The Shasta courier., 1866-05-26
SH HASTA COURIER.
Goldstreatfi.
BY HERBERT VAUGHAN.
[From Once a week.l

From Once Week.
A large party is assembled to celebrate
the feast Of St. Partridge at Ravelstoke Hall,
an old country house about two miles distan nj
from the north west coast of Devon. The
various branches of English society are very
fairly represented by its component parts
There are two peers, three members of the
lower house, some guardsmen and under.
graduates, clergyman and lieutenant in
the navy. But our hero is not representa-.
tive man; yet he belongs to a class which,
called into existence by the accumulated
wealt of the nineteenth century, is ever on
the increase.
Frederick Tyrawley resembles Sir Charles
Goldstream, inasmuch as he has been every.
where. and done everything. but he is by no
means used up, and can still take an interest
in whatever his hands find to do. Nor is his
everything everybody else's everything. 1t
ia not bounded By Jerusalem and the pyra.
mids.
Mr.. Tyrawley has fought in more than
one state of South America, and has wan.
dered for more than two years from isle to
isle OF the Pacific. A mysterious reputation
hovers round him. He is supposed to have
done many things, but no one ia very clear
what they are; and it is not likely that
much information on the point will he ob
tanned from him, for he seldom, talks much,
and never speaks OF himself His present
mission appears to be to kill partridgts. play
cricket, and dress himself. Not that it
must be supposed that he has ever been in
the habit of wearing less clothing than the
custom OF the country in which he NAV have
been located requ red; but only that at the
present time he devoted much attention to
buff waist coats and 'gauze neckties, braided
coats. and curled mustachios.
Such as he is. however, he is an object of
interest to the feminine portion of the party
at Ravelstoke Hall for he is rich and hand
some, as we'll as mysterious. and he cannot
be more than two and thirty And the la
dies at RavelstOke outnumbered the men,
for although it is still rare for the fair sex
to participate actively in the saturnala If
the partridge god, they will always be found
lowering in considerable numbers on the
outskirts Of the feast: and the varieties of
the British lady are fairly represented.
There are some mammas with daughters
to marry, and there are some daughters with
a mamma to prevent marrying again-whch
is, perhaps. the most difficult thing of the
two. as she has an income of her own
There are blondes and hrunettes, and pretty.
brown haired, brown eyed girls who hover
between two orders, and com 1ine the most
dangerous characteristic Of both, who can
wear blue and pink. and who look prettier
in one color than they do in the other but
who always command yoar suffrage in favor
OF that which they are wearing when you
lock at them.
And there is Constance Bavnton, with
gray eyes and black hair. And the incest
critic of feminine appearance might he de-
fed to state what she had worn, half an hour
after he left her; for no one can ever look at
ANYTHING except her face.
Yet Constance is three and twenty, and
still unmarried. Alas. what EDWARDS men
are. The fact is that Constance is very
clever; but, as Mrs. Melish (,he widow
saws, never clever enough to hide it,
Is she little vexed at her present con.
ditioni Certainly she does not show any
tendency to carry out Mrs. Melish 8 sug-
gestions. if it has ever been repeated to her.
The young men are more afraid Of her than
ever and certainly she does say very sharp
things. some times. Especially is she severe
upon idlers, the butterflies Of fashionable
existence. She appears 10 consider that
but they do not appear to like beine lecrur
ed. With the young ladies' she is a great
favorite. for she is verv affectionate. and
though so beautiful and distinguished. she
has proved herself to he not SO dangerous a
rival as might have been expected. Indeed.
it has happened, more than once, that male
admiration, rebounding from the hard sur.
face of her manner, has found more Welding
r,ofals tb,h hoe &c l.
Besides. she is always ready to lead the van
IN tie general attack upon the male sex,
when the ladies retire to the drawing-room.
Not that she ever says anything behind
their backs she would not be ready to re-
peat to their faces; but in that course
brohably she would not meet with such gen.
eral support.
In Mr.. Tyrawley she affected to disbeieye.
She stated as her opinion to her intimate
friends, that she didn't believe he had ever
done, or ever would do anything worth doing
but that he plumed himself on cbeap repu
tation. which. as all were ignorant of its
foundation. no one could possibly impngn.
There is reason to believe in this instance
NJ IS. Constance was not az conscientious
As usual. but that she really entertained a
higher opinion of the gentleman that she
chose to confess. He certainly was mo-,
afraid of her favorte theory of the general
w"rthlessness of English gentlemen of the
nineteenth century. 1t was one wet morn.
ing when she had been reading Scntt 10
three or four Of her particular friends-and
it must be remarked that she read rem ,rk
ably well-that she began to lament the dc
cline Of his chivalry. Perhaps she talked n
little at him. At any rate be chose to ac.
cept the challenge.
II cannot agree with you. Miss Bayntou. ~
he said. 1t is true we no longer wear ladies'
gloves in our helmets, nor do we compel
harmless individuals. who possibly NAV
have sweethearts of their own, to admit ,be
uperiority of our lady-love at the point Of
lance; but of all that was good Of chiyaIrv
of courage. truth. honor, enterprise, self.
sacrifice. you will 6nd as much in the nine
reenth century as in the twelfth.
He frightened up as he spoke. and i. was
quite evident that he believed what be said
a circumstance which always gives an ad.