The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-05-15 00:00:00

disease.

XILBORNE PORT.

1:1100 TEMPLARY. —On Tuesday eveninz a very in.
strwrive lecture wao delivered in the British schoolroom
in connection with the " Bradley Head" lodge, by Mr. W.
Mathew (agent of the Western Temperance League),
entitled "Dare to he Singular and Right, rather than
Faahionable awl Wrong." The chair was occupied by
Mr. T. Thorne, who, having addressed the audience
(*which raw rather scanty), for a short time very appro-
priately introduced the lecturer. The lecture, which was
throughout deep in thought, rich in language, and teem-
ing with illustrations, ocztipieil about an boor indelivery,
and was full of argument in favour of being "Singular
and Right." A vote of thanks proposed to the
lecturer by Mr. T. Patten, and seconded by Mr. Chant
terminated the earnings proceedings.

SHERBORNE. " RINKING."
Ma. AND MRN. NoRERTA. of ThOrnf.rd. hal X 1 I will pass over hastily the time of my apprentice-
, ,
narrow escape on Friday. They went to the Yeovil shin. " Late and early, late and early" (like the Lord
market They left there at six in the evening, starting of Burghley)—but chiefly very early in the morning
from the Pall, but as soon as they were in the trap, before hardly any one else had arrived—did I practise
away started the horse at a most furious pace. ein the Reclusion of what was called 'the Nun-ery
PO."
cart in Market-street, came in contact with a wall, and I did not at first intend, of course, to do anything
out they both went. It was wonderful, that Mr.. ridiculous as join in the skating myself; but a kind
Roberts escaped with a severe cut on her beset, and little girl of five years old offered to teach me, inform-
Mr. Roberts with a " gossl shaking." ing me that if I came there for six days regularly I
should skate beautifully, and I could not resist the
temptation of trying. With this kind little preceptress
ENTERTAINNIMV. —A splendid exhibition ~f painted '
views, shown by means of the oxy.hydrogen lime i
light, of the city of Jerusalem and its environs, was 1 I tumbled about for more than a fortnight, without
given in the Townhall on Thursday evening last, by having gained even an inkling of the first rudiments of
Miss Wattridge. who delivered a descriptive lecture ; the art. She became impatient, and emerged into the
on the same. There was not a very large attendance ; outer world. leaving me to the care of other benevolent
but the exhibition and the lecture seemed thoroughly ; children. How I tumbled upon some of these little
appreciated by those present.
' ones, how they tumbled upon me; how we consoled
THE NEW EDUCATIoN Arr.—The first meeting of each other, and picked each other up; how - I
the School Attendance Committee of the Sherboraa , eventually floundered about by myself, and fell into
Union was held on Thursday. Present: E. Benthall, the arms of maidens of older growth; how they fell
R Littlehales, anfl J. R. P. Goodden, cx-mgrios, and , into mine; how we clung to each other, and pressed
1 each other convulsively in our efforts to retain our
Rev. R. Messiter. Messrs. Itnegg, (*handler, thinford
equilihrinm.—all this would only pain and weary the
Smith, and Spicer, to whom were afterwards added I
three members of the Sherhorne Board of Health. reader. Suffice it to say that one day I too emerged,
Rev. 0. W. Tancock, Mr. T. Penny, and Mr. Dingley. butterfly-like, from the dim chrysalis ~f my apprentice-
The Chairman of the Board, Rev. R. Messiter, was , ship; or rather, as the nestling "strains o'er the edge
appointed Chairman of the Committee for the year,
I of home and longs for wings," so did I, as yet
and it ~as resolved to appoint local committees to t I uncertain of my prowess, 1(.4 longingly out from the
Its the different parishes to assist the Comtnittee in
doors of the leTursery upon the glowin,g asphalt*
ac
seeing the act in force. vision! What a whirring. whining, 'lashing, rushing,
" ts:yond. Heavens ! what a sight met my astonished
FRIENDLY SocterY. —A meeting of the members of
grating, scraping phantasmagoria of figures,
colours as brilliant as those of any summer
mingling ,
: the Ohl Friendly Society was held on Monday evening '
peretrrt e. and all tearing on wildly to sonic imaginary
'to csensider whether the Club should parade the town nadling
and have a feast on Whit-Nlonday. It will be remem- '
and invisible goal to the strains of intoxicating music !
hered that last year the funds would not permit of 3 I
year. I Amongst this motley crew I perceive many friends .if
feast being given, and, therefore, what had for
though faminating, Araminta. the insidious trArcv ;
been an annual festival was di-penstsl with. Messrs. my own. Angelina is there, and the perfidious,
1 icLingi!i.R. nicg".-;n: 13',....rhb:nr.d.1e,r41,',,T.,' iPet,,,n.,n),,,,,b.aVibl:. 110,,,,i, and, In, there is even the predestined Edwin flounder-
'towards the feast for Whit-Monday, and another ing about, and earning a certain popularity by the
1 member also volunteered is. The feast will, there- readiness with which he is making A fool of himself,
fore be held: and the members. preceded by a number Dear little l'oppie an.l Tootsy are there also, having
i ,
of the 7th Dorset Rifle Band will, on the morning, of bev • mits proficient( in the art. anil—just Heavens!
that holiday, repair to the I Htl Castle grounds, to pay —,,11 I I 4.lieve my eyesight? N.! Yes! It isn't!
. their respect. to Mr. Digby, afterwards they will 'l' ja t "Win's grandmother, punting herself about in
"walk in procesMin to the Digby Hotel, where they a corner with the all ..f her utnbrella and the arm of a
will dine. and are expected to wiud lip the evening long.sufierim; little professional by ! I cannot help
' with a friendly pipe and glass at the Town.hall. i smiling at the potency of the spell which has induced
I this infatuated obi lady (with one foot already in the
gra.,.) to buckle castors, as it were, upon her remain-
ing beetle-crusher ; hut I no linger wonder at the
enthusiasm of the rest. The fatal fascination is upon
me ; I have taste.l of these intoxicatins' waters, and
ll gOe t o ,s, far now to retreat. I rush frantically to the
castor-house, select a neat well rtting pair of short
eiers (I was always celebrated for the smallness of my
foot), and biliglit':- to alter the ending of a celebrated

" Ile that came to scoff r.ernahed to skate:**

—„.. ....—....
I am not yet, however, quite sure of my balance.
Angelina (who is skating with Colonel I)'Arrhll bau
need of discreet "gooseberry,' and beckons to me to
join her. "(hug to me," she says kindly, as she takes
1141 of my left hand, whilst D'Arcy supports her on
the other side. "And now give MC Our right hand,"
says A raminta, skating up to us (I must say she has the
most winning manners in the worbl • "awl if you
only keep step with us, and lean a little ?omen!, you're
sure not to fall:'

And in this manner! started on my first !oak
down the whole length of the shimmering asplialte,
and I must may the sensation was in the highest degree
delightful and exhilarating. Once again; and this
time lam tilled with conrage. We are in the same
order as hitherto, four abreast ; I am not skatir,9 (as it
seems to me). I am ylning—l am whirring, whizzing,
dashing, rushing, grating, scraping, like the rest of
them. " Right! left ! Right! left ! Keep ate?!
Lean forward r these are the words that Ataininta
whispers from time to time breathlessly in my ear, as
we pursue fleetly and frantically our mad career. But
I heed her not; I am bewildered, enchanted, intoxi-
catad ! The awakened fits el courses excitedly through
every vein; my pulses are beating time tumultuously
to the magic grating ..1 the skates. This is fascin-
ation; this is real enjoyment ! "This is love ; this
is life !!" I think to myself, quoting from the wither-
ing poems of poor Ada Isaacs Nlenken. This reminds
me of Mazeppa ; 1 Ohl .11a,spprt (for I have utterly
sunk all conscionsne-s of my own individuality), or
rather lam "the wild horse of the Caucasus, tear-
ing madly on to perdition with Illazeppa on his back!
The nest moment I imagine that I am a golden eagle,
swooping down through either upon the unsuspecting
! flocks in the valley beneath me; now I am the golden
! huntsman in the opera of Dec Fr ;itch iit: ; and now I
am a red Indian skating down the Mississippi before it
wan (Atloniaed, pursued by a whole pack of howling,
raging, ravening wolves. On, on; whir, whir, whir!
Past the cantor-house, the tea-room, the chairs with
! then varied occupants! "Faster, faster still, Ange-
-1 lion ! Edwin is close behind us on our track ! fly,
! Araminta ! Hold me tightly, still tighter, by the
! band! D'Arcy—"
But just as r had lost all consciousness (f what was
really going on around me, the foot of the insidious
D'Arcy, who formed the outside support to our left
flank, accidentally slipped, and he that had been the
cause of so many ((f the falls of his fellow-creatures of
the weaker sex actually fell himself. Bless you, bless
you, insiluous Ll'Arcy ! Bless you a thousand times
for that fati.r pas, though you brought us all down on
the top of you Angelina WM unhurt, as she fell
gently upon the Colonel** suit of striped flannels,
which must have been soft, if it is as much padded as
his ordinary clothes, (We patronise the same tailor,
and I often amuse myself by trying on his coats. "As
for those gentlemen's figures," said the tailor to me the
other day, alluding to the D'Arcy family, " pad them
and make them up we mese ; I can only compare them
to this ;" and he made a movement with his hands, as I
if he was scooping out the whole of his inside. But
this in a digression) Angelina, then. fell I‘oftly upon
! t'olonel trArcy, and my own weight, which came
I next, was not sufficient to injure her. Araminta, the
I tonzly-f ringed, fuzzly-eyed Araminta, with the bewitch-
ing dimple, fell next, on me, over me, in my arms.
Blest( you, bless you for this, I say again, insidious
D'Arcy, thou systematic destroyer of the peace of
families! As we lay thus struggling and floundering
I all inn heap, I perceived Edwin (who was skating with
i a young person whom Angelina assures me is one of his
" other irons in the fire") bearing down upon us with
! all the velocity of an express train, and with a terrified
expression of countenance, for both be and his com-
' passion being mere novices in the art, he knew full well
that they were quite incapable of stopping themselves.
: There was not a moment to be lost. With a super-
human effort I managed to scramble on to my knees,
and succeeded in dragging Aratninta out of the path
of danger, crawling afterwards away from it myself.
I Nor was lan instant too a' ; for the next moment,
tripping up upon a corner of Angelina's body, Edwin
and his companion fell with a terrific crash in the midst
I of them, crowning the edifice with their prostrate and
struggling forms. Angelina fortsnately escaped with
only a black eye and a few abrasions and contusions
about the ribs, but the point of Edwin's skate gave
DArcy rather a sharp cut over the forehead. He
! wore a rone-coloured silk handkerchief round if for
I some time afterwards, and he has even now a scar
. . . .