, every
one a fancy name all round the table and made
a verse on each. You are so-and-so' he said
Ind you are so-and-so.' adding the rhyme
What's he saving What You laughing
att" Mr. Richard asked testify. for he Wa:
short tempered Miss Betsy explained the iok'
10 him, and Mr.. Lamb coming 10 his turn. saiC
only ne said il I'm verse-''Now, Dick it's YOU
turn / shall call you Gruborum: because al
YOU think of is your food and your stomach
Mr. Richard pushed back his chair in a rag
ana stamped out Of the room. Now I've don,
IT." said Mr.. Lamb; Il must go and maxi
friends with my old chum. Give me q larg
plate of pudding to take to him. When m
came hack he said. IT'S all right. / though
the pudding would DO it, Mr.. Lamb and Mr.
Richard got very well, and Mr.. Rich
ard didn't like mis- teasing ways AZ all. but Mr.
Lamb often went for long walks with him. be
cause else would He did MANY kim
things Hike that.
There used TO be a half holiday when Mr.
Lamb came, partly because ne would force hi