Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-04-08
The Curate's Engagement.
The Mischief that One Dog Can Do.
From the World at Hnrne

!
He was the shyest-the most pain
/ fully modest-man l ever knew: an
he oftentimes suffered in consequence
most cruelty He was the man VIII
went most out of the way to avoi,
hurting peoples feeling, and for tn
sake of delIcacy and, as usually hap
pens. he was treading upon people
mental toes continuously. When h,
! first came among US, and was furnish
ing his cottage, and getting introduc
ed to his future parishioners, | remem
Der calling with him { on our way t.
the market town J upon farmer wht
had a club-foot. 1t was not long be
fore poor Flush, who was not awar,
of this, and was very near-sighted, ob
served, with a smile, that our hos
seemed to take excellent care tt
keep himself out Of the dirt among
the lanes. "W hat a sensible boot
that Is of yours, Mr.. Layman; why
its trehle-soled !" And. before he haC
recovered himself from the flame O
bushes into which he burst upon the
discovery of his mistake, he inform &c
Mrs. Layman and her four daughters
that the object of our expedition into
the town, was to procure him { Peony
Flush J "a pair of comfortable
draw ers," meaning thereby a chest, !
suppose, but sending the whole com
pany into shrieks of laughter, anc
suffusing himself from top to toe with
beautiful rose-color. These sort oi
things, he confessed to me, annoyed
him for months afterward. depressing
him like sins and | could not fore.
bear remarking, "Why, Flush, how
viii YOU ever have the face to propose
to the future Mrs. P f 2" He rose
colored in such manner at tins that
said, Come, Peonv, tell US all about
it at once, do, which, accordingly.
after little pressing, he did.
Il was indeed, he began ''once en-.
gagged to be married, | believe how |
went so far as that is a marvel to me
still J, but an incident of so frightfnl
a character took place as to put the
matter entirely out of the question
! was Young under graduate, spend
ing the summer with reading party
a. the Irish lakes, when ! met with
with Lucy, and got, in short, to be ac-
cepted. She was residing with her
mother, in the same hotel in Killar-
nev as ourselves. and we all met ev-
erv day. We boated on the lake to-
gether, and fished, and sang, and read
We landed on the wooded islands in
the soft summer evenings, to take our
tea in gypsy fashion, and to sketch !:
but she and | mostly hispered-uot
about love at all, as | remember, but
about the weather and the rubric on
IL it seemed so sweet to sink our
voices and speak low and soft Once.
in party over the moors, while
was leading her pony over some bog
gv ground, l caught her hand by mis-
take instead of her bride. and she did
not snatch it away. 1t was the hevdav
and the prime of my life, my friend, and
that youth of the spirit which no
power on earth can ever more renew
Our thought-my thought, at least,
leap out to wed with thought, ere
thought could we'd with speech She
took a fancy to a huge mastifl' dog be-
longing to a fisherman and | bought
it for her at once, although it was
terribly savage, and, except for Lu-
cv's liking it, not either good or
beautiful. Its name, also-the only
one it would answer to, and some.
times it would not answer to that
was Towser, not a name for a ladv's
pet at all, and scarcely for a gentle
mans. There was a little secluded
field, hedged in by a copdice, which
slopcd INTO the lake, about a mile
from the hotel and there Lucy agreed
{ for the first time to meet me
alone / was to be@@there before
breakfast, and at eight o'clock in the
morning, aud You may be sure | was
there at six-with Towser. Perhaps
l was never happier than at that par
ticular time. The universal nature
seemed in harmony with my blissful
feelings. The sun shone out bright
and clear. SO that the fresh morning
breezes could scarcely cool the pleas
ant throbbing of my blood; but the
blue. ripping waves of the lake look
ed irresistiblv tempting, and | could
not resist swim. Just a plunge
and out again, thought | for though
had such plenty of time to spare,
determined to be dressed and ready
for the interview an hour at least be-
fore the appointed time Lucy might.
like myself. be little earlier; and
at all events. with such an awful con
sequence in possible apprehension, l
would not run the shadow of a risk
Mind my clothes, mind them said
! to Towser { who took his seat there
on at once. sagaciously enough }: for
| had heard of such things as clothes
being stolen from unconscious dip
pers before then, with results not to
be thought of; and in l went. / re
member the delight Of that bath even
10 this day. the glow, the freshness,
the luxurious softness Of each partic-
ular wave. Just as the last view
which his eve rested on IS painted on
the memory of one who has been
stricken blind. or the last heard mel
ody IS treasured IN that of man
stunned deaf bv a fall It was my last
perfect pleasure. and was succeeded
By shock that ! shall never, | think,
quite get over. When | had bathed as
long as ! Judged to be prudent,l land
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