passages from an old volume of life-第10章

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tims；　was　dragged　into　the　light　of　day。　　He　had　a　good　deal　to　say；　too；　about　the　Royal　College　of　Surgeons　in　Edinburgh；　and　the　famous　preparations；　mercurial　and　the　rest；　which　I　remember　well　having　seen　there；the　〃sudabit　multum。〃　　and　others；also　of　our　New　York　Professor　Carnochan's　handiwork；　a　specimen　of　which　I　once　admired　at　the　New　York　College。　　But　the　doctor　was　not　in　a　happy　frame　of　mind；　and　seemed　willing　to　forget　the　present　in　the　past：　things　went　wrong；　somehow；　and　the　time　was　out　of　joint　with　him。

Dr。　Thompson；　kind；　cheerful；　companionable；　offered　me　half　his　own　wide　bed；　in　the　house　of　Dr。　Baer；　for　my　second　night　in　Middletown。　　Here　I　lay　awake　again　another　night。　　Close　to　the　house　stood　an　ambulance　in　which　was　a　wounded　Rebel　officer；　attended　by　one　of　their　own　surgeons。　　He　was　calling　out　in　a　loud　voice；　all　night　long；　as　it　seemed　to　me；　〃Doctor！　　Doctor！　　Driver！　Water！〃　in　loud；　complaining　tones；　I　have　no　doubt　of　real　suffering；　but　in　strange　contrast　with　the　silent　patience　which　was　the　almost　universal　rule。

The　courteous　Dr。　Thompson　will　let　me　tell　here　an　odd　coincidence；　trivial；　but　having　its　interest　as　one　of　a　series。　　The　Doctor　and　myself　lay　in　the　bed；　and　a　lieutenant；　a　friend　of　his；　slept　on　the　sofa；　At　night；　I　placed　my　match…box；　a　Scotch　one；　of　the　Macpherson…plaid　pattern；　which　I　bought　years　ago；　on　the　bureau；　just　where　I　could　put　my　hand　upon　it。　　I　was　the　last　of　the　three　to　rise　in　the　morning；　and　on　looking　for　my　pretty　match…box；　I　found　it　was　gone。　　This　was　rather　awkward；not　on　account　of　the　loss；　but　of　the　unavoidable　fact　that　one　of　my　fellow…lodgers　must　have　taken　it。　　I　must　try　to　find　out　what　it　meant。

〃By　the　way；　Doctor；　have　you　seen　anything　of　a　little　plaid…pattern　match…box？〃

The　Doctor　put　his　hand　to　his　pocket；　and；　to　his　own　huge　surprise　and　my　great　gratification；　pulled　out　two　match…boxes　exactly　alike；　both　printed　with　the　Macpherson　plaid。　　One　was　his；　the　other　mine；　which　he　had　seen　lying　round；　and　naturally　took　for　his　own；　thrusting　it　into　his　pocket；　where　it　found　its　twin…brother　from　the　same　workshop。　　In　memory　of　which　event；　we　exchanged　boxes；　like　two　Homeric　heroes。

This　curious　coincidence　illustrates　well　enough　some　supposed　cases　of　plagiarism　of　which　I　will　mention　one　where　my　name　figured。　When　a　little　poem　called　〃The　Two　Streams　〃　was　first　printed；　a　writer　in　the　New　York　〃Evening　Post〃　virtually　accused　the　author　of　it　of　borrowing　the　thought　from　a　baccalaureate　sermon　of　President　Hopkins　of　Williamstown；　and　printed　a　quotation　from　that　discourse；　which；　as　I　thought；　a　thief　or　catch…poll　might　well　consider　as　establishing　a　fair　presumption　that　it　was　so　borrowed。　　I　was　at　the　same　time　wholly　unconscious　of　ever　having　met　with　the　discourse　or　the　sentence　which　the　verses　were　most　like；　nor　do　I　believe　I　ever　had　seen　or　heard　either。　　Some　time　after　this；　happening　to　meet　my　eloquent　cousin；　Wendell　Phillips；　I　mentioned　the　fact　to　him；　and　he　told　me　that　he　had　once　used　the　special　image　said　to　be　borrowed；　in　a　discourse　delivered　at　Williamstown。　On　relating　this　to　my　friend　Mr。　Buchanan　Read；　he　informed　me　that　he　too；　had　used　the　image；perhaps　referring　to　his　poem　called　〃The　Twins。〃　　He　thought　Tennyson　had　used　it　also。　　The　parting　of　the　streams　on　the　Alps　is　poetically　elaborated　in　a　passage　attributed　to　〃M。　Loisne；〃　printed　in　the　〃Boston　Evening　Transcript〃　for　October　23；　1859。　　Captain；　afterwards　Sir　Francis　Head；　speaks　of　the　showers　parting　on　the　Cordilleras；　one　portion　going　to　the　Atlantic；　one　to　the　Pacific。　　I　found　the　image　running　loose　in　my　mind；　without　a　halter。　　It　suggested　itself　as　an　illustration　of　the　will；　and　I　worked　the　poem　out　by　the　aid　of　Mitchell's　School　Atlas。　The　spores　of　a　great　many　ideas　are　floating　about　in　the　atmosphere。　　We　no　more　know　where　all　the　growths　of　our　mind　came　from；　than　where　the　lichens　which　eat　the　names　off　from　the　gravestones　borrowed　the　germs　that　gave　them　birth。　　The　two　match…　boxes　were　just　alike；　but　neither　was　a　plagiarism。

In　the　morning　I　took　to　the　same　wagon　once　more；　but；　instead　of　James　Grayden；　I　was　to　have　for　my　driver　a　young　man　who　spelt　his　name　〃Phillip　Ottenheimer〃　and　whose　features　at　once　showed　him　to　be　an　Israelite。　　I　found　him　agreeable　enough；　and　disposed　to　talk。　So　I　asked　him　many　questions　about　his　religion；　and　got　some　answers　that　sound　strangely　in　Christian　ears。　　He　was　from　Wittenberg；　and　had　been　educated　in　strict　Jewish　fashion。　　From　his　childhood　he　had　read　Hebrew；　but　was　not　much　of　a　scholar　otherwise。　　A　young　person　of　his　race　lost　caste　utterly　by　marrying　a　Christian。　　The　Founder　of　our　religion　was　considered　by　the　Israelites　to　have　been　〃a　right　smart　man　and　a　great　doctor。〃　　But　the　horror　with　which　the　reading　of　the　New　Testament　by　any　young　person　of　their　faith　would　be　regarded　was　as　great；　I　judged　by　his　language；　as　that　of　one　of　our　straitest　sectaries　would　be；　if　he　found　his　son　or　daughter　perusing　the　〃Age　of　Reason。〃

In　approaching　Frederick；　the　singular　beauty　of　its　clustered　spires　struck　me　very　much；　so　that　I　was　not　surprised　to　find　〃Fair…View〃　laid　down　about　this　point　on　a　railroad　map。　　I　wish　some　wandering　photographer　would　take　a　picture　of　the　place；　a　stereoscopic　one；　if　possible；　to　show　how　gracefully；　how　charmingly；　its　group　of　steeples　nestles　among　the　Maryland　hills。　　The　town　had　a　poetical　look　from　a　distance；　as　if　seers　and　dreamers　might　dwell　there。　The　first　sign　I　read；　on　entering　its　long　street；　might　perhaps　be　considered　as　confirming　my　remote　impression。　　It　bore　these　words：　〃Miss　Ogle；　Past；　Present；　and　Future。〃　　On　arriving；　I　visited　Lieutenant　Abbott；　and　the　attenuated　unhappy　gentleman；　his　neighbor；　sharing　between　them　as　my　parting　gift　what　I　had　left　of　the　balsam　known　to　the　Pharmacopoeia　as　Spiritus　Vini　Gallici。　　I　took　advantage　of　General　Shriver's　always　open　door　to　write　a　letter　home；　but　had　not　time　to　partake　of　his　offered　hospitality。　The　railroad　bridge　over　the　Monocacy　had　been　rebuilt　since　I　passed　through　Frederick；　and　we　trundled　along　over　the　track　toward　Baltimore。

It　was　a　disappointment；　on　reaching　the　Eutaw　House；　where　I　had　ordered　all　communications　to　be　addressed；　to　find　no　telegraphic　message　from　Philadelphia　or　Boston；　stating　that　Captain　H。　had　arrived　at　the　former　place；　〃wound　doing　well　in　good　spirits　expects　to　leave　soon　for　Boston。〃　　After　all；　it　was　no　great　matter；　the　Captain　was；　no　doubt；　snugly　lodged　before　this　in　the　house　called　Beautiful；　at　*　*　*　*　Walnut　Street；　where　that　〃grave　and　beautiful　damsel　named　Discretion〃　had　already　welcomed　him；　smiling；　though　〃the　water　stood　in　her　eyes；〃　and　had　〃called　out　Prudence；　Piety；　and　Charity；　who；　after　a　little　more　discourse　with　him；　had　him　into　the　family。〃

The　friends　I　had　met　at　the　Eutaw　House　had　all　gone　but　one；　the　lady　of　an　officer　from　Boston；　who　was　most　amiable　and　agreeable；　and　whose　benevolence；　as　I　afterwards　learned；　soon　reached　the　invalids　I　had　left　suffering　at　Frederick。　　General　Wool　still　walked　the　corridors；　inexpansive；　with　Fort　McHenry　on　his　shoulders；　and　Baltimore　in　his　breeches…pocket；　and　his　courteous　aid　again　pressed　upon　me　his　kind　offices。　　About　the　doors　of　the　hotel　the　news…boys　cried　the　papers　in　plaintive；　wailing　tones；　as　different　from　the　sharp　accents　of　their　Boston　counterparts　as　a　sigh　from　the　southwest　is　from　a　northeastern　breeze。　　To　understand　what　they　said　was；　of　course；　impossible　to　any　but　an　educated　ear；　and　if　I　made　out　〃Starr〃　and　〃Clipp'rr；〃　it　was　because　I　knew　beforehand　what　must　be　the　burden　of　their　advertising　coranach。

I　set　out　for　Philadelphia　on　the　morrow；　Tuesday　the　twenty…third；　there　beyond　question　to　meet　my　Captain；　once　more　united　to　his　brave　wounded　companions　under　that　roof　which　covers　a　household　of　as　noble　hearts　as　ever　throbbed　with　human　sympathies。　　Back　River；　Bush　River；　Gunpowder　Creek；lives　there　the　man　with　soul　so　dead　that　his　memory　has　cerements　t