John Ellis

“ ELLIS, JOHN (1710?–1776) , naturalist, whom Linnæus termed a 'bright star of natural history' and 'the main support of natural history in England,' was born in Ireland about 1710. This is admitted by Sir J. E. Smith (Linnæan Correspondence, i. 79) , in correction of his previous statement in Rees's 'Encyclopædia' that Ellis was a native of London. Ellis was in business as a merchant in London, with, it is stated, but little success, until in 1764 he obtained the appointment of agent for West Florida, to which was added in 1770 the agency for Dominica. ”

“ ELLIS, JOHN (1698–1790) , scrivener and political writer, son of James and Susannah Ellis, was born in the parish of St. Clement Danes, London, 22 March 1698. His father was of an eccentric and roving disposition, a good swordsman, and very agile, but unable, from his narrow means, to provide his children with a proper education. ”

“ The officers and men of the royal Welsh fusileers subsequently placed a monument to his memory in Worcester Cathedral at a cost of 1,200l.
Ellis never married (Notices of the Ellises, p. 154) . He left two sons, to whom the Duke of Wellington gave commissions. Of these the younger, Henry, died young on passage home from India. The elder, Francis Joyner Ellis, died a major in the 62nd foot at Moulmein in 1840. On his death the name of Ellis was assumed by a surviving brother of Major-general John Joyner Ellis, William Joyner, many years coroner of Gloucestershire. ”

“ If Trippett calls he’ll demand to see me; if the doctor comes he’ll expect to see Tully—and if they both come together—Heaven help us!
PAMELA. Hush—Sh! (Hurries up to window L.)
(JOHN and TULLY start back in fear.)
JOHN. What is it? What is it?
PAMELA (coming down) . Ah! It’s nothing!
JOHN. Well, don’t do it, Pam. It unnerves me.
TULLY (coming down R.) . I’d give anything to be out of this.
JOHN. Of course you would. Always thinking of yourself.
(TULLY stoops and pulls down leg of pyjamas.)
And don’t stretch those pyjamas!
TULLY. I don’t enjoy the best of health. ”

“ Tully. I don’t expect men to be angels. But there’s a limit to everything.
TULLY (crossing to PAMELA) . I quite agree with you in that, Mrs. Ayers, but as a broad-minded woman you must see that a man like John wants a little relaxation, and there’s really no harm if he does go out to dinner occasionally with—what was it he called them?—little pieces—no, little bits of fluff.
PAMELA (madly) . What? What??? (TULLY recoils—PAMELA follows him up to C.) . You expect me to sit at home while my husband goes out with little—bits—of—fluff!!!
TULLY (pulls out handkerchief with pieces of paper) . ”

“ I’m surprised at you—treating a woman like that.
(Crosses to AUNT HANNAH, kneeling by her.)
JOHN. A woman! (Gazes into AUNT HANNAH’S face.) Oh, good lor’, it’s a woman!
(Sinks into chair R. of table L.C.)
PAMELA. Yes, a woman. There, there, calm yourself, calm yourself. (To JOHN.) Mr. Tully told me you were trying to get clothes off someone!
JOHN. Where—is—TULLY?
PAMELA. I left him in our flat. He was telling Mr. Trippett that you withdraw your claim. John, she’s fainted! (Rises—looks round.) Get some water, get some water, John. (PAMELA goes up behind table L.C. looking for water.) ”

“ But I promised faithfully to return it to the Rajah to-day.
JOHN. Can’t you make some excuse?
MAMIE. How can I? Have you been to the Club?
JOHN. No, I can’t possibly go down there for a day or two—for a particular reason.
MAMIE. Oh, I do hope it isn’t lost. Can’t you ’phone?
JOHN. Oh, yes. I did ’phone, but the club ’phone seems to be out of order.
MAMIE. That’s torn it! What will the Rajah think of me!
JOHN. Now don’t worry. If you’ll only wait everything will be all right. In any case if it is lost, I’ll buy you another exactly like it. I can’t say more, can I? ”

“ You’re not going to pretend to the doctor that you are ill?
JOHN. Now don’t ask any questions.
TULLY. Oh no, John! (Working fingers along back of arm-chair.) I couldn’t do a thing like that. It’s not fair—it’s not honest. (Protests in action against the suggestion until JOHN says “BERTRAM,” when a broad smile comes across his face.)
JOHN (rising and crossing to TULLY—pleadingly) . Bertram! (Affectionately.) Bertram!!!
TULLY (giggles affectedly) . Oh! John! (Crossing to door L.) Oh! John! (Giggles.) Oh! John! (Giggles till off door L. Quick exit.)
JOHN (goes to telephone. At ’phone) . ”

“ Jack and Fred are obedient, studious, and have good principles. If we should say 'No' to this scheme of theirs they would be disappointed, almost beyond what we can understand, but neither would protest or sulk. They would study just as hard as ever. It is that which appeals to us. If they were sullen and dissatisfied we wouldn't care; but, John, you and I have each been blessed with model sons, and they are entitled to privileges which it would not be safe to grant to other boys. I confess I feel like sending both out to Wyoming for an outing. ”

“ Where’s the necklace?
JOHN (rises and crosses to MAMIE) . It’s all right, only wait.
MAMIE. My darling, what have you been doing?
JOHN. What?
MAMIE. That dreadful moustache.
JOHN. Oh, they’ve been putting me under glass. (Pushes MAMIE off down R.)
(TULLY groans.)
Don’t you groan. I’m the patient now!
(Sits in arm-chair again. PAMELA rushes in to C. TULLY peeps round from screen.)
PAMELA. John, the doctor says he must examine you before discussing the case with Mr. Trippett.
JOHN (rising) . Good heavens! Can’t they make up their minds? They must be a couple of weathercocks. ”

“ TULLY. “John stayed here, Kew.” (Reading.) “John stayed here, Bloomsbury.” “John stayed, Barnes.” Kensington—Bloomsbury to Kew—Kew to Kensington—Kensington to Barnes. It couldn’t be done in the time! Oh, I can quite understand this. It’s all John’s friends—all anxious to shield him from the fury of his wife.
PAMELA (angrily) . I beg your pardon!
(Snatches telegrams from TULLY.)
[Pg 19]
TULLY. I mean all anxious to shield him from your displeasure. John has such a host of good friends. There isn’t one who wouldn’t lay down his life for him. Why, John’s one of the best in the world. ”

“ Ayers?
PAMELA. This necklace—how dare you—it’s mine.
[Pg 73]
(MAMIE and PAMELA both quarrel violently about it and argue madly till fall of curtain. TULLY goes to MAMIE at the same time as JOHN goes to PAMELA. They both throw the men off. TULLY has taken blanket from arm-chair. JOHN is going to door L.)
TULLY. Not that way, John! Not that way!
(JOHN and TULLY meet centre, TULLY throws blanket over both of them and they crawl out of window L. DOCTOR and TRIPPETT enter together talking. DOCTOR sees the two men crawling off, he draws TRIPPETT’S attention, and they both look on aghast.) ”

“ His letters (1674–1722) to John Ellis (1643?–1738) [q. v.] were edited for the Camden Society in 1875 by Sir E. Maunde Thompson, K.C.B. They exhibit him as a man of more frankness than refinement of mind.
[The Life, 1748, is probably by Birch, being based on information supplied to Birch in 1738 by Edmund Prideaux; Wood's Athenæ Oxon. (Bliss) , iv. 656; Wood's Fasti (Bliss) , ii. 331, 348, 384, 400; Birch's Life of Tillotson, 1753, pp. 193, 371; Monthly Repository, 1811, p. 112; Norfolk Tour, 1829, pp. 1041, 1063; Letters to Ellis (Thompson) , 1875; Foster's Alumni Oxon.] ”

“ ELLIS, ROBERT (Cynddelw) (1810–1875) , baptist minister and Welsh poet, was born on 3 Feb. 1810, in Ty'n-y-meini, in the parish of Llarhaindr yn Mochnant, Denbeighshire. He went to school for two months to Llanwyddelen and for one month to Llnnarmon. His only other education was at the Sunday school. When he had grown up to manhood, and had begun preaching, be went for some months to one John Williams of Llansilin, whose biography he afterwards wrote. ”

“ It was rejected on the Scrutiny by Signor Delpini, for reasons which must have been suggested by the malevolence of some rival. The reasons were, 1st, That the Ode was nothing but prose, written in an odd manner; and, 2dly, That the Metre, if there be any, as well as many of the thoughts, are stolen from a little Poem, in a Collection called the UNION. To a man, blest with an ear so delicate as your’s, Sir John, I think it unnecessary to say any thing on the first charge ”

“ TULLY (trembling all over) . The maid doesn’t recognize me without a moustache. She thinks I’m a burglar—and she’s chasing me with a poker.
JOHN. Chasing you?
[Pg 78]
TULLY. Yes, and if this woman gets in, she’ll brain us both. Come and help, for heaven’s sake!
JOHN. I can’t let go here.
TULLY. Why not?
JOHN. I thought if I could cut the main electric cable and put out the lights next door, that the doctor and Trippett would be compelled to leave the flat—
TULLY. Good! Go on, cut the cable.
JOHN. I have tried, I have tried! And I’ve cut the water-pipe instead. It’ll flood the place. ”

“ Ayers has come back.
JOHN. What!!
MAMIE. Your wife, Jack! Hide me!
JOHN (MAMIE tries to get under table R.C. JOHN pulls her back) . No, that way! Hide her, Tully. (TULLY wandering aimlessly about. JOHN pushes him up to window R.C. MAMIE gathers up hat, etc., and goes window R.C. TULLY gets MAMIE’S parasol from settee and JOHN [Pg 39] pushes him out of window.) Quick behind those curtains and take those things away. (Throwing MAMIE’S gloves after TULLY.)
(JOHN gets into easy chair quickly, with blanket still round him—groans.) ”

“ With all these facts before me, I said to myself, "It looks a great deal more as though the world is just beginning to live; in fact, that a new era is dawning, than it does that the world is going to be destroyed." ”

“ I hope now he won’t punish Young Elk for running away from me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I gave him enough. Anyway, whatever the father did to his boys has been already done, so we needn’t worry over it.”
“Mul-tal-la,” said George, “you haven’t any doubts left?”
“It is wrong to doubt; the words of Black Elk were true; he spoke with a single tongue. My brothers need not fear.”
“Why don’t those Shoshones of his come back and see us through the mountains? It strikes me that that is the right thing to do.”
“No; they will stay with the Cas-ta-ba-nas and hold them back if they try to do us harm. ”

“ There are so many contrivances these cunning rascals devise for a white man's destruction, that one needs to have a schooling of years in their ways to understand them. However," he added, in a whisper, "I understand that contrivance yonder."
"What is that?" inquired his companion, in some excitement.
"Take a careful look down-stream and tell me whether you see anything unusual."
"No—I don't know as I do," slowly repeated Leslie. "Hold on—yes, I do—yonder is a log, or more likely two or three of them—a raft. I suppose, Leland, it is for our benefit." ”

“ It seems to me it will be wholly on you."
"Don't ye observe that he and mither will feel so bad whin they find how they have aboosed me that they'll give me two praties instid of one and then I'll have the laugh on them."
"It takes an Irishman or Irish boy to think up such a joke as that," was the comment of Alvin, as the two just then came in sight of the small log structure in which Pat Murphy and his wife made their home, while a light twinkled beyond from the windows of the larger building, where Alvin lived with his parents during the summer. ”

“ She had no covering on her head, but, like Eva, her wealth of luxuriant tresses, as fine as the golden floss on the ripening corn, flowed down and over her shapely shoulders.
"We are in the hands of God," said her father, reverently, as he drew his elbow closer to his side, so as to press the hand of his daughter with it; "I waited as long as I dared, and had I not made the pledge I would have gone forward to Fred's assistance." ”

“ This stranger did not utter a word at first, but attended strictly to business, and that he was a master of it was proved by his first blow, which sent the fellow staggering backward finally falling with his heels kicking toward the orb of night. There was no thought of chivalry on the part of the conquerer, who landed again as he was climbing to his feet.
"Let up!" protested the victim. "Do you want to kill a fellow?"
"Begorrah, ye guessed it right the fust time!" was the reply of the friend, who turned to Alvin:
"If ye'll smash that spalpeen I'll be attending to the same wid this one." ”

“ Howsomever, it am all right now, and jest as soon as I kin git out of this ar' infernal scrape we'll travel to whar we kin build er wigwam and live in peace."
"The pale-face is a great chief, brave and handsome," she replied, looking into his face with bashful confusion, though making no effort to conceal either her great admiration or love.
"Wal, I don't know erbout ther handsome part," he replied with a laugh, "but I do know you have become very dear ter me. And do yer love me so much?"
"He has become the Manitou of her heart."
"That's lovin' most mighty well, Cloud. Give me ernuther kiss. ”

“ Then, too, your father brought word that other miners are working their way toward us. More than likely there are bad men among them whom it is best you should not meet.”
“But none would harm me,” was the wondering reply of the miss; “are not all of my own race my friends?”
“They ought to be, but alas! it is too much to expect.”
She could not believe, however, that any danger of that nature threatened her, but she deferred to the fears of her father, Lieutenant Russell and the parson to that extent that she generally had a companion with her on these dashes down the trail. ”