k, until the Radical garrison made a raid upon this undesirable
invader of their citadel, and ejected him into the street. Spink was
severely handled in the process, and it occupied him all his
strength--_i.e._ all that remained--to walk back to Keighley. Spink was a
man who must speak his mind, and could not bear to hear the views and
principles which he upheld ruthlessly set at nought. He was, at bottom, a
good-natured man; indeed, I think I scarcely ever came across a man with
a more sympathetic disposition. In any deserving public object, or case
of private distress in the town, he was the first to the rescue.
Unfortunately, he suffered much from a diseased leg, which was the cause
of his death. There was an unpleasant hitch at the funeral. When the
party arrived at the Keighley Cemetery, it was found that the grave was
too small, and it was some time before the necessary extension could be
made. The circumstance of the mourners having to wait was aggravated by a
heavy down fall of rain. At last, however, the remains of my old friend
were duly consigned to Mother Earth. In his life time I promised Spink
that I would write his epitaph, which I now produce:--

Here lie the remains of the friend of the poor,
Inside of his palace without any door.
By man's inhumanity he was oft made to flit,
But now he's at home, where he'll bide for a bit.
He had a large heart that beat in his breast;
Without some sensation he never could rest;
If he saw a mean action he'd cry like a calf;
If he saw a kind deed he'd cry more bi't half.

A THEATRICAL CHUM

I must now revert to my old theatrical friend, John Spencer, who had
returned from America. He was greatly changed in appearance, so that I
scarcely knew him by sight; he put me in mind of a Spanish brigand.
Spencer, while in the States, had gone through the Civil War, having
served, he told me, on the sides of both North and South. He was first
pressed into service while travelling with a circus. The request was put
to the whole company, who 'listed as one man, and joined the Confederate
Army. Spencer was put in as express rider, his duty being to act as
mounted postman from one camp to another. It was while on one of these
journeys that he was made a prisoner. He had a large amount of money in
notes upon him, but this he managed to hand unnoticed to a civilian
friend. As a prisoner he was taken to Washington. Being a first-class
misdemeanant, he was