Year: 1874

caravan which moves" over in his direction |
begging assistancs; but that seems a small !
excuse for the unkin1 way in which he got
rid of a kind hearted old gentleman Who
was asking help for struggling church in
the suburbs. AS the old gentleman stood
talking with Mr.. Stewart in the store, the
latter kept walking apparently without
special object, toward the rear of the i'm
mense room, and all at once when he had
given no answer pro. or con. he suddenly
shot up out of sight, leaving his astonished
visitor gazing at a hole in the wall where the
elevator had just disappeared bearing MIR.
Stewart away in triumph. Still, would not
go as far as TO say that he doesn't give
money away, and that literally on some oc-
casions; he is building "home for work.
ing women" on Fourth avenue, and it will
be remembered that he gave $4,000 for the
relief OF the poor of England during the
last famine in the manufacturing districts


Apropos of riches, let me record the recent
transformation of private palace into
public hospital, and the consequent break
ing up of one of the most priucely homes in
America, that OF the late Colonel Herman
Tkorne. The house in question is not of the
sort peculiar to modern architecture; it is
massive, roomy, and somewhat gloomy in
appearance, suggesting rather some English
town houses tAan anything usually seen in
this country. In front there was an orna-
mental fountain, and before the door two
stone dogs couched; at the back were the
stables and carriage houses. In the interior
of the house, which, by the wsy, faced West
Sixteenth street, while the grounds extend
ed all the way to Fifteenth, was large space
upon which opened all the stories to the roof;
this space was surmounted by splendid
stained glass window, representing Guido's
aurora" and casting a


DELICIOUS MELLowED LIGHT


on the series of balconies running around
the "well." The rooms were irregular, not
all after one dreary pattern as we build them
now, and there were charming surprises in
the way Of unexpected staircases and odd
hooks; yet it is said that little will have to
be done in the way Of alteration, TO make
it useful as hospital. The sum of $500, 900
was given for the place, and the least valua-
BILE part of the furniture was put up at auc.
tion, and held for $4,000. The paintings, and
other works of art originally designed by
G u. ThOrne, for the Ornamentation of his
residence were burned up in warehouse
where they had been deposited, and their
owner was forced TO go to work aud select
a fresh lot; this was the more unfortu-
nate, some of the pictures could not be
replaced.


OF course the announcement of a sale at
this famous house drew together great





than their value. One beautiful clock
brought $40, and was in the form of a
church; when the hours struck, they did so
by means of a bell hung in the steeple.
While Colonel Thorne and his wife lived, all
their children, married or single, lived with
them, thus very large family filled the
hospitable mansion. All their daughters
were remarkable for their beauty. and three
of them married titles; one of them was at
one time lady OF honor to the empress of the
French, and was, by some. considered to be
more beautiful than the unfortunate Eugenie.
An auction sale at such a house seems like a
desecration it; but everything comes under
the hammer in America, first or last, and
not even the Thorne mansion could
hope TO escape manifest destiny. A
trick of the trade, (the auction trade,
mean), deserves special notice in this con-
nection. Some enterprising knight of the
hammer takes a fine house up town, and
then advertises splendid sale of rare house
hold furniture on day designated in the
papers. Then all the people who most do
cOngregate on such occasions, go trooping to
the house in the innocence of their hearts,
and they find splendidly furnished estab-
lishment, and are told that the owner was
made bankrupt by the panic, or words to
that effect. If anybody remarks the unused
appearance of things, the auctioneer tells
him that the family occupied the house
barely two or three months, so that even the
bedding is perfect, and singularly enough.
not marked with nam9 or initial. Then ths
bidding goes On till all is sold off, and
Mr.. and Mrs. Green go away only to find
that every week, or oftener. such a sale
takes place in the same house, under simi-
lar. circumstances. Everything is sold ex-
cept the unmarked linen, and that does
duty In each case. / cannot help thinking
1.-The game is not worth the candle" it must
be so much trouble to furnish the house
throughout every few days. A curiosity OF
crime, which has just come to light, will do
for full stop. Some days ago a jolly little
Portuguese sailor Lad kerosene oil poured
over his head by "friend,r and afterwards
fired. The flames were stayed happily, and
now the little man, who must be singularly
like funny Jean Baptiste" in "Little Dor
rit." signifies his desire to forgive the hide
Gus 'blandois' who set fire to him, and also
threw all his belongings overheard. Such
is life, at least among the Portuguese sailors,
apparently. C.S. n.


The Cincinnati Commercial of Saturday
says: Through curiosity one ofour report
ers dropped in at the former law Office OF