Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1857-04-25

abruptly, saying, y our father knows
all about il, youngster.'
/ 'All about what, Sir? p stammered
foth I, alarmed, l scarcely knew where
fore.
why, about the the love affair, said
he. nudging me.
i | crimsoned to the temples.
| Il don't know what you mean, sir,
said 1, in faltering voice.
yes you do, boy resumed he; and
if you don't, I'll tell you allude to
her, and if the pronoun won't do, I'll
say Zaphirine at oncen
I now turned pale.
Surely, sir, you have not told my
father began L.
! Nonsense he told me. sHow should
I tell him whet did not know p said
shrewd Mr.. Travers, 'and what is more
he has deputed me to give you regular
'wigging,' as they say at college,
l looked resigned, and hung down
my head without saying a word
Come, don't be downcast, young
ster,' continted he, Il shall proceed on
the principle of the petite courtier Of
former times, who said to another cour-
tier who had offended him mortally,
please to consider yourself eaned p
SO yon may now consider you have had
the 'wigging.'
/ was too much pnt out to be able to
appreciate either the joke, or the real
kindness that lurked uuder it. | was
only alive to the keen annoyance of my
fathers having been made acquainted
with my enthusiastic admiration for
Zaphirine and through Mr.. Weston. 8
oficiousness as l doubted not, and
therefore still remained silent.
And so, having dispatched that
part of the buniness,' reiumed my god
father, after vainly waiting for my res
ponsive laugh, 'we'll proceed to some.
thing pleasanter. and do you know
what we'll do' Why, well 60, like a
couple ofspriggs of fashion. and pay a
visit to this fascinating damscuse
Had the paradise of the houris been
opened to my enchanted gaze, l could
not have felt more thrilled with delight
than at the intoxicating prospect Of
beholding my charmer face to face, and
peiking to her.
ais it possible cried I, with an out
bnrst of gratitude toward my godfath-
er which would have led me at that
moment TO lay down my life for him.
! OF course | was far too much bewil.
dered by this enchanting promise TO
question him aa to how we were to be
introduced, or whether we were to call
upon her without any such prelimina-
ries. In fact, l did not recollect even
to wonder by what talisman he was
going to unlock the gates Of fairy land
for my especial boneft, until he pro-
ceeded to inform me, by the way, that
he happened to know the manager of
the theatre to wdich Zaphirine belong
ed, as well as provincial manager
who wanted to engage her, and that he
had volunteered to take message from
the former to the young syIph, on pur-
pose to facilitate my obtaining an in>
terview with her.
'How kind. how generous I NUT
tered, 'to share -
i Share treat ght have kept to
myself-is that what you mean?' in
terrupted Mr.. TraveIs, guessing my
thoughts from my fragmentary ejacu>
lations. 'You for5et my age, boy, that
| have lived a great deal in the world,
and seen a number Of these winged scr
apis, without taeir Wings
l only listened with one ear to what
my Godfather was saying, for the other
was hearkening to the music Of the
spheres, sounding from the distant
land of dreams. was treading on air,
like one fresh from a vapor bath, buoy
ed with delightful anticipati!ons, hard
ly knowing which way l was goitg, and
about to run foul, two or three times,
of some passer-by' till smilingly re-
minded by Mr.. 1'ravers, that common
sense was better than genius when
walking the streets of London. The
way seemed endlessly long, in spite of
my soaring propensities, and | had a
dun perception we had passed all of the
bridges, when 1 asked my godfather,
with foolish, whether the land of
uymphs was much further.
| We have to pass through some con-
foundedly dirty, narrow streets to get
at it, observed my companion, ruth
lessly uprooting the flowers of poetry
my youthful Imagination had flung over
the vulgar neigborhood We were in.
For though the day was gloomy, and
it had drizzied several times since we
set of, the sunshine Of the soul had
touched every object with its fairy
} wand.
After threading several courts and
alleys, we emerged into shabby little
street, when my godfather stopped in
front of an orange shop, over which he
read the name of Jenkinson, and then
observed: this is it,
The sight of the orange shop, COM
bined with a sack or two of potatoes,
the useful being necessarily combined
with the agreeable in poor neighbor.
hood. logged me out of my day dreams
anew, but this time more disagreeaoly
than my god fathers remarks had done
! a short time before. | stared in doubt
: and amazement.
1T can't be here,' said 1; 'there's
not even private door.
w., III