The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1862-07-17

be-"
! "We returned in triumph to the Catbedr
/ Close. My dress was pronounced q decid'
: bargain, and quite the thing for Lady Tracy
BAH. 1t certainly was q surprising fit; al
my aunt and cousins agreed that its origin
owner, if the dress became her at all, mu
, nave resembled me in complexion as well
t in figure, for the strongly contrasted colo
suited me exactly. We had deal more
think of in the ten days of preparation the
allowed for first class assemblies, there vel
the fuckers, the Lace lappets, the washes
our faces, the red heels of our shoes to
looked to- ! think we had all twinges Of col
science, too, for the deceit about to be practice
on my mother; they should have been wor
with me, but had Queen Charlotte's mlnut
to learn-MiRuet de MeckieaJTg, as the EIenc
dancing master called it. / never knew ho'
| Grace got him bribed or coaxed (for | am sur
he was not paid) to come over one or tw
evenings from his seminary in the next street
and give me a private lesson, by way Of finish
| ing off her efforts. l learned the minuet eve
| to his satisfaction, | got reconciled, by help G
! frequent practice at the glass, TO my own ap
pearance in the amber and purple I got m,
conscience quoted also even to the wearing 0
rouge. indispensable for good company at tina
/ period got my hair dressed the night before
as everybody did for balls and sat up witt
my cousins till the morning, that the gumneC
curls might get time to dry. and keep properly
| in their places, which never required less thar
four and twenty hours. How easily people
dress and go to balls in these days; and how
odd one would look with those tiers OF gummaC
curls, mounted on stiff wires, and pads 0
horse hair yet thAye was something grand ap(
worth looking at in that old style it made ont
foot taller. Ladies did look ladies then, witt
their towering head dresses, open skirts, bro
caded petticoats, and high red heels. Dom
laugh, girls, your own fashionable dresses vii
look quite as queer to your grandchildren.
But to go on with my story. We sat up al
night mean my cousins and self, for my
aunt, being in doWager class, did not require
such high cumming, and could go to bed
Half the time we talked, the rest we read Miss
Burney's novel "a Young Ladys Entrance
into the World" it was the great work CT the
day, and had got the length of Gloucester
where, let me tell you, there was q good deal
of gentiity, and Lady Tracy was reckonad to
stand at the head of it. My cousins 5old me
so much about her in the days of preparation
and the night of curl drying, that knew all
her history as well as any of the towns-people,
and the subsequent events at the ball stamped
il on my memory. She was not only connect
ed with the best county families but famous
for kidd Of hereditary talent, said TO be pcs
sessed by all the ladies of her line, for nlan8g-
ing mankind in general, and those of her own
house in particular
''The lady was a Tracy by birth as we'll as
by marriage. By the by, it is very old name
in Glouchestershve Her late husband, Sir
Edward, had been also her cousin. The Ira
ces had a habit of marrying their cousins :;
people were not sure whether it was pride or
prudence that got them into it, but Sir Edward
had died many years before, leaving one
daughter aud one son. The son was by FIVE
yeas the younger; he was heir to the title
and estate but the latter was not large. The
Tracies had always lived handsomely, and new
err would condescend to do anything that
mlgat improve their property, because it look
ed Ike trade or business, which they counted
entirely beneath them; and the property was
heavily encountered with Lady TracYs Join
ture, provision foT her maiden sister, Miss
Tracy, who had always lived in the house. and
a marriage portion of the daughter, Miss Ag-
mes.
ut was therefore thought requisite that young
Sir Edward-they kept that name in the family
from one generation to another-should look
out for 81 fortune with his bride. His mother
undertook that business, as she did every thing
else; for according to the behef fall GouceS-
ter, there was nothing i'll the way of manage
ment her ladyship could not do and had not
done. From the poorest c0ttager TO the richest
farmer on the estate from the green grocer and
the milkman in town, up to Sir Edward and all
his relations, Lady Tracy had ruled, directed
and governed them and their affairs. Her
maiden sister, Miss Tracy, W@s generally al
lowed to be a considerable help, Miss Agnes
had been brought out for some years, and was
also acknowledged assistant. Among the three,
young Sir Edward was believed to be the best
Oad IN hA IypS
sent him to school, they had sent him to college.
they had told him what TO do at all times and
places, they had seen that he did it, aud they
had determined on marrying him TO Lady Sa-
rah Harvey, one of the Bristol family, and
great fortune; by the by, they said it came
from an uncle IN the West Indies the narveys
were not at all proud of. 1t was whispered La
dy Sarah had been born somewhere in that
quarters and whether she had a right 10 the
title or not, every body gave her ctedit ior
woolly hair, an unusually dark complexlon.and
a decidedly African nose. This lady Sir Ed
ward was appointed to marry by his managing
mother, aunt and sister She was believed 10
be nothing 10th Sir Edward was tall, fair
complexioned and handsome, as all the Tracys
had been; his family was old and good, and
may be Lady Sarah could nos do better In
short, the marriage was a settled thing the
town gossfps were sure it would come off very
soon, tor the bridegroom elect had passed his
majority two years, and nothing but his ha7iug
been abroad making the grand tour was thought
to have postponed the happy day. The ira
cies-that is to say, the three iadeS-had read
his letters from Rome, Florence and Venice TO
their admiring friends, and given sptendlj de-
tails OF his reception in the best saloons "i az
is-the wits that had complimented, the ducn-
esses that had been smtten by him, the routs
in -
People did not believe the whole OF 1t the
tales We're sometimes over grand but every
body was certain that Sir Edward had been see
ing the world, and learning foreign fashions,
ever since his twentieth year, when he lett
Cambridge rather abruptly.
There was concerning that, story Whlch
the Iracies did not tell it had never been more
than whispered about in Gloucester, Tor the
dread of the managing ladies lay heavy on the
minds of its most devoted gossips. IL WAS now
all but forgotten but the substance was, IaaI
the daughter of portrait painter, much employ
ed by university men, had made an IMPRESSION
nobody could say how deep, on the heaTt OF
the son and heir They had got acquainted
some how in sittings; they had been seen tax
ing quiet walks together; the confidential
friends of both parties had been heard to talk
Of all engagement, with exchange lings and
vows, to be fulfilled when young Tracy was Dir
Edward and his own master. But the three
at home got scent of the secret, il was thought
from his college tutor, who knew the family had
a living to bestow and sadly wanted one, being
long IN orders and out of place. They mad all
three business in Cambridge directly, made
Edward show them over the university, went
and sat to the painter for their portraits, CON
trived to get acquainted with him in patFonl-
zing way took a deep interest in his daughter (;
she was the eldest of ten children, believe
They had very private talk with her and her
parents about risks that young people ran in
university town, the deceitfulness OF men,and
the necessity Of getting her settled IN short,
they talked the poor people into their way OF
thinking. 1t was rather quickly done, 1. d al
low; but high handed gentry could do deal
more at that time than they can at present ;
and before the three Tracies came back to
Gloucester, the painters daughter was married
TO Edward college tutor and packed of sitb
him to the family living. How far the young
man took it to heart could not be ascertained