Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, June 26, 1873, Image 1

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% lewis m. grist, Proprietor, j !^n fnbepenkni Jamiln ftefospaper: jfor t|e |)r emotion of tjie political, Social, ^griraltnral anb Commercial Interests of fjje Sontjj. | TERMS?$3.00 A TEAR, IN ADVANCE. VOL. 19. YORKYILLE, S. C., THURSDAY, JTJNE 36, 1873. NO. 26. 1 - - . 1 (Original ffoetn). Written for the Yorkville Enquirer, A PARTING. BY NELLY MARSHALL McAFEE. And didst thou mean those cruel words That letter bore to me?? That this dear love I Ye treasured so "Must be a Memory*"? That thro' the weary lapse of life? Thro' long and dreary years? Its grave alone shall be my own, Kept green by constant tears? And are we bound to rend the ties That link us heart to heart, And turning from each cherished face To always walk apart? Are our two lives but parallels Thof rwniint mint. not. meot? And is the thorny path al9ne Now opened for onr feet? And wilt thou close thy heart and home Against thy love forever? And, seeking foreign seas and strands, Strive every link to sever? Ah! canst thou hope thus to destroy A love not of this earth ?? A love that in God's courts above Alone could claim a birth? O dearest, fondest, truest, best, Thou canst nob exile me! , Thou canst not bid my heart forget, Nor make "Love"?"Memory !" For there are hours, and there are days, That "were not born to die !"? Low, tender words and winsome ways, Whose sounds must live for aye! And tho' while shines the noonday sun, The phantoms disappear, When fall the shades of gloomy night, To both they will be near! And tho' we laugh and careless seem, When daylight round us beams, Doubt not our hearts will be avenged, When we are bound in dreams! But if this parting is decreed, And we no more may meet, Thy life from mine is henceforth freed? My misery's complete! But in thy. going, may God bless That life forever more, And crown it with pure happiness That mine can know no more! And so, farewell, Belovod one, For aye-rand aye?and" aye! Though meeting not on earth againLet years go slow or flyThere comes a time, a happy time, To all?to you?to me? When we can meet, no more to part, Thro' all Eternity! Havrodarburff, Ky., 1873. Jilt ?rigittal Written for the Yorkville Enquirer. JOHN'S WIFE. BY E. VICTORIA LOMAX. CHAPTER XIX. The next morning, while we were speaking of our unsuccessful search, the servant came in to say that "Mr. English" was in the parlor, and had asked for me. I told Mary she had better not see him, as I did not wish him to suspect that she knew he was Nellie's father. "You see, Mattie, I am among your first visitors. I am glad to see you at home again." "Thank you, Mr. Walker. I am delighted to be at home, I cau assure you." "I hope you briug me good news from Clifton?" " J IwV. ...oil " I eS J l>eiiie HUU lue uauj mc uuui though Nellie was at the point of death for sometime after you left." "How did she bear the news of my being her father? Now she knows it, I suppose there is no objection to my going there more frequently." "I haye no right to control your actions, Mr. Walker; but for her sake, as well as your own, I think it best for you to defer your visit" "And why for my sake, may I ask ?" "If you should be recognized, Harry will never permit you to enter his doors again. I shall immediately write to Nellie, and advise * her to tell her husband all she knows about y0U" W "Which, I suppose, is nothing in my favor, W if you are the person who gave her the kiforf mation." "You are right; she has never heard any- J thing favorable of you. Was the object of your visit to enquire about Nellie ?" I asked, after a moment's pause. "No; I came over to tell you that next Monday I shall conclude my arrangements to claim the Elm wood property. As my right and title are indisputable, there is not the slightest probability of ray being prevented from carrying out my plan. You can tell your brother, if you choose; but it is not necessary, as I shall give you a month in which to make.your preparation to leave." "You need not trouble yourself," said I,; coolly; "we have no arrangements to make. ! We do not intend to leave Elmwood." "Indeed ! I suppose I ought to be complimented at your wishing to be ray guests ; but' I am a/raid I cannot realize it as a compliment under the circumstances. I must bid you good morning, as I have not time to remain longer. Remember nextMonday." And with a triumphant look, he closed the door, j Only three more days, and I could do noth-! ing to prevent this man from claiming our j home! When-1 told Mary she said? "I am not going to believe it, Mattie. We will never have to give up this dear old home. Something will surely happen to prevent it. Perhaps your friend, Mr. Morris, will come before then, and he may be able to make Mr. Walker wait a few days longer." "I do not see how he can help us, Mary ; j but I wish, most sincerely, he was here. We must not let John see there is anything wrong; for it may all be prevented yet." I said this very hopefully; but my heart belied my words. I felt as if the worst had ? come, and all that was left us. to do, was to make up our minds to give up the home we loved so dearly. What a long, anxious day ! I found it impossible to work. I wandered about the house and grounds, as if to impress every object on my mind's eye, for it might be that I would soon have to look my last. The afternoon wore slowly away. When night j came, I told Mary that as I did not feel as if I could sleep, I would sit up and read to aunt Patsy and she could retire early. It was about half past nine, I think, when I first heard it?only the sound of a footstep in the next room; it might have been a serr vant theu, but later in the evening I heard it again. This time I knew it was not a servant, for they had all left the house for the night. I determined I would see at once what ' it was. Aunt Patsy was sleeping quietly, and 1 I made as little noise as possible, in order not j to disturb her. The sound I heard proceeded from the li- i j brary. I listened for a moment at the door,; but could hear no one moving. I had no j light in my hand, for Ididnot care to see if' i any one was there; if I heard them, I deteri mined to call John, even though he might i find it was only my imagination, after all. j But the library door was partly open, and I ; looked in ; it wa3 a man's figure that 1 saw before rae! His face was bent over John's desk, and just as I was about to call assistance, I heard him say in a low tone? "Turn the light on here." In an instant the open side of a dark lantern was turned toward him, by some one who was standing at the window. I then heard I the man at the desk say? "Here it is; I have found the spring," and then I saw him take out a paper. There was not time to call John. What was done must be done quickly. I suppose it was because I did not think, that I acted so recklessly \ but I knew I had only to put out my hand to touch John's gun, which was loaded. I took it up and fired at the robbers. I must have fainted; for I knew nothing more until I found myself lying on the floor, and John's pale face bending over rae. I heard him say? "For God's sake, Mattie, speak to me!" "I am not hurt; only frightened, John. ; Have those men gone away ?" "What men, Mattie ?" And then I told him. He had only to turn | his head to see that my words were true. There was the desk broken open; the pool of blood on the floor; aud just by the windowas if it had escaped from the hand of some one leaving the room in that direction?was the paper. It was worth all my suffering of mind and body, to see that paper in John's possession. We found, on examining it, that it was my mother's will, dated "November 4th, 17? in which she left her property to her children. John could not understand our joy, when he read it to us, nor imagine whnt those men could have been looking for. I had not yet moved from the sofa, on which John had placed rae, wheu he raised me from the floor. On attempting to rise, I found I ? *> >i- tt_ . -i .v t:l was unaoie to waiK. Xie lOOK. me ill met anus, | aud carried ine to my room. When he went I up-stairs to call Mr. Stone to send hira for the i doctor, he found that he was not in his room. ! i When John told us of this, I remembered ; that as the light flashed on the face of the j man bending over the desk, I thought it; seemed familiar, and now I know it was Mr.j Stone. The neighborhood was soon aroused and a search commenced; but no trace of the j wounded man could be discovered. He was j evidently dragged to the road, aud then he must have been put in a carriage and taken J to some distant place, as we could hear nothing from him. "Mr. English" seemed as much distressed and annoyed as we were, at the occurrence, and aided us in every way in j his power; but I knew he was the cause of it all, and urged John not to believe him. I recovered very slowly. It was my first day down stairs, that "Mr. English" came to see me. I was on the sofa, not able to sit up. Mary had placed my writing desk and books near me, aud I was endeavoring to amuse myself, as best I could, when ray visitor was announced. How different ray feelings now from what they were at our last interview! The fatal Monday had passed, and yet, we i had heard nothing from him. Little did I care now what he said to me, for I had the important paper in my possession?it was no longer in his?but he did not know this, perhaps." He expressed great sympathy for ine in the earlier part of his visit, aud then, after Mary was out of hearing, he said? "What is this I hear about some one robbing your brother's desk ? Did the rogues really take anything ?" "I think not," I replied ; "as the only thing j of value to them was found op the floor, after ! they ran away. I suppose it fell from the ! man's hand as he got out of the window." "But surely, no one would have run the 1 risk of losing their lives, merely for a paper." ! "Not under ordinary circumstances; but this was an unusual case." I looked at him steadily in the eye as I j spoke. "No doubt you have been very careful of | the precious document ever since." I "Yes; it has never left my possessionand ! then I remembered it was in the desk which was before him. He saw the change in my countenance, for I was too weak to conceal my feelings. In an instant he suspected that I did not consider the paper as safe as I wished 1 him to suppose. There was but one thing to ' do. I put my hand on my desk and drew it! toward me. His face became deathly pale, j and he almost involuntarily extended his I band to take it from me, when the door open-! ed ftnd John came in the room. Mr. Walker recovered himself immediately, j and arose, saying? "I am glad you are so much better, Miss , Leslie. I am going over to Mrs. .Lewis' this' evening. Have you any message to send ?" ! "None, thank you." He left the room, and I never saw him i again until? As soon as I was alone, I began devising . some scheme by which I might place my mother's will in safe hands. I opened ray desk, after much thought, and wrote as follows : "Dkau Owen : You will find enclosed my mother's will. I cannot tell 3rou now, how it came into | my possession. You can well imagine why it is i not safe with us. Will you take care of it for 1110? > I have already written, asking you to come to ; L,ln....nn,l urwl linim " ? uliull ??>f> Vflll llPrO MOOll. I Excuse this hurried note, i am su tiering in mind ; j and body, and am not equal to writing more at ; present. Yours affectionately, Mattik Lewis." CHAPTER XX. . Two months elapsed, and I was still an in- , valid. Theshockmy nerves sustained that night proved to be more serious than we at i first suspected. I think it was as much my mind as my body which was affected. I could not divest myself of the idea that, perhaps, I j had committed murder. The man who was i shot was evidently badly hurt; and though I j could not blame myself for what I had done, j I knew if I heard of his death, I should never j forgive myself. My intention, in firing the gun, was only to alarm them; and I was as much surprised as they must have been at the ! result of my first experience with fire arms. Nothing had been heard from either of the men since. "Mr. English" still remained in j the vicinity, aud occasionally called on us ; but I never saw him, as I took advantage of; an invalid's privilege and only admitted those J whose society would give me pleasure. The great topic of excitemeut in the neigh-! borhood, at this time, was the marriage of j Henrietta Lewis and Mr. Howard. The most j elaborate preparations were being made, and , the bride was in a state of enthusiastic delight, | which was really charming to see. She came to Elrawood about a week before i the time appointed for her wedding, and in- j sisted upon hating an interview with me. I j did not much like the prospect; but as I re- j membered she would soon leave us, I thought I would sacrifice myselfon the "altar of friendship," (so called) and give her a farewell interview. After the usual protestations of sympathy onrl ronnr/1 oho /Irow hor nVlair tlPJlX the loilIl(?e **"" ' ? j on which I was lying, and said? "Mattie, I have something very important to tell you about Mary." "Have you ?" said I; "it is nothing unpleasant, I hope." "It is more than unpleusant. I am afraid, i after you hear all that I have to tell, that you | can never regard her as a sister again." "The proof must be very strong, then; for ! it would take a great deal to make me love Mary less than I do.", "But if you were certain she had acted dishonorably." "Nothing could make oie think that." "I knew you would be hard to convince; so j I brought these letters with me. Perhaps, I after you have read them, you will find out | that John's wife is not quite so perfect as you j have always thought her." . As she said this, she placed a package of, letters in my hand, directed to "Mr. Richard Howard, Waverly." How I wished I could retain them in my possession ! But this would have given rise to more scandal, so I returned them, saying? "I know all about these letters, Henrietta; j they were written to Mr. Howard, by Mary, j many years ago. She spoke to me of them I herself. As I have some compunctions of conscience in regard to reading letters which were never intended for me to see, I must decline your offer." "So she told you they were written 'many years ago;' perhaps you will think differently when you see this date?it is quite recent." She opened one and gave it to me. It was dated "Sept. 23d." Just two months since it was written ! I was astonished for a moment; but then seeing through the whole plot, I said? "It is very cleverly done; but, Henrietta, iu altering dates, you ought to be careful about concealing your work. It is very evident that something has been erased here." Her face turned crimson, as she replied? "I did not come here to be insulted, Mattie." "It seems not, truly; you thought only to offer an insult. Perhaps it would be as well for me to say all I have to say on this subject now. These letters are perfectly worth less, so j far as they can, in any way, interfere with the j happiness of any member of our family. I know exactly when they were written, and also, who placed them in your hands, that you might work mischief. I advise you to destroy them, as it might not add much to the social standing of the future Mrs. Howard, were it known that she was in the habit of reading other persons' letters, and altering the dates to suit herself." "Oh ! Mattie, you always areso severe when you are angry ; but you are entirely mistaken, if you think I had anything to do with those letters. I am delighted to find they have not been written recently, for I should be sorry to be the cause of your being distressed in any way. I thought I was doing an act of kindness, in bringiug them to you before any one j saw them. 1 supposed you would kuow exactly what ought to be done to save Mary j from disgrace. I found them among a pack-1 age of papers Mr. Howard brought over for , me to read." "When you return them to Mr. Howard, j will you be kind enough to say to him for j me, that as he seems to have a fancy for col- j lecting worthless documents relating to this i family, we have several old copy-books which 1 are at his disposal." "How droll you are! What'possible use could Mr. Howard make of old copy-books?" j "None whatever, that I know of j neither, can he make any of these lettersj or of the j old will of my mother's, which is in his pos-1 session." "Has he your mother's will ? How strange! He never mentioned it to me." "No, I suppose not. Are you going to keep these letters ?" "They are not mine, Mattie; you know I have no right to destroy them. I will tell Mr. Howard that you are very anxious to ' have them destroyed, and doubtless he will j oblige you." "I doubt it very mucii," said I; but I was j becoming weary of my charming visitor, and j was glad when I saw aunt Patsy entering the i room, as I knew she would make a diversion in my favor. Her first remark was? "Well, child! So you are going to be mar- j ried ?" "Yes, Miss Patsy; and I shall certainly expect you to the wadding." "It is uot worth while to do that. I am I only going to one more wedding, and that is to be Mattie's." "I suppose you think you are ptrfectly safe in sayiug this, Miss Patsy," said Henrietta, with a malicious smile. The old lady gave me a significant look, as she replied? "Not so safe as you think. We Elmwood folks arc not much for talking, like some oth- J er people I know; but we have a way of ta- ; king people by surprise, sometimes." I felt my face flush, and knew that I looked as guilty as if I had really been on the eve 1 of matrimony?all of which was being observed by Henrietta. I was not surprised when she said? "So there in an engagement! I've found; you out at last, Mattie. I shall take great pleasure in informing your friends." "Of what?" I asked quietly.' "Why, of your engagement. Miss Patsy would never have spoken as she did, were she not certain you were to be married soon." "You musn't take everything I say in earnest, child," said aunt Patsy; "you know old j folks are privileged to draw on their imaginations. Mattie is not engaged, and more than that, is not likely to be that I know of. I thought you had joined the sisterhood, too; but I suppose you had not the moral courage | to endure being called an 'Old Maid.' " "I must say, Miss Patsy, your reason for my com.mitting matrimony is not very flattering. Do you mean to insinuate the little blind god had nothing to do with ray selecting Mr. Howard ?" "Perhaps he had ; but love and marriage are not now, what they were in my day. 1j hope you may be as happy as you expect." "And as I cannot be present at the ceremony," said I, "you must now accept my congratulation for Mr. Howard aud yourself. I i hope you may both be very happy." "Thank you, Mattie; but I must go, as 11 have several other visits to make." And thus Henrietta Lewis took leave of the Elinwood house; her plans for creating mischief frustrated?at least, for the present. CHAPTER XXI. Harry and Nellie came to the wedding. As a matter of course, they, brought my dear little namesake with them. She was wonderfully improved since I last saw her> and was i? *1 - 1 1:__* _l:ij T one 01 ine joveiitsi cuuuicu ? muviu. It relieved the tedium qf my sick room, very much, to have her with me, and she was so good and quiet, that I could keep her for hours without her disturbing me. Mary was happier and brighter than I had ever known her. The devotion between John and herself was really pleasing. Whenever I looked at them, the words of the poet flashed through my mind? "His homo sho enters, there to be a light, Shining within when all without is night; A guardian angel, o'er his life presiding, Doubling his pleasures, and his cares dividing." I knew there was not the slightest cause of misunderstanding between them ; and on this perfect confidence, I built my hopes that any scandal which Henrietta Lewis might circulate would not injure them, or cause them unhappiness. The future proved how much I had overrated that confidence, and under-rated Henrietta's capacity for evil. The wedding day was bright and fair, and it made me feel young again, to see Nellie and Mary in their bridal attire. They both wore white, and "though I say it, who should not," I feel sure there were no young belles there who could compare, in point of beauty, with the two "matrons" from Elmwood. Nellie was full of life and spirit. While they were standing in my room, undergoing an inspection, she said? "Now, Mary, I warn you, if Henrietta Lewis tries to 'come the affectionate' over me, I shall certainly put a stop to it. You and Mattie may let her think she is humbugging you to her heart's content. I attend this wedding, onlolv nut. nf rnmnliment to Harrv and vour railing. One of the enemy pursued him, and ' thus became at a still greater distance from : his comrades. When he came up with Gil- j Ion's vessel, he ran alongside with the utmost i confidence. Gillon threw his grappling irons j on board, and, at the head of his marines, boarded the British vessel, and captured her with but little loss on either side. Gillon then divided his prisoners between the two vessels and secured them under the hatches. He also divided his men and officers between the two, and now considered himself a match for the two remaining blockaders, able and willing to fight them. Still he proceeded in dis- j guise. He kept the British flag flying on his i prize, and reversed the American flag on his I own vessel, over which he hoisted a British j flag, to indicate that his had been captured, and not the other. The two then made easy sail towards the British vessels. On coming up with the first he ran alongside iu her comrade which had just been captured, and surprised her by boarding, without firing a gun. j The third blockader seeing no fight and hearing no firing, suffered herself to be surrounded before she discovered that they were her ene- j mv's vessels; but when their flags were at a i given signal all displayed in form, she found ! that escape was impossible and resistance useless; she therefore surrendered at discretion. | Gillon returned in triumph into Charleston j with his prizes, and this brilliant exploit trans- \ ferred him from the counting-house to the quarter-deck of the finest frigate then afloat. } Soon after, the Legislature of South Caroli-1 """"V 1 7" J * self. Your cousin is to be married, and therefore I am present; but as for the bride ! I hope, most sincerely, that cousin Richard may take her to some remote corner of the globe, aud I may never see her again." "Hush 1 Nellie," said I. "You know she is to be your neighbor, now, and you must try and cultivate a friendly feeling toward her." "I should like to oblige you, Mattie ; but unfortunately, 'friendly feeling,' though cultivated to the utmost, will never grow on this? 'nature's barren soil.' I dislike her most cordially, aud there is no love lost between us. But you have not said one word yet about our dresses. How do you think John's wife looks on this occasion ?" "You both look better than I ever saw you, Nell; now be satisfied with this, for I am not going to pay you another compliment. I leave such speeches for your 'cousin Henrietta.' " "Yes, she will tell us we are 'charming,' 'lovely,' and such 'dear creatures,' before we have been there half an hour. I am going to | agree to every thing she says, just by way of | variety, you know. But here are our 'lords j and masters,' so I must say good night." As Mary bent over to kiss me, she whispered? "I think I will tell John about those letters tonight." "Yes, darling, I wish you would. Come to see me early in the'morning, and let me hear how the wedding went off." Aunt Patsy generally spent her evenings in my room. I was too weak to walk up and down stairs, so they had fitted up the library, which adjoined the room, as my chamber, and we were together almost all the time. Dear old lady ! I think I see her now with her plain muslin cap, its crimped border fitting closely around her pale face. There has always been, to me, something inexpressibly touching in the helplessness of old age. The infant has never known strength, and the sight of its weakness brings with it nothing of regret; but to feel strength and energy failing, until left, indeed, "as a little child," must be a trial, the force of which only those who have experienced it can know. I suppose it was but natural that matrimony should be the subject of our conversation that evening. I do not know what induced rae to say? "Aunty, were you ever engaged to be married?" "Yes, child." " What broke off the engagement ?" "You might guess all night, Mattie, and you would never guess right," said the old lady, her eyes fairly sparkling with mischief. ' "Was it want of money?" I suggested. "No." "Disapprobation of your friends?" "No." "Incompatibility of temper?" "No," she answered, smiling. "Then I canuot imagine what it was. "I knew you would never guess," said she, i triumphantly ; "now I will tell you. It was \ all'caused by a little piece of blue ribbon not larger than your hand." "A piece of blue ribbon !" I repeated in astonishment. "Yes. You see I was a wild, giddy girl in ; my time, and could not bear to be controlled ! by any one. Now, your mother was different. She always did what she was told, and seemed ; to have been put in this world for the express purpose of being taken care of. ?u,,? to cm nn wit.h mv stnrv. John Tver """ v" b" ? ?J J - son was the name of the man to whom I was engaged. He was just as hard tomauage as I was, and every one predicted there would be a flare-up soon. Sure enough there was. I j had always kept this piece of blue ribbon in my hymn-book, as a mark, and John asked me to give it to him. I suppose it was just to j be aggravating, and to see how far I could go, that I told him I had promised it to some one else. That was enough for John! Of all the I behavior you ever saw in your life, on this occasion, his was the most odd ; and the more he fretted and fumed, the more I laughed, j Then we got to quarreling, and that just end- i ed the whole affair. But it was the piece of blue ribbon that started us. I should have , been 'old Mrs. Iverson,' now, if it had not ' been for that." "I don't think either of you could have 1 loved each other much, aunty, if you let such ! a little thing as that break off your engagement." "That's the truth! No better sign in the world that ours was not true love. It takes ' more than a piece of blue ribbon to end that, | Mattie. But I am too.old to be sitting up at I - - -- -v ri . J I this time of night, talking about love, uooa night, child. I hope you may have pleasant dreams." I could not sleep after aunt Patsy left me. Her remark about true love had set me to thinking. Was the love that could last unchanged in intensity, through years of separation, the "true love ?" I believed it was. Since I had been for months on a bed of sickness, with opportunity to think over my past, life seemed to have another meaning. I believe that we are often the creators of our unhappiness. It was the want of perfect trust and confidence in Aw love, that had made me seud him from me. How much better it would have been had I acted as ray heart prompted. Is it for our good o^ otherwise, that there is no recalling the past? If I could only have lived over those few, short, happy years again, I would not have been lying there, unloved and uncared for. I could not say that, but there was an aching void in my heart which nothing but his presence could fill. I had not heard from Owen Morris since I sent him my mother's will, and this anxiety? the fear that ray letter might not have reached him?was added to the many I already had. I was still awake when Mary and Nellie returned. I heard them step softly by my door, so as not to disturb me, and I heard their smothered laughter at a speech from Nellie, and then?all was still again, and I was soon the only watcher in the old Elmwood house. [to be continued next week.] |?ton?M0U!S gUMing. COMMODORE ALEXANDER GILLON. A 1-.- ? -C aL- /"1L? A laie issue ui me v^imucstuu j.icwo, wutains the subjoined interesting memoir of Commodore Alexander Gillon, the first President of the Chamber of Commerce of that city : Commodore Alexander Gillon was born in Rotterdam in 1741, his family being one of the oldest and most wealthy in that great commercial city. The family Bible is still extant with the name of his grandmother, "Madame Johanna Le Gillon," written in it, dated 1600, with her coat of arms on the first leaf. Dr. Johnson states that Commodore Gillon was a man of very fine personal appearance, and of a VGry acute, well cultivated mind. He could converse in seven different languages, and write in five of them. He served an apprenticeship in a Dutch counting-house for several years, where he acquired considerable mercantile knowledge. He removed to London when about twenty-one years of age, and continued in England about four years. He came from England to Charleston in 1766, and was described as "an excellent English scholar and a handsome gentleman." In the same vessel with him, Mrs. Mary Cripps, a widow, and her son, John S. Cripps, were fellow passengers. They were highly respectable natives of Kent county, England, and possessed a considerable estate. Gillon courted the widow during the passage to Charleston, and they were married in a few months after their arrival in this port. They lived in a handsome establishment on East Bay, became intimate with many of the most respectable families of the State, and had a fine country seat, called Ashley Hill, on Ashley river, in the vicinity of the city, next south to Middleton Place. Gillon became actively engaged in mercantile pursuits and was considered a rich merchant. He had an interest in one or more of our wharves, and the street situated west of the post office and directly opposite the present Chamber of Commerce building still bears his name. He took into partnerslfip with him one of his own countrymen, Elorian Charles May, and his stepson, John S. Cripps, and the firm continued a successful business until May, 1777, at which time Gillon retired from it. The two other partners con-, tiuued together, and for many years after the revolution were prosperous and respectable merchants. Gillon's active, enterprising turn of mind now led him to engage in a series of brilliant and patriotic enterprises, which are thus described by Dr. Johnson : In the year 1777 and 78, the port of Charleston was blockaded by various British cruisers. Three of them were particularly troublesome. There was but one armed vessel in port, and she was not more than a match for either of the British vessels singly. Alexander Gillon, extensively engaged in mercantile pursuits and annoyed at this blockade, volunteered to gQ out against the three ships with this single vessel, if the governor would sanctiou it, and supply him with a suitable number of marines in addition to the crew of the vessel. The proposal was accepted, and the marines drafted from the regulars in the service of the Slate. He disguised his.vessel to look like a merchantman, and went to sea while the enemy were in sight, but at some distance and a little scattered. In his assumed character, Gillon pretended to run away from the British cruisers, and concealed all his men under his windward na resolved to purchase or build three frigates ' in France, and to have a commodore and j three captains to command them. Alexander Gillon, Esq., was accordingly elected commo- j dore, and John Joyner, William Robertson ; and John McQueen, Esqs., elected captains. They were commissioned by President Raw-, lius Lowndes, in 1778, and sailed to France with cargoes of rice, indigo and tobacco to . supply the funds necessary for the outfits of these three frigates. On the 8th of November, however, of the previous year, (1777,) Gillon wrote to the Hon. Henry Laurens, , President of Congress, proposing to go to j France and Holland, where he was well j known as a merchant, and send out supplies of arms, ammunition, clothing and money,; which were very much wanted at that time by Congress and by South Carolina. The j offer was accepted by Congress; but before j Gillon was notified of it, he received the commission of commodore in the navy of South Carolina. This commission was accepted under the conviction that his own State had the first right to his services. Gillon was conveyed by the "Notre Dame," and touched at Havana for repairs. He did not reach France , until thp firat. nf t.hfi Vfiar 1779. A navy board was also established at the same time in Charleston, to transact the business of the department with power to fill vacancies in the Navy and Marine Corps, and to draw upon the treasury of the State for expenses. Edward Blake, RogerSmith, Josiah Smith, Edward Darrell, Thos. Corbeit, John Edwards, Geo. A. Hall and Thos. Savage were appointed commissioners. They were all men of business; most of them afterwards became officers and members of the Chamber of Commerce. They were diligent in forwarding supplies to the commodore by remitting the produce of the country to Europe. But these shipments were so frequently captured by the enemy that nothing could be purchased by Gillon except some clothing and ammunition for the use of the State. Commodore Gillon, not having the funds for purchasing one or more frigates, hired from the Duke of Luxemburg a fine large frigate for three years, engaging to return her and pay over one-fourth of her prize money. Under this singular contract he enlisted men and marines for her crew, and after much difficulty and delay, owing to ber large size, she at last got over the bar of the Texel in August, 1871, and was called the "South Carolina." She mounted forty gnns, thirty-six and twelvepounders, with sixty-nine seamen and two hundred and eighty marines. She was equal to many sixty-gun ships of that day. Commodore Gillon first cruised in the European seas, and took many valuable prizes, which were sent into friendly European ports. He next cruised off the American coast and in the West Indies, where he captured ten more prizes, all of which he sent to Havana for sale. While refitting in that port, he united with our Spanish allies and some American privateers in an expedition against the Bahama Islands. In May, 1782, he sailed from Havana. J. Fennimore Cooper, in his Naval History,states that Gillon accepted the command of this ex pedition "with a view to distress the enemy," and, concerning his flagship, the South Carolina, she had the dimensions of a small seveuty-four, but was a frigate in construction. His account of her armament concurs with that of Johnson. Cooper further says: "This ship, though strictly the property of France, had been lent to the Chevalier de Luxemburg, who hired her to Gillon for the State of South Carolina for three years." In May, 1772, &c., as commander of a fleet of eighty-two vessels, Spanish and American, he succeeded iu reducing the Bahamas from the British to the Spanish government, and left them under a Spanish governor, supported by seven or eight hundred regular troops. Neither South Carolina nor the Duke de Luxemburg derived much benefitfrom the capture of these islands. Shortly after the surrender of the Bahama Islands, the frigate South Carolina parted from her confederates and arrived in Philadelphia. Here she was completely refitted. Commodore Gillon then resigned and left her in command of Captain John Joyner, his next in rank. She was afterwards captured by three British frigates; her commander Joyner, shamefully surrendering without resistance. (See Moultrie's Memoirs and Ramsay's Revolution.) Gillon, while visiting his native country in 1781, engaged in fitting out the above mentioned frigate, was held in very high consideration ; being a retired merchant of wealth, holding a high office and charged with the execution of most important public services. A man of talents, of elegant person and engaging deportment, he lived among the delegates of royalty and nobility in high style, and traveled about with expensive equipages for the benefit, no doubt, of the republican State which he represented, for a limited obobject. (Vide Johnson.) Commodore Gillon's mission to Holland was attended by a series of misfortunes to those interested in it. Disappointed in the receipt of supplies for the purposes of his mission, and living in profusion, he pledged his own and the credit of South Carolina to effect his objects, as far as possible. He finally sunk in this enterprise a large part of his private fortune. During his whole career, however, and after the Revolution, he continued in high estimation and influence in South Carolina, associating in all the active duties of a good citizen. He, among others, in 1784, organized and put into successful operation the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, and was elected its first president. We find, from the records of that society, now in possession of its.secretary, that the first meeting was held at the City Tavern on the 6th of July, 1784, when the following gentlemen were elected officers: Alexander Gillon, president; John Lewis Gervais, vice-president; William Hort, treasurer; Samuel Legare, secretary. , Gillon was senator in Congress for many years, and when not so delegated, he served ! in the State Legislature and in the convention 1 by which the Federal constitution was adopt- j ed and that of the State amended. In a de- j bate which occurred on one of these occasions, Mr. Charles PiDckney having the floor, introduced a Latin quotation to elucidate the subject to men, very few of whom understood the language. When he resumed his seat, Com- j modore Gillon replied to him, and in the ! course of his address observed that "the learn- i ed gentleman had enljghtened the minds of: his audience by a Latin sentence, and he would follow his good example as far as pos-1 sible, but would prove the reverse of his po- J sitiou, by a quotation frdm high Dutch, which he hoped would be equally well understood : by his hearers." He then gave -the house a sentence from a German dlithor, which he assured them was applicable to the subject before the assembly. It would be needless to say that there were no more quotations in that session from the dead or foreign languages. When President Washington visited Charleston in May, 1791, an address was delivered to him in behalf of the merchants by Edward Darrell, then president of the Chamber of Commerce, to which Washington made an appropriate reply. Both the address and reply are upon record in the old minute book of the Chamber. Commodore Gillon was one of the committee of arrangements for entertaining Washington in Charleston. At the supper of a ball ' given to him, Gillon was requested to fill the places at the head of the table. With ready tact he handed Mrs. Shubrick to the seat op posite President Washington, sue neing me handsomest matron in the assembly; and next to him, on the right, he placed Miss Claudia Smith, a belle of the period, whose wit and sociable qualities were greatly admired, thus judiciously enhancing all the pleasures of the entertainment Gen. Washington, at night, opened the ball with this lady, Miss Smith, dancing a minuet with her. The statehouse in Charleston having been burnt, the Legislature, in the spring of 1786, met in the hall of the custom house, which was plainly fitted up in haste for the occasion. The question of removing the seat of government to a central position in the State was there discussed, and Columbia was finally determined on, A contention arose among the many who owned land in the interior, each insisting that his land was the best situated for the purpose. In the discussion a personal dispute arose between General Sumter and f!mv>mn/1nrA Oillnn. Without a message or preconcert each came, the next morning, into the house, armed with a small sword. This was observed by the other members. Here were two came cocks, gaffed and pitted; had either of tnem crowed, the other would probably have struck, and bloodshed ensued. One of the members, said to be Edward Rutledge, brought the occurrence to the notice of the house in a soothing address, and complimented the established reputation of those two gehtlemen for patriotism and valor; showed them that no imputation could tarnish their characters, and that hasty expressions in debate should not be considered serious by two such gentlemen. He hoped the house would interpose and reconcile the differences between them. The speaker first addressed the parties and then the house; the dispute was settled. In 1787, Commodore Gillon became a widower, Mrs. Gillon having died at their country seat on Ashley river. Aftei1 this he spld the place and settled on Congaree river, naming his new residence Gilfon's Retreat He embellished it with his nsual taste and elegance, and formed several beautiful avenues, radiating from the front of his hospitable mansion. In 1789, he married Miss Ann Purcell, daughter of Rev. Dr. HenryJPurcell, rector of St Michael's Church, in Charleston. He continued to live at this delightful establishment in his usual expensive style, and was still considered a very rich man. Here he had a family of three children?a sop named after him, and two daughters. Here, also, be died in 1794, in the fifty-third year of his age; shortly after which his'widow, finding - his estate embarrassed, gave up the property and removed to Charleston.- She subsequently removed to Connecticut; and died in 1844, in Litchfield. .. SEWING ON BUTTONS. It is bad enough, says the Danbury News, to see a bachelor sew on a button, but he is the embodiment of grace alongside of a married man. Necessity has compelled experience in the case of the former, out the latter has always depended upon some one else for this service, and fortunately for the sake of society, it is rarely he is obliged to resort to the needle himself. Sometimes the patient wife scalds her right hand, or runs a sliver under the nail of the index finger of that hand, and it is then that the man clutches the needle around the neck, and forgetting to tie a knot in the thread commences to put on the button. It is always in the morning, and from five to twenty minutes after.he is expected to be down street. He lays the button exactly on the site of its predecessor, and pushes the needle through the eye, and carefully draws the thread after, leaving about three inches of it sticking up for lee way. He says to himself, "Well, if women don't have the easiest time I ever did see." Then he comes back the other way, and gets the needle through the cloth well enough, and lays himself out to find the eye, but in spite of a great deal of patient jabbing, the needle point persists in bucking against the solid parts of that button, and finally, when he loses patience, his finger catches the thread, and that three inches he had left to hold the button slips through the eye in a twinkling, and the button rolls leisurely across the floor. He picks it up without a single remark, out of respect for his children, and makes another attempt to fasten it. This time, when coming back with the needle, he keeps both the thread and the button from slipping by covering them with his thumb, and it is out of regard for that part of him that he feels around for the eye in a very careful and judicious manner, but eventually losing his philosophy, as the search becomes more and more hopeless, he falls jabbing about in a loose and savage manner, and it is just then the needle finds the opening, and comes up through the button and part way through his thumb with a celerity that no human ingenuity can guard against. Then he lays down the things, with ? f-? XL ?!!!?? rtn/1 naAfiaAA -4l\A in. U jew JUlJJlimi LjUULtlUUiio, auu we injured hand between his linens, and then holds it under the other arm, and finally jams it into his mouth, and all the while he prances about the floor and calls upon heaven and earth to witness that there has neter been anything like it since the world was created, and howls and whistles. After awhile he calms down, and puts on his pants, and fastens them together with a stick, and goes to his business a changed man. * A Montana Post Office.?A special agent of the post office department is reported to have had an amusing experience while making his official visit of inspection at Iron Rod. Going into the post office, he found the room divided into three different sections? first a saloon, Dext the post office, and the last a faro bank. The mail bag was brought in. A rough-looking customer opened it, and emptied the contents on the floor. The entire crowd got-down on their hands and knees, and commenced overhauling the letters, among which several were registered, and selected such as they wanted. After they were through* the remaining letters were shoveled into a candle box and placed on the bar. The special agent thinking the office needed a little regulating, asked the bar-tender, who had received and distributed the mail, if he was the postmaster. He answered, "No." "Are you the assistant postmaster?" "No." "Where is the postmaster?" "Out mining." "Where is the assistant postmaster ?" "Gone to Hell's Canon, and,-by thunder, Bill Jones has got to run this post office next week ; it's his turn." The Government official then asked who he was, and demanded the keys of the office. The bar-tender coolly tdok the candle box from the bar, put it - on the floor and gave it a kick, sendiug it out of the door, saying: "There is your post office, and now git." The ageutsays: "Knowing the customs of the country, I lost no time in following this advice, and got." That office was discontinued. TtifP mp PDiTvrwfi-? Tn Iftfifi T had a young orchard that I began to prune in February, and continued at intervals until August, and those pruned in June did better, healed over sooner, than any pruned either before or after that period. In 18711 began to renovate an orchard ten years old, that had been trained according to the absurd fashion of low heads which prevailed at that time. It took a great deal of cutting and trimming, but I was determined, and persevered; the result was thatevery wound made in June?the time the work was done?began at once to heal over, and by the time growth stopped in the fall every place where a branch had been cut off bad a beautiful ring of new bark and wood, of from one-third to one-half inch in width all around it, and still they are doing well.? Cor. Gardener'6 Monthly.