Year: 1869

not be invaded by tourists or desecra1ea
by the plebian rail and the wliiz of tho
democratic locomotive. When the castle
was furnished, and his grounds were laid
out to his order, he suddenly discovered
he had nothing to do to occupy his time.
he was no company to himself and he
and his wife were mentally rs opposed to
each other as vinegar and oil. Friends
and scquaintances occasionally came 20
visit him hut he lived too far 'oot OF the
beaten track TO expect visits Crom any but
idlers, and what the Scotch caH "sorners,"
and as his conversation was not amusing,
and he never lent or gave away money, !,
even such waits and strays from the proat
fold Of humanity seldom ventured into his
remote seclusion. #s b h's !,
| He was tooproud 10 70 back to the Great
city and rccommenco busluess, which
might have been the best thing for hint
have done under the circumstances. 50
he continued TO dwell in his mountain
fortress, without an object In life, or any
amusement that he cared about. He had
nothing to do but to fish, or TO shoot, and
he cared nothing for either of these modes
of pastime. After about six months Of n
he ordered a boat upon the lake to 20, as
he said, fishing for salmon. Unobseryud
by any one, he put an old grindstone into
the boat and few yards of rope line, and
rowed himself away 20 the middle OF the
lake. He was never seen again alive
The boat drilled on shore without him in
the evening, and three days afterward his
body was drawn from the bottom of the
lake with the grindstone tied round its
neck. = -,


The third little story is equally suggest.
I've. A very hard-workiug professional
InaN al /.
| somewhat eccentric, retired from busy
life with thifty thousand pounds, in
order, as he said, to enjoy himself, and
pass the evening Of his life in the mild
radiance of the setting sun. But it was
not to be. A serious, and, as it proved,
fatal illness overlook him before, as he
expressed 1t, "he had been three months
out OF business" He did not suffer much,
and by no means Anticipated a fatal
termination to his malady. After ten days
confinement to his room he was somewhat
alarmed by the grave face and demeanor
OF his usually hearty and cheerful medical
attendant. 81 think" said the latter.
"that 1t is my duty 10 recommend TO YOU,
IL you have any worldly affairs to settle,
that you should settle them" The patient
sprang up In bed "Do you mean to tell
me, doctor, that am dying ?" " ON, no"
said the doctor, kindly; al hope not, and
trust that many years are in store for
you; still, If there is any matter of bust
ness for you to settle, settle it. Lifo is
always uncertain; and 1t is best to be
prepared for ali contingencies"


Doctor" said the sick man. you can.
moi deceive me. You think | am dying
and you do not like to tell me the truth
Well have toiled and struggled, and
screwed, and saved for forty years, and
thought that atthe last was going to en-
Joy myself for little while before the end
And no you tell me am dying All
can say 1t is A." He added two
words that were very tragic, very comic
very lamentable very unrepeatable


turned his face to the wall, and never
spoke more IsaH 1890 ,


Fourth on my list of the unhappy rich,
is u gentleman who retired at the age of
fifty, from large and prosperous business
with the expectation that his share of the
partnership would amount to half mil
lion sterling. This expectation was no
realized. On a settlement of accounts
and n valuation of the assets between hin
and his partners, IL was found that hi,
share fell little, but not much, short o
two hundred thousand pounds. All hi,
life, from very early youth, he had over





He had been unwisoly eager to grow
rich, and had oVertasked the energies boil
of his body and mind, in the attempt e.
build up fortune, and to become the
founder of a family that should rank
among the first in the country in which he
resided. He-loved wealth for its own
sake, and with love beyond reason
Though clear fortune of two hundred
thousand pounds or even half the money
would seem TO most men something TO be-
grateful for, and to be well enjoyed and
well secured, 1t did not seem so to this
greedy man, who had made money his
idol, and the only object of reverence in
the world. His brain was weakened by
the hard work expended in making and
taking care Of this magnificent, butte him
disappointing sum, and he brooded so
much over the failure to reach the hall
million he had so long calculated upon
amassing, that symptoms of alteration oi
intellect were soon apparent to his family
His brain sOitened, and in less than a
twelvemonth after the winding up of his
partnership, his mind was wholly gone,
and it became necessary to place him
under the protection of keepers.


My last rich mana very rich man he
was--an owner not of hundreds of thou
sands, but of millions-was not unhappy
but was, ON the contrary, cheerful and
happier than most men are permitted 10
be in the world, But, strange to say, his
happiness arose, not from his real wealth,
but from his imaginary poverty. AT the
close of long, honorable and useful life
he took it into his head. that the world
had entered into conspiracy to reduce
him TO paupeTism, and that he should enc
his days in the work house. II was il
vain TO argue the point with him. Hi
faith was fixed and settled. He came tC
the conviction, though the pOssessor o
millions, that he was de jure and de tactC
pauper, and reduced in his old ape tC
labor for his daily bread. When he con
suited his son, who was TO be the inheritoI
OF his vast wealth. as to what was TO be
done under these unhappy circumstances,
the son, acting under medical advice, Of.
fered to settle handsome annnity upon
his father.


The pride of the old gentleman was
aroused. "No i noP he said -" give me
employment, am still hale and hearty
have always taken pleasure in garden,
ing. Make me your gardener, and 1 will
owe no man anything, except my thanks
to you, my dear son, for giving me EN-
plOyment such as is consistent with my
self respect 10 accept. And, mind YOU
will accept no more than the usual wages
and no less," Still acting under medical
advice, the SON lumored the harmless de
lusion Of the father, and paid him regu
larly his weekly wages. Atlast the old
man died, happy that he could earn his
honest bread TO the last, and happy still
in the consciousness that he had so good
a son.--ALE he Year Round ~ '-..T I,



/ "A peony plant is flourishing at Well
fleet, Mass, which was brought, eighty
1 years ago, from Plymouth Pond to ths
place, by the then blooming bride ofCap
tain Daniel Mayo, as a pleasant mementC