The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1857-12-10

bad match for you, old fellow; she i
rich
rs she?' said Mr. Bimby, his interes
deepening.
On my honor replied Bob. Fort,
thousand dollars in her own right Day
day., and he was gone.
Maggie Lee, artful creature that sht
was, had told her father that the sailing
party was to assemble at another hotel
and thither he had taken her. Having
business In D., be left her there
merely saying that he would send the
carriage for her at II o'clock. She, like
a dutiful daughter, kissed him, bid hin
good bye, and before he had gone hun
dred rods, took seat in Bob STYLES
light wagon which had driven up to the
back door, as old Lees carriage drove
away from the front, and the old story Of
head strong love and prejudiced age was
enacted over again.
As for us of the picnic excursion, we
had delightful sail down to the grove,
but somehow | could not enjoy it SC
much as | ought to have done. When
walked on board the boat, I felt awk-
ward, as if everybody was looking at me.
I found Mr. Bimby, as had expected
a young and rising lawyer, mighty in
Blackstone and his own opinion. He in
sisted on paying for my ticket, (the boat
was regular excursion packet and pur-
chasing enough pears, oranges, and can
dies to set up street stand Four or
five times | was on the point of swearing
at his impudent oficiousness, but bit my
tongue just in time to prevent the expos
ure. But it was not with him that |
found my role the hardest to play.
No; the young ladies were the difficult
ones to deceive. For instance, there was
one among them, beautiful girl of sew
enteen, just returned from boarding
school, who had not seen Maggie for
three years. OF course, she was delight
ed to see me, when she found out that
was Maggie, which, by the way, did not
occur until after we had started. She
threw herself into my arms, pulled my
veil aside, and kissed me half a dozen
times, in manner that made my finger
ends tingIe for half an hour. 1t was all
very nice; but if l had been in propria
persona, [ would have liked it better
As it was, felt as if | were obtaining
goods under false pretences, and that
lawyer Bimby might issue warrant for
my arrest on that ground at any moment.
A whole knot of crinoline then sur
rounded me, on the upper deck of the
boat, to the utter exclusion and conse-
quent disgust Of Mr. Bimby and the 9th
er gentlemen. | kept very quiet, only
speaking monosyllables, in a falsetto voice /;
but the others-Lord bless you how
they gabbled. Under strict promise of
secrecy, the little boarding school maid
en-, who had kissed me so affectionately,
revealed all her love affairs, and also be-
came unpleasantly confidential about 9TH
er matters.
| was terribly embarrassed, but it
would not do to give up then. As soon
as my trick should become known, Bob
Styles trick would also come out, and as
news Of that kind travels fast in the coun-
try, he and his lady love would be tcle-
graphed and followed before they could
reach Philadelphia, where the Styles fam
lily lived, and where the knot was to BE
tied.
The river breeze was very fresh where
we sat, and noticed that several Of the
ladies' were glancing uneasily at me. l
couldn't divine the reason, until Jennie,
my little friend from boarding school,
laid her face dangerously close to mine,
and whispered: My dear Maggie, your
dress is blowing up terribly high-your
ankles will be town talk with the gentle
men"
Nor was I unconscious of having a very
small foot for a man, and had donned a
pair Of open work stockings which came
up nearly to my waist, with pair of gal
ters borrowed from the servant girl, in all
Of which toggery my running gear look
ed quite feminine and respectable; but
the idea Of the gentlemen talking of MY
ankles, and being cautioned by young
girl, who would have been frightened to
death if had told her the same thing
yesterday, was too much for me. hurst
into a sort of strangulatcd laugh, which
could only check by swallowing half Of
my little tillagree laced edged handker.
chief. The young ladies all looked al
me, in apparent astonishment at such :
voice, and l wanted to laugh all the
more. Fortunately Mr. Bimby came tC
my rescue at the moment, and edged him
self in among the crinolme.
May sit here?' he asked, pointing tc
low stool near me-
Certainly l simpered, in my higf
falsetto.
'Ab, thank you,' said Bimby, with /:
laokadaisical air which nauseated me, a,
coming from one man to another, 'yor
are as kind as you are facinating,
you fatter me?'