Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

21 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

....-..r----UP ANTL55^!IJJ1^995SIU~|

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

.r UP ANTL55^!IJJ1^995SIU~| A SMOKER'S OLD PIPES. I IS'o. 2.—THE MEERSCHAUM. 1 Natolia never produced a finer piece of stuff than that I you hold in your hand. Look how beautifully it ia coloured J not bu ns iike th.it mere sham you smoke. The wuncn.au- ship iu the carving, too, is uúequaled-done by au A 1 sculptor, who had the clay sent to him while it was as soft as soap. Just look at the subjects, and I will explain them to you. Theri; is a group of boys taking their first I I pipe. Two of them are on the ground, and have it enough a tL:, cl is puffing away, while the fourth ia anxiously waiting his turn, and deputing with three or four others as to rights of priority. The next set of ngures gives a number of students. There is the ioaely lad in a "•arret, studying by the light of a fire, and smoking nest the medical undent, and then the academic gown, and so on Th* third uroup show3 an old mail holding a long clay in his shrauken jaws. The empty cupboard and the dead mouse show that food is scarce, and the empty grate farther bears out .the idea of poverty. There are three barristers smoking, and hero is J. sailor enjoying a pipe. The fourth group shows a soiuier sitting over a watch fire smoking, an artisan with a bag of tools on his bacii and a pipe in itis nioutb, and an old woman with a shawl on her head and a short day in her bony fingers. You See the figures are intended to show the universality of smoking, for tile characters are not of the same nation, as may be seen by their costumes and surroundings." The speaker was Owen Traeth, and his visitor was Charlie Swellton, who bad been trying to buy the meerschaum pipe which Traeth described with great pleasure whenever anyone would listen to him. ":o, mv dear feLuw," said Traeiih, I cacu^t s«il you that idpe," and he rubbed it gently where there was no carviue. You have heard how I got possession of it, I suopose," and Tiaeth looked at Swellton in a way which showed that the maaner ot its possession was no secret. Can't say I do, you know at least-that is aometmng abcut a wiim»u, I 'splJ;;e?" and Swellton put the pipe down and fc'e'in to wattle "Have you seen my love," in an in- (Afferent sort of way, as if he caied neither for the pipe nor its story. » «. "t a rjiwr-brosfcr m in JLiVcrDO-u, said '1 gou W p t » T-a"th '• and »'• cj=C -l0 thirty-seven and nine- pence, hut is w worth more thau Bj." "ril -ive YQll tive gutuea*, said oweliton, a sum, you know, that for a pipe, av, that you don't smoke, is not to be sneered at." Ye* continued Traeth, who jltjg'Suar ignored clw offer, "1. was living ill Li ac that t.;mv. The D."u,;ö nX to the one woere I lodged was occupied by an old woman, who let out furnished apartments. One of her unan' foreign-looking mar., wnose littb danghte u"ed to start off to school every oiufaiag about the same time that I was making for the office, boe wi,s a shy girl, and I was along while in cultivating even a 'smiling' acquaintance with my tiny neighb.u. ::> h"; V, inwr eating, you kiiovr, and ai: ttiai suvt of tiling but I shvuid like you to come to the pipe you know. Your'shy li.llf girt didn't sinoku the m.jeracha.m. I 'spose.^ t, -y\j^ J)&e about my ?uv ii.,uie ;:irl"-s voli calx he" a'd I shall say nothing, bus when you know all the st-o 'v let me hear you make a joke about her." Oh now, Traeth, my dear fe!}" you kuo .v how the doose was I to find out that you w':re sweet on the little cvetcher. If you had said so ac tiist, you know, and ail tlut sort of thin";?. Bat go on there's a good xeliow. ami I won't say another word. 4. Diortiiiiy its 1 was walking down 5tret it struck that my metid from next door had nut made her ap- ce f.jr several d-iys. That evening 1 asked my laud- P;v"i £ °nh knew anything about the ohiid or her parents, She" coufi t-U me nothing except that they were foreigners, that the iisJe gir.a father was in delicate healtfl, una tliat tr ev Were very poor but she said snu would make en- nu;r'e° and the result was that I learnt my ustl-s acquaint- ance was 11, and not likely to recover. This was sad news for me acid for more than a month I watcbod and waned \< r'd- for some sign. At kst I saw the wasted face of the ehil'/ar, the window, and I went off down the street to my office hapn'er Uian I had bten for many a day. I called at a fruicer'.r's. and sent graphs, and oraages, and flowers to \1r Oloaa's little daughter." n I just wondering what the little girl'a name was, you know," said Swellton, wbo was evidently beginning to leel soiae i,vc:3,; in th d ;r of Mr Olona. "Her name was iigutz," aaid iracih, "&ncl she knew the flowers and fruit came from me, although I never seat a message of any kind with them. One aay a3 I was passing the door, the father oi Agnez was waiuna: for me. My little gitl is anxious to see you "said tie, "if you have a few moments to spare." As soon as I entered the room Agn<who was lying in n capacious arm chair, stretched her arms towards me, and I t0'k|t['iove him for the fruit rnd flowers he sends,' eaid the'atber almost playfully. -in it wa-e,.riier tliau taat,' ansv/ertd .he child, «- fl w,rs are very s*eet.» Tb« little girl talked on as it u wi; until at Jast I was compelled to go, but not ♦-il T hn<\ Mrom^std to call UIlt, T w 3 'rornin" towards the door I caught a glimpse of this pipe lying on a small table. Mr Oiona, i^rceivin^ th-r the inoe Lad attracted my attention, came torwaru and explained th? different groups of figures." i. r'j j, said wellton, yi.'U ve c^rm ^• tlie pip- at f vr,/kn,w, but you said at first that you bought it at a rTwrfshon 1 think the child—what d'you call her, you —I 'spose was in you.- head, and it was a good job,ryott k.ow, for you, that she was ouly ten y««8 ol1'« r (ii i v- lino at a pawn shop, but the first time I „„ it w;-»: I tell VOU, in the furnished apartments STupLToy Mr and Mrs' Olona and tneir pretty uttie ii.», SwflltoTi, day for evening, and w/iat an arm. >- l »t > and packages of sweets I took horn, f pipe: too-rea! me.rschau.n, and so exquisitely cas d, occuDied a pood deal of my thoughts. As soon as possible ICSa\di?nSked at the^oor, which was.quickly opeu.d by the old woman, who exclaimed as soon us she saw me, 'They've gone, bag and baggage.' Gone,' I echoed in amazein^at « Iv> c and Mr, O.ona left here.' 'Yes, indeed trnth they went about half-past eleve n, and never said nothing, cnlv that they waa'nt coming back no more.' And the little girl too—all gone ? 'Of course t.hey took the lit-tb girl,' said the Tvoroan, as if she would like to have coughs them leavii; her be- hind. And the pipe. Haven't they left a pipe ? Gone Bless me, they were here this morning, and never said a about going.' b' Oh, yes. they were here this morning, and yesterday morning too, for that matter, but they arn't her-> now, and goodness knows where they are to be found. Would you like ho look at their rooms, sir?' vu 'YI: I answered, and walked into tha parlour. Th"re wa3 the cap?ciaus arm chair, and the table on which Isaw the meerschaum pipe, bu £ the child, p.nd the pipe, and the sickly, f Teign looking man, with his anxious eyed wife, were absent. nXWU8 t;ye, wlft. Nothing was to be gained bv walking tip and dowr. the vacant r,.om, and therefore I n turned to ray ioc-'dc^ la anything but an amiable mood." J ° in. We'll, yoo know, Traetb, I should like you to tell m,. wh"t be<U«Qe of your sweetheart, because you know it i„ clear yon w-r, in lore with the pretty Agnez. The pipe is here, and ho -v yot; ct 13 f little Cor.sequer.ee after ail in comparison witn the^sweet litt'e cherub." What beClm; of the fami.y I never satisfactorily made out, and eighteen months p.^s-d away after their dis- appearance before anything happened to recal them t> mv mind. One Saturday afternoon, however, I was sauntering up and down the streets, and Happened to loon into a pawn- broker's -hop. My eyes wandered listlessly over the hete- rogeneous collection of articles, ana mv mind was busy trying to^re^lize the misery aiid s:n and misii.rtnne which had r.^po.'bt all these articles into this centre, when all at once I seemed to become conscious of the presence of this pipe. rri, „ ri'-w covered with duat an<i dirt. The bowl o.n- Therei'lw ,;r three d:.a<! flies and a ov two. The tainecl ► stc.m ^3d served as a candiestick. and there ooeningji tallow eticking out of it; but still there was a pie «- >nbfc abcut |t< Olona's pipe with the corni b-i wia before me." curioro carv. a ]rrow? aIU] a[i that, and asked S^e^uld take for Mr Olona's daughter Agnez," said Swellton. Traeth, "that if I manifested the said Swellton. Traeth, "that if I manifested the I knew, con i -ts -ce g0 up ;ike a slightest-interest m th P^r2y shop, and asktd the prie» rocket, so T wi ut lti^o aClJvfr«-ed the purpose of of a revolver waich wo ■ y_-n,T ijfB a-,l yet anxious any poor wretch >!cSirou3 oi v^eapon sd-med Bo dila- to'maintain a g»x>d character. .t W(jUJ(J COrtainly pidated that a shot discharB iufl:iiied any jury in have destroyed the revolver arn^ _h .{ {/tal Ci,nse. bringing in a verdict of jn tile shop soun quences had resulted. lhe ).d {n Rriaition to placed before me twenty or thirty l«)0k- the one he brought c.ut of the winaow.^ani. w-^i-'ile irrr through his stock I asked as av.ittereatij -i- 'broii, what he wanted for the pipe,' 'This pipe,' said the pawnbroker ."s he p-ac-o it in y hands, i two pound.. Should be two-pound-ten but it has been in the window yearfl and years, and I will >» for two pound to get rid of it." What did I care for the lie? I put the pip- down, an cl?i:In t(, loc,k at the revolvers again, at Jast; deciding -ot to have one." Bllv the pipe for tbb ty-s->v^n and six,' said. Jho old m,n, ailr] I at on.ee jjiai.ed two sovereigns in tad hand, and TT, in change. N-0 I said, 'can you tell me how you get posses- • tM* p'?«- That is," for the pawnbroker wax be' siou oi ,i-'8nv:<<te, "can y-ja rera«"i>bf-r who pawned or n^ho.v'(.u roc it. You snid jnst- now that it had ZM -n'?L Window years and year., but I sawui^stha:, been l «i j want t0 fin(\ t^e owser—who —— two yea^s ago, ^,g y«u see I ..m j j jf j -would call.a^'ain in a day or The pawnbiu.' ij,, to tell me something but he two he wou-d PT ^3^/t 1keiv he could remember the peop-e vt-ho.t.u^,j. nmed, and the old mm i-J toe In a day or t i f wViich were written a 4sbou gave mo w» Blip P-Pt j woman's name and the name of a street in one of the poor districts of the town. It seems to me, you know," said Swellton, that this, a.h, what does Tennyson call it. You know this guest of yours was a ^ort of, ah, you know, wild goose what d'y call it. Listen a moment, and you'll see," persisted Traeth. I went to the address which had been given me, and found I went to the address which had been given me, and found the woman who had pawned the pipe. I showed her the meerschaum, and at once she exclaimed Dear heart alive how did you get hold of the poar gentleman's pipe. Poor things!' things!' Will vou tell me all vou know about them, and begin with the little girl 'Oh, ay,' said the woman, 'I'll tell you, but there isn't j much to tell that will do you or anybody else much good. They was all foreign, and you could see that the little girl was like many's one afore. The mother knew wbat was coming, but the father thought she was t,-e;t;og better every day. When it came—I mean death—and the woman whispered, it was just awful to see thai man. You know, sir, when one dies th-re is a good de;il to be done but if you spoke to him he flew at you, aud oh how he did atom at his wift- poor woman. She was patient with him and tried to soothe biin, but nothing w,, no When the men came with the coffin he turned them into the street. He sat at the door of the room nearly all the while, so that we dare not go to the little child. He never touched 'bite nor gup' after she died for four days, and then he fainted away and no doctors could do nothing with him for about a fortnight. The first words he "aid when hd began to mend was to ask for his Agnez. It was when he was getting better that he sent me t) pawu that pipe, which he aid was all he had lefc to remind him of happitr days. last he got able to walk about, and one day they left'this house without saying a word, and I have never heard any- thing about them from then till now. They paid me, poor things, all I charged them, and that was not much I can assure you.' Next Sunday I went down to the Cemetery, and there bad pointed out to me a little grave, at the head of which now stands, a atone, with the words Agnz Oluna, aged eleven years. 6 "This is Low I became possessed of the carved in^r- schaurn, and it is not likely that five guineas will buy it." "Well, Traeth, I must say you know that its a doosed qu'er story, and I should like to hear what became uf the little Si-apn's father and mother." That," said Traeth, "will never be known by either you or inil, at- '.east, I should be surprised if it were." TH- Coast. PI UIIT WINKLE.

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