Smyrna times., 1868-02-05
M l s G LII NEOUS.
COUSIN BOB'S FIRST LOVE.

: |
was staying last winter with relative VIII
understands comfort. Until he married an,
seuied III the country, couple of years ago, h
nau been college Fellow, and profited 5y hi,
r HPpo,tunltles to such an extent that he ha
n; .alu uown railway on his dlnlng-room mantle
piece, and furnished the apartment will
several small but firm and solid tables. whicI
are placed round the fire at desert-time: anC
MS whlm Is, that his guests should sit in :
semlclrcle about the hearth, with a table fo
every, pair, and that the decanters shoulC
travel by hand, like sedan-chair. and bv eas,
stages from one chimney corner to the other
ana then take the rail across the chord of tn,
arc TO their starting point. And it is curiou,
Illustration OF the saving of fatigue 10 modern
travelling, that the rapid journey across ba,
no apparent effect upon their constitutions
while the slower passage from table TO table
takes great deal out OF them. He has another
fancy, arising probably from ten years sur.
felt OF masculine society, which is, that when
the party is small and sociable, the ladies shall
not retire; and | regret to say that this inno-
vatlon is not always so highly appreciated by
either sex as it should be.
As general rule, however, the experiment
Is a success, for he has an inexhaustible fund
of animal spirits, and talent for drawing peo.
pie out Of their shells.
! rp,O
There were eight of US, all relations or init
mate friends
Let US put out the gas and tell stories,' -
said the youngest of the party
the gasp
"Oh, because stories 60 better with fire
hight; besides, people tell things about them
selves more plainly the less clearly they are
seen. AT school the girls would let out all
sorts OF secrets alter We had gone to bed
-, Lyddy Is right | will turn off the gas
There Now, who will do bit of secular con-
| feSSion 2"
LLyddy looked carefully round, and said ::
| Cousin Bob.
| " Yes, Of course; he has hardly spoken all
the evening, and must have been meditating.
Come, Bob, tell Us what has occupied your
| thoughts
~ was rejecting on the folly of mankind
which values turkeys in proportion to their
bigness, whereas small turkey is infinitely
nicer than large one. was also specializing
upon whether cassowary could digest mince
pie, | think not.
Come, come, Bob, though you are an old
bachelor, an epicure, and lawyer, you must
have an Interesting reminiscence for US. What
romantic stories you must become acquainted
with in the course of business, for example. 4"
Well L am not exactly in the habit of be-
traylng the confidence of my clients; but if you
would like to hear an outline of the case of
Dodds and Glover, [ will make an exception in
your favor. 1t is rather dry. You see Dodds
is trustee fora burial. ground, and the vicar
'Oh, oh No, no ~
" 1t is Of no use, l fear Bob has no ro-
nance in him."
Romance I have done with that the
last twenty years.
Then you were romantic once !'' cried
Lyddy. (Sharp girl that. Tell u.s.
Yes, at your age, Lyddy, l was an inhabi-
tant OF an ideal world, for | knew nothing:ot
the real one. My parents lived in most Sc
cluded manner; and as they had peculiar
notions on the subject of education they never
sent me to school. My father had an idea that
1T ought to be the great joy of his life to watch
my mind open just as if it were an oyster i
By-the-by, you are right to serve them in the
top shells, Morton.-I expect that you have
not all read Spencer's Fairy Queen, at least
not quite through; and as for Amandis of
Gaul, will bet even that none of you have
ever opened its pages. Those two books were
NY taVorltes; knew greaI parts of them by
heart. wrote a little poetry myself, and
some of it was thought rather pretty nv
Field Mouse, and Stanzas to an Autumnal
Ely, for example. Would you like to hear my
Autumnal Fly?-No? That is fortunate. for
L fear that it is obsolete. | was sent at last TO
a private tutor, who was to pry that mind Of
mine open a little wider, and show what was
needful for matriculation at the university into
the gap. Here, at last, might have had
chance Of glimpse at the True, one would
| have thought; but, unfortunately, nv tutor
wa; poor and hard working curate in thinly
populated district; good man, who, when he
was not coaching me or walking over the
moOrs to outlying parishiOners, was preoccu-
pied with coal-tlckets, tracts, sore legs, rheu-
matism, twins, and such like. And had no
fellow pupil. So, if possible, | got rather
worse instead of better, and commenced an
epic in six books. Likewise, if you must have
it, l fell in love-" 10 -.. a.
. Hnrrah! Pass the bottle before he begins.
Empty and take backhander, Bob. Now,
then."
. 1t really was rather romantic affair. |
was walking out alone one day, in search of an
appetite and an inspiration, when [ came to a
house and garden surrounded by high wall
at the foot of bill. The appetite had little
difficulty about in those days; but the inspira-
ton hung fire, and the epic poem could not for
the life of it get over the third staHza of the
first canto, where it had stuck for weeks To
soar above the world a bit might help me, so /
turned to the hill and tried the Excelsior plan.
When L had mounted a couple OF hundred feet
OF slippery grass, was out OF breath, throb-
bingo at the temples and damp; SO turned
about and sat down on a convenient sheep-path
to see if the Muse was inclined to strike up
yet. The Muse still sulked; but had a eapi-
tai bird s-eye view of the garden beneath me,
which was large, and laid out with thick and
shady strawberries and in a walk which inter.
sectod one of these | caught the glimpse of q
female robe. a~ frh Z - A.sa - saosreI
10" Now, a poet who catches sight of petit
coat while he is in the very crucible OF compo'
sition is bound to become enamored, unless, in
deed tits oh'a clothes-ine, or he is already in
love with some one else-and | am not sure
that he would always be safe even in those
contingencies i was clean. .blowed on the in
slant. However susceptible a prosaic man
would have waited till he saw whether she had
hump or wooden leg, or was nearest sixteen
or sixty but my instinct told me that she was
Young and lovely In half minute she emerg-
ed into a clear space, and faith my instinct
was right. Though she was rather far off, |
was long sighted and could tell that.e ,4u.a,.)
:" As when the sportsman, intent on shoot