were expended for as many yards of Lowell cotton, sufficient
to supply shirts to the unwashed Hibernians who bear
them. The torchlights, as is customary, must
be carried by hatless and shoeless urchins, who will
feel great pride in the service, and have no scruple
at scrambling for the pennies thrown them by the mischievous
who line the sidewalk. The transparencies must
also bear the significant motto, “Welcome to
the brave.” All this and much more being
done, the hero will have arrived at one of our most
fashionable hotels, where splendid apartments have
been prepared for him; and for which the cunning landlord
was careful to get his pay in advance. As those
who follow such trains and such heroes have an habitual
aversion to water, its diminution or increase on arriving
at the hotel will depend very much on the state of
the weather. But no true hero will for a moment
think of entering his hotel unless all the ambitious
chambermaids in it are grouped upon its balconies,
and its entrances so lined with pickpockets, that it
becomes absolutely necessary that his generals force
a passage. The crowd outside will then greet
his advance up stairs with much shouting, interspersed
with demands for a speech, which, on partaking of a
well compounded punch, in which his generals will not
forget to join him, seeing that he is their only worldly
stock in trade left, he may manifest his willingness
to receive friends of distinction. This being
regarded as an oversight by his most famous general,
and the corpulent alderman, he will be reminded that
the safety of the building is really in danger from
the enthusiasm of the citizens outside, who refuse
to go peaceably to their homes until he appears before
them on the balcony, where they can offer him their
homage, and hear from his lips at least three speeches.
All this being done to the entire satisfaction of
his admirers, then let him snap his fingers at your
unprogressive gentlemen of quality, (who are much
given to sneering,) and comfort himself that “the
people” are always right. The torchbearers
having exhausted their pennies as well as their patriotism,
and the peaceable intervention of a shower having
dispersed the mob, the hero, satisfied he has received
every honor a grateful people can bestow, will, as
is customary, betake himself much fatigued to his
apartments, where he must remain in consultation with
his generals and a few select friends, (on the grave
question of what is to be done next?) until two o’clock
in the morning, or, perhaps, until Aurora begins to
open her windows in the east or the expert bar tender
has wearied of mixing libations not even the most
self-complacent of the generals has a shilling to pay
for. This sad state of affairs being reported
to head quarters, the hero will, unless the aldermen
present pledge the city for security, hasten to his
cot, and having snuffed out his candle get quietly
to bed.