Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-04-11

4
had once looked forward to with such de-
] light and expectation, vas fain, in an ago
nv of shame and rage, to hide myself in dry
ditch ia the neighboring eopse, where
could see what took place without being
seen, and there / covered myself over, like
babe in the woods, with leaves. Pres
emily nv Lucy came down tribe
more carefully dressed than usual and look
ing all grace and modesty; the dog began
j to howl as she drew near che saw hiin and
she saw my clothes, and the notion that |
was drowned Il could see it in her expressive
| countenance) flashed upon her at once; for
one instant che looked as though about to
faint, and the next she sped off again to the
hotel, with the speed of a deer. Gracious
Heavens decided upon rescuing a por-
ton of my garments at least, or upon perish
ing in the attempt, and rushed out OF the
thicket for the purpose; but my courage
| failed me as / neared the savage animal, and
| / found myself lin some confusion and palpi'
tating manner) back in ny dry ditch again,
with sensation of loss of blood and pain /;
nv retreat had not been effected-pefhaps
because there was nothing to cover it--with.
4 out considerable loss, and the beast had Bit
! ten me severely. 1 protest that, from that
moment, frightful as the position was, 1t did
4 not move me so much as the reflection of
the honors that would be showered down on
| that vile creature. / knew that he would be
considered by Lucy and the rest as sort OF
| Montaragis, an affectionate and savage crea-
ture, watching patiently at his appointed
post for the beloved master that should rev.
er again return to him. Presently they all
! came back, Lucy and her mother and the
maid servants from the inn, besides my fellow
students and fishermen with drag-nets and
medical man with blankets and brandy, (how
I enyied the blankets and the brandyC As
expected, neither the women's cries nor the
mems labor in vain distressed me half so much
as the patting and caressing of Towser (;
if she could have only known when she drop
ped those tears upon his cruel nose that there
was a considerable quantity of human flesh
nv fiesh-at that moment lying in his stom-
ach in an undigested state could not re-
press a groan of horror and indignation
Hush, hush said Lucy; and there was 81
lenee, through which / could distinctly hear
Towser licking his chops. L was desperate
by this time, and hallooed to my friend San
ford-'Sanford and nobody else'-to come in
to the eopse with blanket remember
nothing more distinctly. Immediately peals
of laughter, now smothered, now breaking ir-
repressibly forth; expressions of thankful
ness, of affection, of sympathy, beginning
but never fnished-burst in upon me, as it
were. by floods of merriment; and the bark
lug, the eternal barking, OF that execrable
dog. / left Killarney that same evening;
Lucy, and the mother ofLucy, aud my fellow
students, and the abominable Towser; 1 left
them for good and all and that was how my
engagement was broken off, and why there is
no Mrs. PeUny Flush" concluded the curate,
who Rad turned from rose-cOlor to deep car
nation, and from that to almost black, during
the recital
felt for my poor friend deeply, as many
others did to whom | told this story under
seal of secresy, and who revealed it to their
families. In place of the religious book
markers, with Bibles, and crosses and crowns
worked on them, which used to be rained up.
on Mr.. Flush during the summer months,
from anonymous but altogether unknown
hands, he now received similar encouraging
tokens of a more earthly character
wreath of orange flowers, with Slope on,
hope ever" under it, in floss silk, and Wig.
nette on perforated card board, with Robert
Bruce and the Spider, with a medieval illum-
ination, signifying "Never Despair; he was
also presented by some humorous artist with
the miniature of dog couchan upon heap
of something, and "semper fdelis" under
meath. His misfortune, however, was in
fair way of being forgotten, but for what
had so great an influx of company az then.
Our hotel was filed to overflow; two of our
riding donkeys died from exhaustion, third
edition was called for Of the guide book, and
the bathing machines were entirely reserved
for the ladies' use.
Il was not this last circumstance, for Peony
Flush never bathed, but the first which inter
fered with our good curate's comfort. The
inn being full, its landlady sent her respects
to Mr.. Flush, and would he afford her the
temporary loan of a spare room IN his house
for a widow and her daughter, who had writ
ten for apartments the day before, and were
coming on that evening with the expectation
of finding them. To refuse to perform
kindness never entered into the good fellows
feeling heart, but this request vexed him
nightly. The information that the ladies
were of a sumptuous character, and travelled
with two riding horses, as well as their own
carriage, affected him nothing. If they had
been pedestrians, and were about to appear
in walking-groYe of bandboxes, they would
have alarmed him quite as much. lie was
not sure if it would not be indelicate for him
| 70 nut his boots outside the dUor at night,
and he gave orders that his linen should be
| removed-half dry-from the lines in the
| back garden. 1t would be relief to him, he
| said, if would reside in the house during the
1 6taV OIL the Two NlsltOEcY ahN3 az 1ti ONSh0oi
| must dine with him the first evening, which
| agreed to do. The curate's dinners were
rather neat; his housekeeper, who perfectly
understood him, was not altogether without
hope, / think, of Turing down from respect to
matrimony-had way of amounting duck
with lemon, which, before Toasted
at the Doveeot, had met with only
| in books. / therefore judieiously rode
a few miles in the afternoon in search
of an appetite. There was good one to be
got generally on the bridle-rosd by the sea-
| coast. which cuts through the sheep and cat
/ tie pastures, and / chose that way. 1t is
much intersected with small white gates,
/ which mark the boundaries of the fields, and
one of these il puzzled me good deal to
epen. The day was hot and my horse was
/ 6dgety, so that knew better than to get off
and risk not getting on again; but could
not undo the sprin-bolt anyhow. While was
wheeling and reaching, and changing from
red to a white heat, and had got from " dear
me and botheration to confound the
thing % / was startled by rather shriilish
voice from the other side of the gate, and up
came a lady upon snowy bay at a hard gal
lop, with !" BY your leave, sir, Tor mo-
| ment,n and the snowy bay and his feminine
burthen dashed over the fve-barred gate to-
gether, like a monstrous bird, just shaving
nv head, as should think, by about quar-
ter of an inch. Secondly, came a groom
with another bay; and, thirdly, a huge mas
i tiff dog (who made a snap at me in the air,
with another bay; and in moment / was
left alone in a cloud of dust.
/ / took the remainder of my ride, in peace,
snd having accomplished my object, returned
to Barnley. My appetite was of that nicely
that FIVE minutes either way would have de-