Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VI, November 1850, Vol. IVarious
History
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VI, November 1850, Vol. I
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
"No, you don't, so you may as well give up trying. But come, if you
would really like to hear the story" (the fact was, that the good man
was anxious to tell it, and feared to lose the opportunity), "I shall be
happy to please you. I think, however, we shall be better out of doors.
Let us go and take our wine under the great plane-tree. You had as well
bring your chair with you, my young friend" (this was addressed to me),
"for the bench is somewhat hard. And Trinchen, my girl, put glasses on a
tray, and some bottles of wine in a pail, and bring them out to us under
the great plane-tree. And you, Justus, my boy, be kind enough to
transport thither this big chair of mine, like a dutiful grandson and a
stout, as you are."
We were soon established in the pleasant shade. The pastor took an easy
posture in his chair, when, after many efforts, Justus had coaxed it
into touching the ground with all its four legs at once; I straddled
across the seat of mine, and, placing my arms on the back, reposed the
bowl of my long pipe on the ground; and Justus, with his cigar in his
mouth--the twentieth, or thereby, that day--threw himself down on the
turf at a convenient distance from the wine-pail, prepared to replenish
our glasses, as need might be. Noble glasses they were, tall and green,
with stalks to be grasped, not fingered.
"It is now nearly sixty years ago," began the pastor, when our
arrangements were complete, "a long time--a long time, indeed, to bear
the staff of one's pilgrimage. I was then in my third year at the
university, and was something like what you are now, Justus--a merry,
idle, and thoughtless student, but not a very bad boy either."
"Thank you, grandfather," said Justus; "however, that accounts for your
being the man you are at your years."
"No, it does not," said the old man, smiling; "but let me tell my story,
my boy, without interrupting me--at least, unless you have something
better to say than that. As I was saying, I was in my third year, and,
of course, I had many acquaintances. I had, however, only two friends.
One was a countryman of yours, young gentleman, and his name was
Macdonald. The name of the other was Laurenberg."
"Why, that was my grandmother's name!" said Justus.
"Laurenberg was your grandmother's brother," continued the pastor, "and
the event I am about to relate to you was the means of my becoming
acquainted with her. But has any one ever told you his fate, Justus?"
"No," said Justus, "I never before even heard of him."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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