Litchfield enquirer., 1871-08-03
NEXT DOOR TO BULLIMAN'S.

live at Boxley Down; and am Next door to Bulliman's.'' g The deserted h onse I have taken was never christened. It has been called by varIous names, each man who came to 1t giving it new appellation. prefer to have local habitation without name -''The post of honor Is a private station" that is my motto; bills are there fore sent as due from ''Next door to Built man's." and they are duly paid.
 Bulliman's s is ladies' school There is no male Bulliman. There was one, who, says his mild relict, was an officer in her majesty's forces" Officer is a wide word. There are officers in her majesty's custom, and ill the local police-a force which.
 though very efficient, has the benefit of
 being totally composed of officers. But
 the deceased Bulliman-meek fellow, with
 a tremendous beard, weak head, and a consumptive chest-was neither in the DO,
 lice, nor in the customs nor ill the post office. Neither was Bulliman an officer in any regiment He served, however, in the
 Crimea; and his grateful country has pen stoned his widow in so insufficient a way
 that Mrs. Bulliman is fain to keep school
 The truth is, that William Bulliman was in
 the commissariat departments; and being of tender conscience as we'll as having a
 "consumptive chest, he, after the terrible revelations about our starving troops and famished horses, ''took ill" and died "He was @ tender-hearted fellow, and never ought to have been called Buliiman," said his widow, as If there was something terri ble in the name.
 His widow Was a faint-hearted, mild little creature, as any one might see; but she had two little children. us different from her self and the dect lsed officer as we'll could be. Her theory about the matter was, that they favored grandfather; and from the stories told about him, think they must have done SO. Grandfather Bullman-a fine, dashing fellow-had been parson, and was an officer in very different army. From the story of his life, one might have supposed that the Reverend Bulliman act ed up to his name, and that his son's spirit was thereby crushed. By the rule of con trary, he had married a very meek, but tall creature, whose na.dre had been bequeath- ed to the "oficer," while the ferceness and dash of the gallant drill-sergeant in the ranks of the ''Onety-first regiment was given to his grandchildren, Dick and Katey toward their mother these child ren showed nothing but tenderness and love.
 Dick had been we'll educated, as the child rem of most genteel widows are. Poor creatures, how they do pInch and screw for the result; and sometimes, how poor one it is! Dick, however, did all in his power to make his mother happy; came out we'll in his examinations, went in for chemistry, and was soon decently employed in the analysis of water, sewage, and other pleas ant matters. The British pubic, year or two ago, had scientific craze; and Dick was lucky in taking advantage of it. He was not at present highly paid, but he de- lighted ln his work, and ~res full of hope Katey helped her mother in the school. and was rather high church. She affected the sermons of the Rev. Pincher Twills, who vacillated between evangelical preach. ing and an ornamental ritual; was ritualis- tic in his service, and evangelical ill his sermons; and who, consequently, pleased neither party. Katey read St. Augustine and St. Thomas-a Kempis, went so far as to date, "On the eve of St. Michael" and al- ways prefixed ''S." before the names of the apostles, as if each was namsd Samuel; and was very particular in turning to the cast. Her chief love for ritualism was, however, seen in the decorating the miser- ably ugly brick and stone church of Boxley Down, built in the style of the celebrated L84O Gothic. e s ..s
 Dick Bulliman's dash, courage, good hu- nor and fun, made him great favorite; so much so, that, when he came to Boxley Down. he had to sleep at 8 far-distant cot from the seminary, where he smoked like a lime kiln, and kept, it was supposed, un- earthly hours. As, however, he was found, winter and summer. splashing in huge washing tub-an extemporized bath-at six in the morning, these wild reports are to be put down as congregations. Katey Dick in any of his excesses, and against all enemies; and the dozen or so young people at Bulliman's 's-who were in- structed in primness, preciseness. piety, and pretty ways by Mrs. Katey Bulliman all agreed that schoolmistress' sons were generally boors, but that Mir. Richard was g fine young fellow. ''5
 In the deserted cottage with no name, a large and productive garden, fine view at the back, and roomy interior, in which lived, I had for my companion Jack Romilly of the-th, a crack regiment. almost equal to the celebrated Onety first, and has all the victories of Great Britain inscribed upon its flags. Jack was rather stupid than otherwise at college; had come away CueuC0 WIGuOUb OlStAuCtlOu3 UUt uaV- ing something to do, he, with that tremer- dous resolution which dull people have, went in and did it. He proceeded to the school of the most celebrated crammer in town or country, at Croydon, worked like a horse upon system, and came out at the very head of the direct commission exam ination with the enormous and utterly in- comprehensible number below. There you see his name:- T i@s5
 Romilly, John-Private tuition 1,2O3, ,456. Was he not a clever fellow? Jack never, to this day, knew how he did it; and, after his success, presented gold watch to Capt Stuffem, his crammer, and relapsed into his stupidity.
 Hehad another noticeable element in him, this Jack Romilly. He was jealous. He was jealous of me, his old school and college chum; jealous of his dog Gyp, black Po-. meranian, of distinguished family. After smoking pipe in a friendly manner, and dining with great good nature. his jealousy would suddenly boil up. and Jack would say:- e q #a i
 You seemed to be precions glad to see Smith, ea
 T was that would answer.
 Another puff, and
 You are precious fond of Smith,,
 Not more than you are of that word prec vec EEo hsro