j
V
THE CAROLlfA SPAKIAJN.
, >
L Li. SPARTANBURG, S. C., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18,1894. N0 !G
EDITORIAL CHIT-CHAT.
Congressman Izlar was sworn in lest
week and is now taking part in the
councils of the nation.
?Dr. Payne, who killed Henry Greeo, j
the colored cook at DarliDgton, applied
to Jrdge Aldrich for bail. An order
was signed admitting him to hail in toe
sum of $5,COO.
A fire occurred in the cotton war*
house of the Piedmont mills las'Sunday.
It contained 1064 bales of cotton, a^on' i
half of which was destroyed. It whs
fully covered by insurance.
vuu^io?mau n iibuu re?uiiru iim i
Orleans last Saturday He i? slowly
improving. He positively refuses to
talk on the tariff bill, which indicates
that his mind is in a sound condition
+11 is ?aid that a body, buried nine
fr4M**C+in * Nashville cemetery, was
>i* lakeir-ipa few days ago for shipment J
^ to another place. Petrifaction had I
taken place and its weight was GOO
pounds.
?A heavy storm of snow, sleet and
rain parsed over the 8tates of Michigan
and Wisconsin the first of last weel.
The treee were laden with ice and in
some places the snow was 10 to 20
inches deep.
?The State Constables are no longer
spies. They are ordered by the Governor
to wear their badges on the outside
of their coats so that they may be reo- 1
ognixed at once. Call them "gentlemen
by the grace of Tillman," if yon pleese 1
hereafter and do not hint that they aie
spies. (
4* Va?W ?nnr> H A P?r{ih wan
ladMed for violating the diipensfj-y i
lav by eelling ' orange eider11 that made 1
witness "toberable drunk.'1 Parish I
staged that he had written to Governor J
Tillman, stating what he was selling *
and asking what he should do- The 1
Governor promised to advise him, but t
failed. The jury brought In a verdict ?
of "not guilty" as soon as they could <
write it. A similar case was nol prosed- S
?The same old rtory comes from Co- z
lumbia. Two white boys, Neal Reamer 1
and Eiawa Rocker, were fooling with I
two cheap pistols in the kitchen of L, a
F. Youmans. Henry Thackam, col- I
ored, carries milk to Mr. * Yonmans t
When he entered the kitchen the boyr. a
began to snap their pistols at hi<r * f
thinking they were not loaded. Ream
er's pistol did go off and inflict a mortal ft
wonnd in the skuli of Thackam. *
?Charleston is to have a novel race f<
this week. Jack Prince is a celebrated
wheelman. He proposes not only to a
beat one hone, but he will run against o
two. The distance is twsnty miles, tl
One of the horses will make the flrsr h
^ teoap^/and^^^^e^^Mu^^t^^ it
mile. Prince will roll over a woodu. |
track,. While the horeee will run on tho I la
IC
Ths war is over and the army of the ^
Pedee has been paid off and disbanded, p
Fifty years from today the vr.dcvrs u? c
the boys who sacrificed so mach to ^
bey Tillman's orders will be drawing 0
pensions. We believe that when the v
people, a quarter of a century from 0
this date, look backward to this year's t
history, they will unanimously declare p
that every volunteer who answer^ a
the Governor's call, is entitled to a 8
pension. It was fearful service to ob*y c
such a commander-in-chief. v
<j
?One would not think the Supreme .
Court of this State disposed to show a j
llttlahamnr new and then, bnt it it a .
htt nevertheless. Chief Justice Ho
Iver called the aibmsession in due form *
and the gowned judges were in plaoe
and expectant lawyers sat around
waiting to see the lightning strike, j
After a few^moments of greatest gravity ,
Justice Melver asked if there were any j
motions te make. There being no re- f
spcnse, be anneuneed the court adjonrned
until Saturday. Thus ended (
the three days wonder.
?Siaee the campaign of 1890 the j
Conservatives of the State have not
been so quiet, well behaved and lawabiding
as they are today- Xotwith
tanding that fact Governor Tinman u
organizing a force of twenty-five thousand
troops to keep them under. He
has ealled for the Tillmanites all over
the State to organize into military companies.
and arm themselves with shot
fans, pistols or anything else that will
shpot. Pall in line, wool bats, and
obey yonr master's oall. The next time
a oonstable has an application of shoe
leather, the whole force of wool hats
will be ealled out. Let the work of
reform proceed. It is a good thing for
the business internets of thoState.
? Governor Tillman is doing much to
attract capital from other States *nd to
promote the welfare and prosperity of
our people. An army of 25,000 volunteers,
ready to move with shot guns,
nftrtala. fence rails, scythe blades and
pitch forks whenever he Rivet them the
pod, will drew the attention oI capitaliate
to onr State. We will hardly be
pble to keep them oat. The fact it
they will tpoil at all with the wealth
they will rath in when they know it it
to be protected by 16,000 of Tillman't
followert. The fact it the Governor
ought to write a treatite on political
economy.
?There la a ttrong and increasing
detire on the part of many citizens ol
the county "to get together" politically.
What they mean by that, we hardly
know. If one means that all should
eome over to hit tide and support his
measures and candidates, then they
will hardly "get together." If there is
an earnest desire, however, on the
part of oar best and most loyal citizens
to take a oonrte and avoid rath and
unreasonable extremes and support for
effice only such men as have experience
and who are wise, just and fair, then
there may be a coming together. What
do you have to say about it? Let Re
formers, Tillmanites, fiaskellites, Third
Partyltei and cla?ses express their
opinions.
Political Reniiniscenses.
i
j presidential and senatorial elections?spartanburg
county
nominated calhoun
for president.
* IIT M AJOR WV. HOV
Mr. Editor: Dear sir. As 1 stated
in my last communication, I will give
my recollection of tbe paet events of
the I is* seventy-two years, as to elections,
nullification and presidential 1
el crion". All 1 write will simply be
what 1 remember of the events. The 1
(Tret newspaper article 1 ever read was '
headed this way: "Horse racioc presi- 1
dential contest for 1P24." The horses
entered were John C. Calhoun, John <^. '
A/Tan.a Wm* Cro Irfnrd HfiflfV V 1
and Andrew JacktoD. Then followed *
a description of the horses. Calhoun p
was hardly bridle-wise. 8ome Penn- r
sylv&nia farmer had had him in charge '
and fed too much cut feed. It did not '
take pains to describe Clay: he said t
he wa* ridden by & rough Keutuckian. c
John yuincy Adams waa sired by the u
celebrated John Adams that ran with
such celebrity dnriDg the ftevoVutiori 6
ary war beaten in his old age by Jef- t
fersoD, the pride of Virginia. All the a
prestige the Crawford horse had was v
that he was a native of Virginia, that >'
had produced such stock as Washing- ?
iogton, Jefferson, Madison and Mon- r
roe. c
It then stated that the gallant war J
horse, Jackson, was led to the pole 1'
and ridden by the editor of the Nash- 1
ville Gazette. His friends were bat h
fe^, but they swore that he was the t<
horse of horses and never had been I'
beaten. He had run against a cele c<
brated horse named Dickinson and beat P
him. He had run against Weather P
iOrd, a celebrated Indian horse and t(
seat him. He had beaten the cele lc
srated British horse, Packenham, at P
tfew Orleans. The writer laid great
*tress on his beating Packenham, the J'
jrothsr-in-law of Wellington. The race tt
hen began, Calhonn being withdrawn, n<
tnd the result a* they passed through P<
tach State showed Jackson S9, Adams
18, Crawford 41, Clay 37. Jackson had Pi
>een nominated in 1822 by the Ten
imm? Legislature. It wai said the hi
jegiilatnre made & great blunder by ca
>utt;ng him in the United States 8en- ea
de, or a kind of stepping stone to the
>residency. Jackson when he entered
he Senate voted for the tarifT of 1824 and
everal other unpopular measures, that
>revented his being elected by the
lectoral vote, eausiDg the election to Pi
:o into the lower house of Congress re
rhere Adams and Clay by combining be
lonkeyed him out of the presidency eif
or four years. to
Some people of a religious turn ot he
ilnd thought they could bee the hand w'
f Providence- In the matter. They th
sought no man, except Jacksoif, could hi'
are preserved the Union i? the tr^ls foi
> went through in the pext i Pjg^t orHp
iPc!^l^ne LnVuia>V 3
y jrtS"* vj- tfcf T ' j-'- C*"
tore of Kentucky, in case the election a?
ent into the House, to vote for Jack- r^<
>n. Clay and his volleagues refused
> obey their instructions and that un- hi)
opular vote destroyed all chances for '01
lay of ever reaching the presidency. va
idams never could have got a majority c0
f the States, 13 out of 24. without the hr
ote of Kentucky and in that event if no Kr
ne could get a majority of the States, th
he constitution provided that if any 80
erson had received a majority of the hi
lectoial votes for Vice-President, he th
hall be president. Calhoun had re- ?h
eived a large majority of the electoral hi
'otes, 183, and should have been Presi- cb
lent. Louisiana, to her disgrace, voted ar
or Adams. Her delegation stood 8 for th
rackson and 2 for Adams. One mem- he
>er of the lower house disobeyed his tl<
nstruotions and voted for Adams, "h
rhat member went into ignominious i?
? m
riuouioui*
It certainly, Mr. Editor, must have Vj
>een a great misfortune to this country, m
yy the hitching of one or two men, to H
aave prevented Mr. Calhoun from giv- ^
ng the country four years of the best ki
{overnment possible. I could have *e
itated how each State voted but I pre- a
mme most of your readers have ency- tl
jlopedias and can see for themselves. fc
The first election for United States 8C
Senator that I ever heard of was when ti
Sen. Jackson beat Judge Williams for le
that office in the Tennessee Legislature. T
Williams' term was to expire in 1822.. 81
Jaekeon'fl friends civilly invited him to k
decline in Jackson's favor, as a courtesy
to a presidential candidate. Williams (
declined the polite invitation and
entered the race. Jackson beat him
eight votes. I presume that meagre li
majority was the greatest honor r<
Williams ever had. g<
I do not recollect Hayne beating
Judge Smith. 1 have iately seen it n
stated that it was in 1823. I think it c
must have been in 1822. Senator^' a
lections, I think, mostly come on m
the even years. Hayne, I have heard o
men my, beat him six votes. t
1 well recollect the great contest in
1828 between Judge Smith and Judge t
Huger to fill out Gaillard's time. Some g
anonymous writer made a furious as* i
sault on Judge Huger in the old Caro- *
ilna Gazette. I recollect that the
itatui that. .Indfi'A Huirer had f
! wnvoi avvvw* 0
been a member of the South Carolina )
Legislature for 18 years; had originated c
no useful measures and had been four \
times a candidate for the United States j
Senate. He thought it wicked that he (
had opposed fiaillard in lt>24 for re- 1
election. 1 think Judge Huger must <
have been on an uphill road to travel <
in his race. For the Senate in 1826. he ;
had Hayne and Smith both to run i
against. Hayne addressed a card to
Smith stating to him that he had his
best wishes in his approaching struggle.
The vote stood Smith 82, Huger, 80. 1
think the anonymous writer that 1
spoke of must have done Huger injustice
and 1 think the Legislature made
a mistake in not electing him in place
of Gaillard to the Senate. Halliard's
last vote he ever gave was to confirm
Clay's appointment of Secretary of
State. After that vote he could not
have office in South Caroliua.
8ome of your readers would be sur
prised when I state that there was a
presidential nomination in Spartanburg
as eariy as 1823, but such was the
*
case. Those were the days of Congressional
nominations for the presidency.
James Brannon came to a battalion
muster at Poolsville. He was
Colonel of the regiment at that time
and sprung up a presidential nomination.
He called himself the agent of
Joseph Cist, who was then the member
of Cougress from the old Pinckney
District and asked for instruction for
he would support him in 1824. Col.
Brannon rode up to the battalion,
accompanied by James Edwards. They
were both superbly mounted. He introduced
Major Henry and called on
[be Battalion to go into some measure
:o give Mr.Crist the proper instructions.
There were loud calls for Major Henry
or a speech. Henry was on the alert,
de l ulled off his hat and trade a strong
ipeech. At the close of it some one
houted for Col Brown to name twenty
epresentative citizens to put Mr. Gist's
instructions in proper form. Major
Iciiry.of course, was chairman, assisted
>y nineteen of the more intelligent
itizeus. Major Henry and his comuittee
retired in secret session for a
hort time. All the committee were
.uely mounted,, which added much to
heir appearance. Colonel Brannon
sked the chairman if his committee
ras ready to report. He was answered
n the affirmative. Loud calls were
uade for the report. Major Henry
ode to the front and stated that the
ommittee wished Mr. Gist to support
ohu C- Calhoun for President. No
ergon was named for Vice-President, j
presume as that was Major Henry's
rst entrance into politics, they forgot
3 make anv recomn^endatio*<<?r 3Tio?'resident.
The report was- rather
aolly received, but no particular oposition
was made to it and Colonel
rannon was instructed to forward it
> Colonel Gist. Col. Brannon was
icky that his lifetime friend Capt.
ill Amkpwin harm a tied not to be there
lat day. He was an uncompromising
nek son man and when he heard of
le meeting he unconditionally deDunced
it. About that time Mr. Calrnn's
friends withdrew aim from the
.ce for President and successfully put
iin on the track for Vice-President.
Every other week if not providentally
ndered, I will give a sketch of politi.1
history of the country, alternating
Lch week with sketches of noted char- <
iters.
A Gay Boy and Giddy Girl.
To-morrow poor, betrayed Willie ]
reckinridge will Ko on the stand and |
late the sad story of his seduction and 5
itrayal by the wicked and de? i
jning Madge Pollard who lured him i
' an assignation house and there by 1
r wiles robbed him of his virtue. It 1
is an evil day for Willie when he met j
e enchantress who made a flslj net ''of i
s charaeter. He Cashed in her sutler i
r a long t ime^o^wh^h^^^^^^ |
louePs cash and "i ~o out of his life," j
he delicately expresses it, but she i
seived his coin and lingered with him i
th a leech-like tenacity that gave 1
m "that tired feeling," and made him i
ig for a very retired lodge in some \
st wilderces - where Madges do not t
rrupt and designing women do not <
eak in and steal away the virtue of |
av-beaded statesmen and lecturers on l
e social purity of the home and that i
rt nf tViinc Rhe took his money and
s peace of inind and made merry with j
em. When he became too mutinous j
e drew her revolver and bade (
m come to her arms. He had to (
loose between her arms and her fire- j
ms, and he chose the former, al- (
ough the latter would probably have ,
(en the cheapest in the end. His lit- j
? Msdgie had caught a big fish and (
ie knew how to operate her reel. She (
evidently an accomplished fisher of (
en and she knows the difference in |
due between a rural sucker like old
an Rhodes and a nice game fish of the
reckinridge species. She caught the
olouel by the gills and she is holding
im up before the public that it may
e what a scaly fish he is. Madge is
Tartar, and she and her poor unformate
victim who is paying so dearly
r his youthful indiscretion constitute
mething akin to tartar emetic. Let
ie public throw both of them up and
t the scavenger cart carry them away,
he hot weather is coming on and we
lould guard against epidemics of all
inde.?Knoxville Tribune.
Jetting Ready for the Campaign.
A conference of Tillmanltes met in Colinbia
April 4. Each county was repjsented
by one delegate. They pas
3d the following resolutions:
1. That a Convention for the nomiation
of State officers be held in the
ity of Columbia on the 14th day of
august, 1694.
2. That said convention be composed
f delegates to be elected by conveniens
to be held in each county on the
th day of August, 1694, each county
leing entitled to double as many dele;ates
as it is entitled to representatives
n both branches of the General Aseinbly.
3. That the county conventions aforeaid
be composed of delegates elected
jy the various ''Reform" clubs in the
sounty, each club to send one delegate
'or each twenty-five ''Reformers" or
najority fraction thereof. In those
whfr(> there are no distinct
'Reform'' clubs the "Reform" member
of each club shall be called by the executive
"Reform" committeemen to
meet at the usual place of meeting
and delegates elected as aforesaid shall
be called to meet on the fourth day of
August, 18514.
At such meeting no member shall
participate except such as voted for the
"Reform" delegates in the August primary
of 18112, and all others who will
pledge themselves to abide by and support
the "Reform" ticket of the State
"Reform" Convention of 18114.
4. That each "Reform" candidate for
Governor aud Lieutenant Governor
shall file with the chairman of the committee,
thirty days previous to the
meeting of said convention, a written
pledge to abide by the action of the
convention herein called and support
its nominees. Respectfully submitted,
i
C. M. Eflrd, Chairman, for the Committee.
The report was adopted.
On motion of Mr. Pickett the Chair
appointed Dr. Stokes, J. A. Sligh, J. 0.
Otts, C. M. Eflrd and J. T. Austin as a
committee to prepare an address to the
"Reformers of South Caroiina. The
Chair appointed as a press committee
H. A. Deal, J. C. Otts and W, H. Dun
can.
The following resolution, offered by
C. M. Efird, was adopted:
Resolved, That the "Reformers" attending
the various club meetings called
by thjs committee on the 4th day of
August, 1894, he requested to express
their choice for Governor of this State,
and that the chairman of the delegation
i of each club to the County Convention
be required to make return of said
choice to the County Convention held
on the 9 th day of August, 1894. Mr. J.
T. Austin offered the following resolutioii
and it -wean uuauiuinnaly adopted
by a rising vote:
Resolved, That we, the representatives
of the Retorm party of South Carolina,
in convention assembled, do most
heartily approve of the action of his
Excellency, Governor B. R. Tttlmaa,
for the prompt manner in which he acted
during the past week in suppressing
violence and disorder and in maintaining
the supremacy of the law.
TFIK RKKOKMKRS1 ADDRESS.
The address issued reads as follows:
"Four years ago, after years of struggle
in the arena of reason, with the for
ces of wealth and culture and trained
leadership combined against us, a combination
confident, exultant in the
pride and prestige of power long enjoyed,
the 'Reformers' of the State
joined issue squarely before the people,
and at the ballotbox won their fight by
an overwhelming majority. But the
struggle did not end there. An active
intelligent and aggressive minority has
kept up the fight with a tenacity that,
in a better cause, would command the
adrriration of all men. Every resource
known to legislative and judicial obstructionists
has been laid under tribute
to retard the performance of the
pledges of the Reformers of the State to
the people of the State, and to defeat
the operation of these pledges even after
enacted into law. Notwithstanding
this active and skilful opposition, under
the most adroit and astute leadership
we have performed eyery pledge made
to the people in 1890, in so far as such
pledges can be performed under the organic
law of the State. We have
worked out the reforms we promised
lor the people, and more than ws promised.
With a.clear record behind us,
we now stapd face to face*with. the future,
ready and eager to grapple with .
new questions and.haw'iveues that 'h&H
>rnment, with a constituency unified 1
ind Solidified by successful struggle,
se are in position not only to project
arger things for the people, but we
ire in position to" perform what we
jroject. Let us not forget, however. ,
;hat, although we have rectified many
>f the wrongs of the past and accomplished
the reforms demanded in 1890,
there are still important issues to be
'ettled."
' Iu carrying out the pledges of the
past, questions of the most vital and
far-reaching import have been raisedquestions
that go to to the foundation
3f government by the people. The
issue has been squarely raised between
organized capital and the organized
people, by whose suffrage aggregation
of capital became possible. The
creature has grown so powerful and
arrogant that it has dared to measure
arms with its creator?the State. So
hot have "Reformers" made this fight
that corporate monopoly has been
driven from its cover and forced to
fight in the open field. Its subtle grip
upon the people's throat ba9 been
loosened and complete emancipation
for the people is only a question of
time. It is a proper subject for congratulation
that in this mighty straggle,
world-wide in its scope, South
Carolina Reformers stand well out in
the front. It only needs now that we
be true to our principles, to our
country and our people and the victory
is sure.
"To insure continued success a certain
amount of organization was accomplished
by a March convention. For
onH snffleient, reasons a convsn
tion was deemed inexpedient this year,
but after a full discussion in the press
the plan of holding mass meetings to
elect a State 'Reform' campaign committee
was adopted. Meetings were
held, committeemen were appointed,
and that committee in its wisdom formulated
a plan of suggesting Reform
candidates for Governor and Lieutenant
Governor. This plan, as will be seen in
the published proceedings, meets all
the requirements of a primary for Governor
and Lieutenant Governor. It
meet the reasonable demands of the
people to see and bear, and looks to the
selection of that 'Reform' candidate who
gets the most Reform votes. It provides
for an open held for all who aspire
to public preferment, and it is a safe
plan. We commend this plan to the
favorable consideration of the 4Reformerst
of the State. Study it well; carry
out its provisions raitniuuy ana our
movement will enter upon an era of
broader and higher usefullness than in
the past. Let every 'Reformer' in the
State do his duty and we will pile up a
bigger majority for rr'e by the people
than ever before in our history. J. A.
Sligb, J. C. Otts, J. Thomas Austin, C.
M. Efird, J. Wm Stokes, committee."
LA GRIPPE.
During the prevalence of the Grippe
the past seasons itwas a noticeable fact
that those who depended upon Dr.
King's New Discovery, not only had a
speedy recovery, but escaped ail of the
troublesome after effects of the malady.
This remedy seems to have a peculiar
ftower in effecting rapid cures not only
n cases of La Grippe, but ia all Diseases
of Turoat, Chest and Lungs, and
has cured cases of Asthma and Hay
' Fever of long standing. Try it and bt
; convinced. It won't disappoint. Fre<
. Trial Bottles at Ligon's Drug Store.
With Dr. Holmes.
AjLittle Girl's Visit to the Genir
al "Autocrat."
e; [bt hknry bruck.1
4 year or two ago there lived in the
b jfeity of Boston a ronndeyed little
/rf who bad a decided appreciation of
g?t? poetry. She had beared the an
rorfetable story of Ifilsey verner, tne
ser|$nt-glrl. and she loved several of
Dyj^olmes' poems more dearly than
ai^-others in the language, except Mr.
Ixigfellow's. She knew that, since the
derfh of Mr. Longfellow, Dr. Holmes
hail been the moat loved, the most honored,
and almost the very oldest man
in America; and she had noticed that
thejf&cea all grew more kind and when
hiapame was mentioned. But this autumn
Iier school chose Dr Holmes for
UbvV*>1 poet, and Leah had occailon
to &&n several new facts about liim.
Bfcrybad all that she conld easily lay
hands upon in connection with his life,
and she found that he had been born
in tie great year 1809, which saw the
birth of Mendelssohn, Chopin, Tennyson,
and so many other famous men,
adnytan before her adored Dickens,
whohad been dead for twenty years,
even saw the light. She read of how
he bad been a medical student in Paris
in the days of the forgotten Bourbon
kings, before her own grandmother
was born; of how he had been the lifelong
friend and the last physician of Nathaniel
Hawthorne, who wrote the
"Wosrder Book" and the "Tanglewood
Tales;" and of how he had outlived
mostflf the descendants and his friend
of three generations, until his own son
was Aw a white-haired old man and a
judgAof the Supreme Court. Everything
combined to Impress her with a:
sense*of exceeding age and cleverness
and kindness. She even read, in one
journal, that Dr. Holmes, being still in
good health and knowing well how to
take care of himself, had deliberately
set about to search the utmost limit of
human life?that he never entered his
warm bath in the morning nntil the
water was exactly the right temperatare,
that he kept the air of his room so
that the thermometer always indicated
the same degree, and that, unless
for some casualty, he saw no reason
why be might not live to be 100. Oh,
how Leah hoped that he might I She
showed each an interest in the subject
that her teacher appointed her to write
a composition about Dr. Holmes, and
she did this so well that she had to
read her piece before the whole school.
She casqe to develop an absolute heroworshJA
for the old-poet. She figured
him t^erself as .seated at the center of
the wAM, snowy-hdlred, diminutive,
and dMghtful, to receive the homage
Q' w^om moot wel
bftsiht the ehildren; and, although
to diyamcdSeuch a
meaS^oV^the precocious and faultlees
mooters of juvenile story books
She krfed good things well, and quite
well enough; and it happened, In the
the course of the Christmas festivities
she over-ate herself and was laid op in
bed for several days. I was sorry for
the little soul, and while she was
ill I wrote to a brilliant young aumore?s
who had dedicated her first volume
to Dr. Holmes, telling the tale of Leah's
hero-worship, and asking for creden
tials which would enable me-to take
her on an afternoon visit to him. Crisp
and clear, by return mail, In the young
authoress' own beautiful, print-like
manuscript, came a dainty letter of introduction,
bespeaking the venerable
poet's kindness for the youngest
and most ardent of his admirers. When
Leah was well again, I stepped down to
Dr. Folmes' house, and seeing him but
for a moment, secured au opportunity
for Leah on the next afternoon but one
at half-past 4 o'clock.
On the momentous afternoon, Leah
came back from school, by special permission,
half an hour earlier than uasul.
She spent a much longer time than she
can usually be induced to do, in combing
out her rebellious brown curls, and
in neatly arraying herself in her prettiest
winter gown. When the shiny
boots had been buttoned np, and the
new fur gloves fastened over the chubhonriu
and the muff suspended in
just the right way around her neck, it
was already past 4 o'clock. The after*
noon was stingingly cold, curiously
clear and bright; and Leah wu reminded
of an expression of old Irancis
Higginson, which she loves to quote in
such weather, and which she had found
in Colonel Higginson's beautiful little
school history: "One sup of New England's
air is worth a whole draught of
Old England's ale." At the corner of
the street we met Leah's pleasant,
kind-faced teacher going home from
school. She wished Leah a very, very
happy time; and she looked after us
with longing eyes, as if she would like
well enough to accompany us. We
waited up the hill, and then for nearly
a mile down Beacon street, nntil we
came to a large house on the right,
nowise distinguished from its neighbors,
somewhere between No. 200 and No.
300. We were promptly admitted, taken
up a broad flight of stairs, across
a wide landing, and into a study at the
back of the house. Here, in a chamber
of noble proportions, warm, luxurious,
bright with flowers and books, with a
wiew of unparalleled spienaor, a crust
the vivid waters of the Bla;k Bay,
which seemed to wash the walls of the
home, the autocrat, professor and poel
of the breakfast table, the wizard ol
society, the one survivor of the classic
age of New England literature, wai
waiting to receive his little guest.
Be was unmistakable, with the thoroughbred,
acute, kind face, which al
the world knows, and the fine white
head poised like that of a robin red
breast when he looks around at you
Always small, he was now very diminu
. tive; and e*en in the embarrassment o;
the moment of greeting, Leah coulc
. not help remembering the story whicl
- she had heard of Tithonus, who ooulc
not die, and who shrunk and shrivelec
1 with extreme old age, until at last k<
, was changed into the merry, chirpinj
t cricket. His face was fallen from it
firm outlines, and w^s covered with <
w
minute network of a thousand delicate
lines and creases: but his eyes were
bright and alert, he was only slightly
deaf, and when necessary he moved
quickly about the room with a hopping
motion, as if stepping on his toes. He
was the first man of over eighty whom
Leah bad ever seen.
He took Leah by the hand and led
her to his arm chair on a rug before
the glowing sea coal fire, where he held
her affectionately between his knees.
He told her how glad he was to see her,
and how much pleasure the visits of
his little friends gave him; he asked her
her name, her age, the name of the
school she attended, and many similar
questions. At first Leah's little heart
was in her throat; but she remembered
that such an opportunity seldom repeated
itself, and she answered up
bravely and clearly. He asked her
what series of readers was used now in
the Boston schools, and was pleased to
find that it was still the excellent series
edited by his old friend of the past, Mr.
GK 8. Hlllard. He told her that about
all of his old companions had left him;
had lost one of the last of these within
the past week, and had gone out fifty
miles into the country to attend his
funeral, only yesterday; It had btaa a
wild and blustering afternoon, to be
sure, but he felt none the worse for the
exposure. He asked Leah if she had
honored him by reading any of his
poemB; and she was able to answer that
she knew some of them by heart,such as
"Old Constitution," "The Chambered
Nautilus," and "The Last Leaf." His
face lighted up at the mention of "Nautilus,"
which, with its pretty allegory
or immortality, was evidently a ravorite
with him. Had Leah ever seen a
nautilus at the sea side? Did she
know how it looked? Leah's notions
upon this were of the vaguest. Well,
he happened to have a nautilus in that
very room?not a live one, to be sure?
but there it was on the sideboard in the
corner; and I passed him a splendid
specimen of a golden-yellow nautilusshell,
larger than a big football, and
neatly sawed in two in the middle, so
as to show the beautiful convolutions
of its inner chambers. He had seated
Leah upon a chair by his side, still
holding one of her hands, and he now
explained to her, in dainty words, how
nautilus is a shell fish which crawls
over the bottom of the sea?how it inhabits
only the outer chamber of its
shell, while others are filled with gashow
it was formerly supposed to possess
a membrane which served as a sail
| and to go merrily sailing over the surface
of the water?how the shell is often
washed ashore when the little voyager
is dead?and how this very specimen,
longer yean ago that he cared to
remember, had suggested to him the
allegory of the poem which has become
so popular.
Dr. Holmes .told us, in particular, a
"good deal abtfut two of <his famous
of oj^theei.' ^rrf
bad liefed at the other end of the sain
B&idh street^ and who died in tha
year so fatal to historians, 1869, wher
Macaulay and Hallam. and Washing
ton Irving, fnd the French Miehelet
also passed away. The story of Pres*
cott was one of those to rouse the
blood of brave men like a trumpet call.
For in ill health, almost blind, often
able to read only one hour a day, and
that in sections of five minutes e&cb,
be never faltered, but toiled right o:
until be bad produced several gran
books in addition to bis magical ac
counts of the way in which the Spaniards
conquered Peru. But the greatest
friend of Prescott and of Holmes, was
that lion among men, Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Dr. Holmes gave us, in minute
detail, the account of his famous last
interview with Hawthorne two or three
days before his death in 1864. He hap?
pened to meet him in the passages at
the head of Tremont street the day before
he set out with his life-long friend.
Mr. Franklin Pierce, the ex-President
otthe United States, upon that Journey
which was his last. He was distant,
magnificent, Olympian, but to Dr.
Holmes' practical eve, evidently ill and
suffering. Dr. Holmes fastened himself
upon Hawthorne and accompanied
him upon his errands about the city,
watchfuf for an oppotunlty to help
him. He would not be shaken off but
hovered about him, according to his
own comparison, like a fly about a human
head, now on this side of the giant
and now on that. "It was always an
adventure," said Dr. Holmes, with one
of those smiles for which he is so famnriH
"whether one could succeed in
inticing Hawthorne into anything like
communicative intercourses. He went
his way through life, like a whale
through the crowds of lesser fishes in
the sea; you might stand in your boat
and hurl your harpoon at him as he
passed?it was hit or miss; if you succeeded
in bringing him to, he was genial
enouah company for awhile, in
his abstracted Olympian way; if you
missed you would hardly have another
chance for a year." On this occasion
Hawthorne seemed greatly pestered at
first, but could not long resist the Doctor's
vivacious attacks. When they
found themselves before Metcalfe drug
shop on Copely Square, Dr. Holmes
i said: "You are not well; come in here
i and let me give you a prescription
and the giant good aatrrrealy" obeyed.
Holmes gave him quinine, and what
, else he could not remember. Haw
J A- i-u. u 11?
( tliorne promiseu tu iaae n, uu
doubtless," said the doctor, "chucked
i it out of the window as soon as he got
: home." They parted outside Metcalfe.
! and three days later the greatest Amer
ican author was no more. Leah's eyet
i grew rounder than ever as she listened
to Dr. Holmes' stories, and realized a
. little how isolated he must feel in this
| modern world of ours. She told m<
i afterward that she was thinking of thai
. most pathetic stanza in his own "Last
. Leaf," written sixteen years before:
The iii amy marbles rest
? On the Hps that his have pressed
. In their bloom ;
And the names he loved to hear
l Have been carved for many a year
1 On the tomb.
1 Once, in the course of our interview, e
3 footman out of livery, who was address
! ed by his master as "John," noiselessly
s entered the room, banked the abun
t dant tire with fresh coals, and as si
lently vanished. At another time
when the conversation grew a little abtruse,
Leah slipped quietly from he
chair, and began wandering softl;
about the room, admiring the carlo*
the proof engravings on the walls, th
sumptnoas book shelves, and the oat
look over the twilight waters of th
Back Bay. Dr. Holmes followed he
footsteps with tender eyes, and tool
the oDnortanitv to ask me some que*
tions about the little maiden. WheD
at the end of about an hoar, we roue tgo
he inquired whether Leah posaessea
photograph of him. She did not? Why
then that fault of circumstances mus
be amended at once. He had a pile o
fresh photographs taken within thes
few months, and she must accept oneo
them. This photograph was later thai
any that had yet been published, and
although admirable, represented tin
familiar, dear old faoe all covered witl
network of minute wrinkles. He mas
also give Leah his autograph; and h<
had the patience to sit down and writhis
full name very clearly and handsomely,
but in a hand that could nohelp
trembling a little, at the botton
of the photograph. By this timt
Leah's delight had become so manifestly
great that he sat musing for a minute
with his hand resting upon he:
curls. "I think I must give you one o
my books," he said; "how would yot
like 'The One-Hoss Shay?"' No objee
tion was raised; anu after a little search
ing he found a dainty volume it
stamped red covers, of the "One-Host
Shay," largely printed, with namerout
illustrations by Howard Pyle, whom
Leah remembered and spoke gratefully
of as the author of "Men of Iron," and
many other charming children's tales
It was the last copy of this edition tha
Dr. Holmes possessed, and he wrote hi
name out in it once more with a pleas
ant inscription. As Leah said good-by
he asked if she had not a kiss for him
and she left the beautiful study ove
the blue water, with her head whirling
and a delighted sensation of havin
been on enchanted ground.
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