Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-04-18

gong, especially as drinking naQ sS'
in at o'clock, in order that he might
get home at decent hour. But think
ing 1t might not be quite polite to &c
the chair, mixed another glass, rose to
propose his own health, addressed him.
self in a neat and complimentary
speech, and drank the toast with great
enthusiasm. Still nobody woke; so my
uncle took q little drop more-neat
| this time to prevent the toddy dis
agreeing with him, and laying violent
hands on his hat sailed forth into the
street. a
The baillie's house was in the Can
ongate and my uncle was going to the
other en- dof Leith Walk, rather better
than a miles journey. On either side
Of him there shot up against the dark
sky, tall, gaunt, straggling houses, with
time stained fronts and windows that
seemed to have shared the lot Of eyes
in mortals and to have grown dim and
sunken with age. Six, seven, eight
stories high were the houses: story
piled above story, as children build
with cards-throwi1g their dark shad-
ows over the roughly paved road and
making the night darker. A few oil
lamps were scattered at long dis
| tances, but they only erved to mark
the dirty entrance to some narrow
close or to show where q common stair
communicated by steep and intricate
windings with the various flats above.
Glancing at all these, things with the
air Of q man who had seen them too
often before to think them worthy OF
much notice now, my uncle walked up
the middle of the street with a thumb
In each waist-coat pocket, indulging
from time to time in various snatches
Of song, chanted forth with such good
will and spirit that the quiet, honest
folk started from their first sleep and
lay trembling in bed till the sound
died away in the distance.
When my uncle reached the end OF
Leith Walk he had to cross pretty
large piece Of waste ground which
separated him from short street
which he had to turn down to go di-
rect to his lodging. Now in this piece
Of waste ground there was at that
time an enclosure belonging to some
wheelwright, who contracted with the
postoffice for the purchase Of old
wornout mail coaches and my uncle
being very fond of coaches, old, young
or middle aged, all at once took 1t into
his head to step out Of his road for no
other purpose than to peep between
the palings at these mails, about q
dozen Of which he remembered to have
seen, crowded together In very for
lorn and dismantled state inside. My
uncle was very enthusiastic, en-
phatic sort Of person. gentlemen; 81
finding that he could not obtain q
good peep between the palings he got
over them, and setting himself quietly
down on an old a,sle tree began to
contemplate the mail coaches with a
great deal Of gravity.
There might be a dozen Of them, or
there might be more-my uncle was
never quite certain upon this point,
and being a man o. very scrupulous
veracity about numbers, didn't like to
say-but there they stood, all huddled
together in the most desolate condition
imaginable. The doors had been torn
from their hinges and removed, the
Innings had been stripped off, only a
shred hanging here and there by q
rusty nail; the lamps were gone, the
poles had long since vanished, the
ironwork was rusty, the paint worn
away; the wind whistled through the
chinks in the bare woodwork and the
rain, which had collected on the roofs,
fell drop by drop into the insides with
hollow and melancholy sound. They
were the decaying skeletons OF depart
ed mails, and in that lonely place, at
that time Of night, they looked chill
and dismal.
Ny uncle rested his head upon his
hands and thought of the busy, bustl-
ing people who had ratified about years
before in the old coaches and were
now as silent and changed; he thought
Of the numbers Of people to whom one
of those crazy, mouldering vehicles
had borne, night after night for many
years and through all weathers, the
anxiously expected intelligence, the
eagerly looked for remittance, the
promised assurance Of health and safe
| ty, the sudden announcement OF sick
ness and death.
Gentlemen, my uncle used to say
that he thought all this at the time.
but I rather suspect he learnt 1t out
of some book afterward, for he distinct
ly stated that he fell into kind OF
doze as he sat on the old axletree
looking at the decayed mail coachs,
and that he was suddenly awakened
by some deep church bell striking two.
Ny uncle woke, rubbed his eyes and
jumped in astonishment.
In one instant after the clock struck
two, the whole of this deserted and
quiet spot had become scene Of the
most extraordinary life and animation
The mail coach doors were on their
hinges, the lining was replaced, the
ironwork was as good as new, the
paint was restored, the lamps were
alight; cushions and great coats were
on every coach box, porters were
thrusting parcels into every boot
guards were slowing away letter-bags
hostlers were dashing pals Of water
against the renovated wheels; num-
bers of men were rushing about, fixing
poles into every coach, passengers ar
rived, portmanteaus were handed up
horses were put TO, and in short II
was perfectly clear that every mail
there was to be off directly. Gentle
men, my uncle opened his eyes 80 wide
at all this that, to the very last mo-
ment of his life, he used to wonder
how it fell out that he had ever been
able to shut 'em again.
| Now, then," said voice, as my
uncle felt q hand on his shoulder
You're booked for one inside. YOU'D
better get in
Il booked!' said my uncle turning
round.
Yes, certainly"
My uncle, gentlemen, could say moth.
ing, he was so very much astonlshed
The queerest thing Of all was that, al
though there was such crowd OF per-
sons, and although fresh faces were
pouring In every moment, tnere was III
telling where they came from; they
seemed to start up in some strange
manner from the ground or the air
and to disappear in the same way
When a porter had put his luggage II
the coach and received his fare, hi
turned round and was gone; and be.
fore my uncle had well begun to won
der what had become Of MIN, half
dozen fresh ones started up and stag.
gered along under the weight of par
GELS which seemed big enough to crusf
them. The passengers were all dress.
ed so oddly too-large, broad-skirtee
laced coats with great cuffs and M
collars and wigs, gentlemen-grea
formal wigs with a tie behind. M!
uncle could make nothing Of 1t.
Now, are you going to get in?" sale
the person who had addressed my uncle
before. He was dressed as mail guart
with a wig on lis head and mos
enormous cuffs to his coat, and hat
got a lantern in one hand and huge
lblunderbuss in the other, Whit. ne wa:
going to stow away in his little arm
chest. Are you going to get in, Jacl
Martini" said the guard, holding tht
lantern to my uncle's face.