Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-09-22

The time slipped pleasantly away, till il
was necessary for me to go and adoFn N.Y.
self for 11bblts banquet; and then I took
a cordial leave Of my new acquaintances.
and left the place, feeling rather as though
deserved Victoria Cross myself. for had
| not stormed the reserve of a respectable
Br1tis, family? / rather wished that they
had gone away first, and SO afford me an
opportunity of looking at the visitors
book. and finding out what their names
We're; especially the Christian name of the
elder OF the two young ladies, who had a
peculiar droop of the eyelids and certain
dlmple on the left cheek when she smiled.
which made me feel that. perhaps [ had
been wrong to put off from year to year the
crowning of the edefce by the election of a
Mrs. Stumps Pooh-pooh absurd I was
as old as her motherl ssBut o, my heartis
an evergreen, and would not be pooh
poohed.
But however fresh the heart may be, it is
apt, after beating for forty years, to ind a
powerful rival in the stomach, and I GER
tainly forgot all about smiles and dimples
when the table napkin was across my
knees. Tibbit has not many merits, but he
does understand how to order dinner.
and the artist of the Apician can execute
that order IN a manner to satisfy the most
exactlng gourmet. In the smoking room
afterwards, however, these dropping eye
Ids came back upon me, and I spoke of
the acquaintance I had picked up to Tibbit.
livery curious, their showing such read
mess to be friendly with complete stranger,
was it not? observed. -r--.,-. r.,
'|Very,p replied Tibbit. ''The younger
man said'nothing about the game of skit-
ties, I suppose 2" --s r-e~eSf -
''Absurd p
''Neither did the cheerful father propose
subscribing seventy-fve pounds to a hospi-
tai, if you would put down another twenty
five to make up the hundred eh ?''e
Tibbit has a most absurd conceit of the
superior wisdom of dwellers in cities, and
supposes that man who, like myself, is
for the greater portion of the wear. 'sbur-
ied," as he calls it, in the deepest wilds of
the agricultural counties, must be rea dv to
fall an easy prey to the first sharper who
chooses to bait a5hook for him. But, ex-
cept in gastronomy, Tibbit is shallow
My reason for making my home so far
from London is, that [ cannot afford to
crafty my passion for field-sports on any
other terms. The hire of q moor is also
quite beyond my means, so, when trout
fishing ends, it is a dead season for me till
September; and at the time am speaking
OF, was therefore con the rampage" This
unsettled period comprised a month at
Scarborough (spent), three weeks in Lon
don, two of which had also expired, and
the rest of the time in Paris, or at one OF
the gay German baths. So seven days af-
ter Tibbit's dinner, [ went to London
Bridge Station to catch the tidal train. and.
IN consequence Of three separate and dis
tinct blocks on the road, nearly missed it.
Look sharp. sir and III manage it for
you. First class All right sir Take the
portmanteau in the carriage with you {?
Two places, here you are"
Moralists may write what letters to the
Times they like, but that porter deserved
his shilling. should certainly have had
to go back ingioriously to my hotel, and
remain there till next day, if he had not
been remarkably spry. The guard was
whistling shrilIy, and some official was
calling out to another, that all was right
behind as the tipped one showed my port
manteau under the seat, and when I Jump
ed down, painting, and he slammed the
door to, the train was actually IN motion.
When ceased to be furried package,
and grew capable ofobserving, discovered
that the four occupied seats besides nv
own were filled by my own acquaintances
OF the Victoria Cross Gallery, n1ipus the
young man with silky hair. I greeted
thems and they returned my salutations
most cordially. The drooping-eyed one
was sitting next to me, and was faced by
her mother, to whom, of course, I directed
my conversation, not, however, With the
same complete success which had attend
ed my efforts to interest her on the former
occasion, as her mind seemed to be much
occupied with peculiar class of phenom-
ena.
I beg your pardon, she observed, soon
after we were clear Of the station, ''you are
next the window, can you tell me if the
smoke from the chimneys is going straight
up?"
"Not quite, 1 replied; cit is waving
about, as smoke usually does.
Soon we were in the open country, and
then she put another question. care the
trees still or swaying to and fro?"
They seem pretty quiet, [ think, " said
|, wandering.
And then Paterfamiias leaned forward,
and spoke of some matter about which he
had been reading,-a Times article.
His wife soon interrupted us. ''There is
windmill somewhere about here" she
said, ''on the left"
80 yes; [ can see it, ;" I replied, looking
out of the window.
Tell me, Oh, do tell me, is it going
round?"
'No, said /, beginning to think he1
rather cracked; ''It is quite quiet; no grind
ing going on to-day"
I suppose that the young lady sitting
next me saw bewildered and curious ex
preston on my face, for she offered an in
depreciation. Mamma breads sea sick
ness during the crossing so very much,
she said, land takes great interest in the
wind"
co." cried I, much relieved in mind
''then | am glad 10 say that it seems to bt
very calm.
''Thank goodnessr' r' exclaimed The
mother.
What brutes husbands almost invariably
are. A man standing in any other relation
to this poor lady would have let her take
what encouragement she could from the
motionless windmill; but her rougher hal
must needs blurt out: ''You cannot tell In
land what the weather is on the sea; dare
say it is blowing half gale of wind at Do
ver."
prophet of evil r' said his wife, II vii
not listen to you"
''You think too much about il, and fright
en- yourself into being ill.," continued he
care you, sir, a good sailor"
''Stumps, Stumps," added I, oh
serving that ne paused.
There seemed to be Il prospect of on
travelling together, for L was quite alon
and unfettered, and glad enough of thei
company, while they apparently liked mine
So, as it is very inconvenient fer peopl
who are thrown much together not to know
ore another's names, l was glad to hav
the opportunity of at once avowing mine
But could not imagine why it shoult
give them all an electric shock, which /
did: if they had been joined hand in hand
and the word ''Stump" had been the bras
knob of a charged Leyden jar to which on
of them had advanced q -knuckle, the,
could not have started more simultaneously
Ofcourse the involuntary movement wa
very slight and might not have been ob
served, but that I was somewhat thick
skinned about my name, and therefore OF
the watch for the smile which it sometime
evoked; but there was no smile, only thrill
of surprise which was Immediately sup
pressed.