Illinois News Index

Highland Park News-Letter (1904), 28 Jan 1905, p. 1

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Mister Leyton said that “aside from a journal being able to alter satisfactory amusement for an idle hour, he thought it (the journal, I mean.) a worthless document to its time, “and as for posteri- ty (quoth he) what, to be sure, have the manners of yesterday's tops and fine ladies to do with us of to-day? and whet good (continoed he) did “mutants“ate innit” that wrote it? he presumed not to publish a line of it while he lived! and, had his Netm abletoreedorhis wifepoaseuedher- self of a main: magne- it is probable that our little ioumal writer would have found lodgings in jail, and,‘mayhap. in the end' have been rewarded with a tightly fitting hempen necklace. For my part (added Mister Leyton)’ I prefer to’ jot down comments of a personal character upon the tablets 'of my brain, for there only are they safe, and be- yond the reach of 'meddlesome souls. There. alone Katha Bird-eymeving the talk a.“ to themlves.(u is null) tell to (Ii-cunning the keeptngoi 10m; for Mister Leytowmhas been beguiliiag some of his interminable leisure by reading a ceruin “ Mister PM)" memoirs; in which he sets forth the doing: ind sayings of town, camp, and-cpurt, during th‘e reign of the late king. » investigation. ’ ” ' The Reverend Nathaw Birdsey listened (as he aways does listen to everything, that any body, and Hey-day! why shouldl blunt the point ’of my huill. with discuSsing him ?â€"â€"that is, individually-f for of course, I shall have to frequently allude to the Reverend gentleman gs he chances to'be one of the puppets in the life drama I am about to record. * * * Where did I have ofi’ when I laid down my pen? Oh, yes, the Reverend Nathan Birds‘cy listéned (as he alv'Iays does) in. grave amiable silence until Mister Leytown hid quite con- cluded; and then said he, ”I find it impossible'm atreé with you, my dear William. (as if my dear William cared a‘tuppence whether he was screed with or‘ not) for," said our Dominic, "while no wrtier can appreciate what vnlue his work my come to have in after lime, it is mtm ‘prohble, that.“ he lives long enough, the journal writer will‘tum hack the pages he has written with satisfaction; us what he has-set down em not fail to prove in after years an exeellent refeteme buok. Mostâ€"of us,” ssys he, “owing to some mental iiEEeur-scy, for- “ whole chapters in but life story. Do you never (“YT "W every body ’says to him) inmve, amiable silence 3‘ a silence conveying the realizatim that every word he is to utter in reply‘ will be weighed upon the scales (if his conscience. Oh! and again, Oh! how I should like to ruffle his temper! How I should like to see his calm eyes show fire! His firm lips quiver with anger! His evenly modulated utterance grow thick with passion! but, I never shall! no one ever will! - ' AST night an upper . Hénonhlerllhm Volume 17. ht” "W“ D 0 R70 ‘TH I” 22° .8} LAURA DAYTON FESSENDEN HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 23, 1905 “An humble and dull record say you! Dull for to-day, I grant you; but do you not realize what dis- tinct and vivid pictures we are making? hr (odor- row? Mgrk you, the gossip of one hour, is the. history of the next! Suppose, for example, each of us sitting about this table were to set down in our private journal such simple facts as our hours for ' rising and retiring, explain the manner in 'whieh this house was built, and then decorated; tell the cm: of living. the number of servants. thfir duties. should dwell upon the political opinions of this neighborhood, or desc'ant upon our religious belief. Very dry topics, and petty details, you Say. But be sure, in some after time, it all would take on a rich flavor, and Become full of practical interest to mankind." ‘ - gMistcr Leytown laughed! put some question to yourself concerhinq the goings and comings of your childhood days, or your early youth? Only to discover that the chain of memory is broken,- thnt a link is missing here Ind there? It is at such times that the thoughtful experience a sense of having been self deseners. it is then that we realize that we have been less than appreemivc of the life gift and its manifold blessings: it is then that we come to see how our yesterdays have been spilled. as water is spilled through a sieve. “Now, leaving self intérest, let us for a moment consider our duty to toâ€"morrow. Suppose we, ad: of us (gathered here tomight), in our own manner of expression, should set‘ dowy: in a book our opin- ions of the events of our dzily lives. - “A sermon a mulyck, Parson! " he said. And then he laid his smafl; thin! white hand (looking for all the world like a woman’ s with it’s beicwclicd fingers and shomng out of his wrist mflie of fine lace) upon Nathan Birdsey’s ahouldm, so that for many years I have tried each day to aecmnplish through its help two distinct purposes. «First, to do for the future what the past has done for me‘, and second, by honestly jotting down my own feelings in regard to matters and things, to gain in time some insight into that great unknown called self. ." " * I suppose.if1am ‘going to make hisiory,’ jammy {air the! 1 shouldtell you (oh ‘unlmown, unborn to-morrow folk!) ,whit we had for supper! There was a platter of Cold ehicken._ garnished with 'pusley,‘ a" ‘sallit,’ a .friiit “ Not so "‘said the parson, calming a bit.‘through the bronze of his' skin, "I codfme all my Sermoniz- ing to the pulpit upon Sabbéth day; but this journal subject is one that!" "interests me 'deeply, So much ‘MI‘JI‘II. ullllill‘u WI III “p“ llc], i “II“, I IIIIII can, ma 1 silver jug full of new milk ,â€"to pour mto our porringer bowlsâ€"um! mm: crisp rolls." Misfcr Leytown helped himsdf to some more of the chicken before he replied to an bominie, and than he sud: “So you not only preach but pne- fiathestidyoildf. Tomydlinkincmanof personallyâ€"(that Is when one maintains a just con- sademion ibr the feeliggs $70”ng cast expt'euim to everything that we feel cometa- ing our neighbors, or their afiairs, so what I know about him, or even suspect that .1 know, if it is hot to his advantage, I keep ‘silent about. And, in a ‘word, I openly ignore other folks’ doingsâ€"unless they apply to me for advice or council; but I may 3""er have it a." rmhwvth mvéeli I mav ha": enm pn- VDEN necessity tomdtoknowou'r- eelm too well. Hun-nit: It it: best in u miserable collection a! negsflve conditions. And there is little to nuke the proudâ€"spirited care to preserve such a chronicle, say, u this; . . “To-day I Ind an an and shop]; hire _a_ with. cred Ica‘f,’ or ‘On {his day _I chested my neighbor at BaSsct, and afterwards nn'him through with my sword.’ A putting down of aches and poms. omission: and commusiom that could not fail to muse the reader weariness, and to more forciblf\ discover to him the miserable sameness of mortal body and mortal mind; I take it this I: uIInecessary humiliation to one’s pride.” The Parson smiled“ “I make it my duty," he'said quietly. “to smve first of all to be honest with my- self, principally because though a stem necessity I have been made to tulize that it 1; impossibleâ€"- perm]b-â€"-_(that is when one maintains a j‘ust'couâ€" man's keeper, seeing that ‘in the last day, when m trump shall sound, we shall all appear before the judgment seat of God and answer for the deeds done in the body whether they be good or ML’ .50, I have come to speak with an unreServed free- dom in the pages of my journal, and to all butwme it shall be a sealed hook while I live.’ But I hope that its words may be helpful to ma‘ny others, when. hgving completed my @11th vome, I shall cast anchor in the port of Heaven " Iiuibnder why’ I- ‘remcmbell' and ham written down' ‘all this conversation in a fresh, goodly-sized book. that 'I have purchased this day for the pub I wee about journal; with Mism‘ Lcytown (charming. volatileMistee Leytown) I disagree entirely with Nathan Birdaey (tall, solemn ParsOI. Birdsey). and yet, I have decided to keep a journal. I am going to put into it everything hat really m- terests me, 3nd I am going 00 a: what I it!!!" think and feel, and it seems to me (ha it will be mulch mote interesting 10 the bowie who: going Perhaps it is because, that, to a ceflafn Sense; I am quite alone m Sharon; am, as it wérc‘, a stranger in a struts: land. Or perhaps it is; because I am one of the moqt contrary mdrtals that ever lived. 0- it may be that, being my father‘ 3 child. I am ambitious to be hard; if not to-day, why then, to-morrow; if not to-mor- row, well, the day after that. to read R diet I am‘flad md [one (andmiyhlfi quite forgotten) if I tell them something about Dorothy L‘s. Dorothy Lg: inme name. Number 9.

Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy