Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

our trainings, I guess I can get you brevetted a major. At your time of life I think it would be only respectable for poor old Aunt Abishag's husband to have some title; and that will answer as well as any. I have no objections to accept your invitation to stay to the wedding; though I shall lose three whole days of the Session; and there, you see, is nine dollars gone. By the by, I happen to want some loose change. I would thank you to let me have a trifle, say $475. If you have not got it about you, please scribble your name on the back of the enclosed paper, and I can get it done. I shall be home to-morrow. 66 Yours, in haste,

"PLUTARCH PECK."

"P. S. By the way, you may as well back the paper, and send what loose cash you may have, besides. Cousin John will give you a receipt. You can't be alarmed about the security, as my life is insured in the Life and Fire; and though this is the first time I have got into the Assembly, I warrant you I'll be in Congress, and get made a judge, too, before you are seventy; and that's not long, you know."

The last letter in John's budget, was most portentous in outward size and shape, and ap

peared to have been sealed with shoemaker's wax, bearing the impress of that brazen-faced Goddess of Liberty, whose effigy is delineated on the copper coin of this empire. The character of the hand-writing is utterly indescribable. It was addressed thus, and such were its contents.

"SIR,

"To Mr. Esquire A. A. VEALCOUR,

Shay looi, upon his tares in New Rochel.

"To come to the pint, without making any daytoor, and, as we military men say, to make a riglar dayployay at once, soor le shom, youre no better than a neegur, and therefore I ask you for the satisfaction of a gintleman. Tho' born an exile from my native land, and expatryated from the French pierage, of which I am a hereditterry member, though born at Cork, where my honored father and mother were accidentally ingaged in bizness, in Monmouth Ally. Having by my valeur received the order of le grand cannon de fare, from his Imparial and Royal Majesty, the Emperor of Whortemburg; and having, during my timporary incognito in America, while teaching the French and the other polite languages of Europe, met with ginral approbation, and got certificates from the most distangay and sientifique pursonages, as well

as from my frind, Father O'Larkin of Muntryall; also from the principle of the Manhattan Academy.

66

Regarding you, Mr. Vealcoor, as a man com e foh, and also a beau garsoon, wich, if we were both married to Mamzelle Peck, neither of us could be, without her being the widder of one or both of us, you will do me sensible plaisir to meet me, soor le shom d'onoor. Make the time, place, and weepons agreeable to yourself. If I had known of the raisons for writeing this billydoo, before I had found out the cause of them, I should not insist upon this roundcounter taking place, airly to morrow, back of the old church that has been pulled down. Having lost my pistles, when my trunk, with all the family plates and jooels in it, was drownded in Hell gate last summer, as also the tightil deeds of my French estates, by raison of wich I am keeped out of my patrymoney, and hindered from appairing like a gintleman of the beaumont. Accordingly, it will be very agreeable, and it will be a favor meriting my eturnel grattytude, if you will be polite enuff to bring pistles, frinds and doctors for 2.

"As I despise all insinuyations about my pursenal attachment to old Miss Peck, being bottummed on her paltry three thousand 7 hunddred in the Aigle Bank, to show my generosity

and soopareyority to all such marcynerry motives, I volunterryly offer to sacrifise to you my own free will and tender inclinations, and 27 hunddred dollars, gratus. This will be affected, by our not fighting at all. Only you pay me a thousand dollars, and you may marry the old lady, and every thing will be deranged a la marble. As I am obleeged to be off from this place an hour before I will receive your ansir, and am gone to morrow to my estates, I expect your response, toody sweet, by the garson to reach me here. In the mane time, I have the honor to remain, my dear frind,

"With the hiest consideration,

"Your most obedient sarvent,

"TERANCE MOUNTJOY,

"Grand of the big Iron cannon of "Whurtemburg."

"P. S. When we have deranged no pateet zaffares, which will have been to the satisfacshun of us all two, as I know you are too much of a gintleman to fob me off with the dirty paper that's going here, and will doutless pay me off in York notes, for wich I can git the shiners, you may command my sarvices, to assist at your bridal rights. If the poor old neegur, Jack Davenport, is too sick with his roomytiz to fiddle

upon the joyful occasion, I shall have no objection to make some music myself. It shall prevent any suspicion of either of us being shot, when I will be seen there. And thus we will both draw ourselves out of this affare, very illigantly."

While, in perplexed amazement, Mr. Viellecour was deciphering the scrawl of his singular rival, a package, and other articles, were laid on his table, which had arrived by the stage; as was also a letter, directed in a lack-a-daisical hand, and sealed with yellow wax, with a dying Cupid for a device. The parcels and band-boxes contained the bon-bons, knick-knacks, and dresses, about the arrival of which he had been inquiring every ten minutes, but a few hours before, with rather a fidgetty impatience. But, alas! in his present frame of mind, the milk of his nature had lost its sweetness; and, with unusual testiness he swept from before him, at one buffet, the whole assortment of confectionary, literary, and millinery ware. Casting his eyes, however, on the superscription of the letter, a gleam of placid benevolence stole on his troubled features. "Poor Adelle !" he exclaimed, instinctively putting his hand in his pocket, "what does she want now?"

« ZurückWeiter »