Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-03-05
Awkward Perdicament.

L was once engaged to be married
chow | went so far as this is a mystery
to me STILL but an incident of so fright.
ful a character took place as to put the
matter entirely out of the question. /
was young under graduate, spending
the summer with reading party at the
Irish lakes, when / met with-with Lu.
cy, and got, in short, to be accepted.
She was residing with her mother, in
the same hotel, in Killarney, as ourselves
and we all met everyday.
i We boated on the lake together-and
fished, and sang, and read. We land
ed on the wooded islands in the soft
summer evenings, to take our team gip-
sey fashion, and to sketch; but she and
| mostly whispered-not about love at
all, as | remember, but of the weather
and the rubric; only it seemed so sweet
to sink our voices and speak so soft.
Once, in party over the moors, while
| was leading her pony over some bog
gy ground, | caught her hand by mis-
take instead of her bride, and she did
not snatch it away 1t was the heyday
and the prime of my life, my friend, and
J
can ever more renew. / knew what she
felt, and what would please her, as soon
as the feeling and the wish themselves
were born. Oar thought at least-sleap-
ed out to wed with thought, ere thought
could wed itself with Speech She took
a fancy to a huge mastif' dog belonging
to fisherman, and | bought him for
her at once, although he was terribly
savage, and Except for Lucy's liking it)
not either good or beautiful It's name,
also-the only one he would answer to,
and sometimes it wouldnotto that-was
! Towser, not name for lady's pet at
all, and scarcely fora gentleman's There
was a little secluded field, hedged III by
a coppice, which sloped into the lake,
about a mile from the hotel, and there
Lucy agreed, for the first time, to meet
me alone. l was to be there before
breakfast, at eight o'clock in the morn
ing, and YOU may be sure was there at
six-with Towscr.
Perhaps | was never happier than at
that particular time. The universal ma
ture seemed in harmony with my bliss
tul feelings. The sun shone out bright
and clear, so that the fresh morning bree-
yes could scarcely cool the pleasant
throbbing Of my blood; but the blue rip
ping waves of the lake looked irrepress-
IDLY tempting and | could not resist a
swim. just plunge out again, thought
|: for though | had such plenty of time
to spare, | determined ODE dressed and
ready for the interview an hour at least
before the appointed time. Lucy might
like, myself, be little earlier; and, at
all events, with such an awful conse-
quence impossible apprehension, would
not run the shadow of risk. "AIind
my clothes-mind them, said / to Tow
ser (who took his se,5 thereon at once,
sagaciously enough) for / had heard OF
such things as clothes being stolen from
unconcious dippers, before them, with
results not to be thought of, and | went
in. remember the delight of that bath
even to this day; the glow, the freshness,
; the luxurious sottness of each particular
wave, just as the last view, which his eye
rested on, ir painted on the memory of
one who has been stricken blind, or the
last heard melody is treasured in that of
; a man stunned deaf by fall; it @as my
last perfect pleasure, and succeeded by
Il shock thai | shall never, think, quite
get over
When | had bathed as long as judg-
ed to be prudent, landed and advanc-
ed toward the spot where my garments
E land ToWser lay; as | did SO, every indi.
yidual hair upon his back seemed to
briStle with fury; his eye kindled with
Goals Of fire; he gave notice by a low
r determined growl that he would spring
on me and tear me into fragments if |
approached nearer; it was evident he
did not recognize me in the least with
outany clothes "Tow, Tow, Tow, Tow,
Tow, Tow" said /, pleasantly, good
old Tow, you remember me-" but the
brute, like the friend whom we have
known in better days, and appeal to
when in indifferent apparel, only shook
his head in a menacimg manner, and
showed his teeth the more. "TowSer,
be quiet, sir; how dare yor-Tow, Tow
-Towser here he nearly had bit of
my calf you nasty, brutal dog, go
away, Sir-go, amt you ashamed of
YOURSELF" Drops of foam oozed through
9 the teeth of the ferocious monster as he
stood up with tail erect at these reprov-
ing words, but he manifested no sign
of remorSe or sorrow. Ny situation be-
. came serious in the extreme; what if he
chose to sit there, on my personal appsfss
tel, until:
Vt this idea, too terrible to be conclu-
ded, protuse perspiration broke out all
over me. Presently, feeling a little cold
| went back into the lake again to con-
lsider what was to be done, and resolv-
ling upon the fell designofenticing Tow
ser into the water and there drowning
!him.-Abuse aud fattery being equally
Thrown away upon him, / tried stones; |
heavcd at him. with all my force the
largest pebbles | could select, the ma
iority of which he eyaded by lcaping
from side to side. and thosewhich struck
HIM rendered him so furious that | be-
Ilieve he would have killed and eat me
Iif he could, whether | was dressed or
mot, but he would not venture into the
water after me still.
At last, the time drawing on apace for
+ the appointed interview which | had
Ionce looked forward to with such de-
light and expectation, | was fain, in an
agony of shame and rage, to hidemyself
in dry ditch in the neighboring copse,
where / could see what took place with
tout being. seen, and there | covered my
self over, like babe in the wood, with
Ileaves.
Presently my Lucy came down, atrifle
) more carefully dressed than usual, and
4