The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-10-31

> Mrs. Crestle. They still greeted each
: other politely enough, but Colonel
: CresIle did not smoke an after-dinneT
, cigar, as formerly, on the piazza Oi
! General Bullington's cottage; and q
distinct boundary line seemed now to
P be drawn between the respective
premises Of the two gentlemen.
The arrival of Daisy Gilbert produc-
ed a marked effect on the camp. In
the first place only did il inspire the
two unmarried lieutenants with a
: wild passion, which made them drill
, their men for the most part directly
} under her windows, especially when
; q right or left wheel was required.
; Thereby Daisy's lawn was injured,
: and her temper slightly ruffied. But
strong as was Daisy's effect upon the
gentlemen, still more marked and
intense was the impression she pro-
, duced upon the ladies. Mrs. Gen.
Burlington remarked to Mrs. Crestle
Z that Daisy was so gentle and modest.
Mrs. Crestle replied in acquiescence
: with Mrs. Burlington, intimating
that chief charm of Daisy was that
she never gave herself any airs. To
this Mrs. Burlington retOrted that
Miss Gilbert wasn't always working
and cOntriving to gain gentlemen's
attention, Mrs. Crestle;" and Mrs.
Crestle responded that she wasn't so
old that she had to exert herself to do
so. The ladies were fast becoming a
little broad and inelegant in their
manner of scratching each other, be-
ing so far removed from civilization.
Each looked on Daisy as an adherent
that must be won to her side. But
Daisy would not ally herself to either
the Burlington or the Crestle faction;
though she was a great pet with the
General, and accepted numberless lit
tie attentions from Colonel Crestle.
Now, one day, when it happened
that Daisy and Mrs Crestle were on
Mrs. BullingtOn's piazza together, a
sergeant came up with a message to
the general, which he delivered, and
went away.
"What handsome soldierp' said
Daisy.
'iIs he?" said Gen. Burlington.
"My DEAR" said Mrs. Burlington,
'yOu really ought not to notice a
common soldier"
"He wasn't a common soldier"
said Daisy; "for he had braid on his
arm.U
'The principle is the same" said
Mrs. Burlington.
"But he was handsome" insisted
Daisy; and Mrs. Crestle laughed. But
Mrs. Burlington did not laugh.
She delivered a sort of lecture upon
evils which might arise from young
ladies looking at young people Of the
opposite sex; and then, with soft,
feminine logic, asserted that such
evils were intensified when there was
great social inequality between the
locker on and the looked on. Daisy
stood there, very pretty and slightly
vexed, pulling bOquet to pieces, as
the calm stream of Mrs. BullingtOn's
discourse meandered on. Again the
sergeant appeared, and stood before
them, Daisy saw him look at her ad-
miringly, and cOlOred; then she OBJ
served that his eye fell upon the flow
ers she held. Suddenly, almost alb !
ruptly she held them out to him.
"DO you like flowers ~ she asked. |
''If you do, you can have them"
And the sergeant bowed, and glanced |
expressively at her-his eye was blue |
but expressive-and then he walked |
away.
"My dear" began Mrs. Burlington
and then she stopped; utterance fail
ed her.
"WelI," said Mrs. Crestle, "has that !
sergeant made a conquest of you,
Daisy? First you called him hand
some; then you gave him flowers; |
what will you do next ?"
80! was that the sergeant?n said /
the little humbug innOcently.
"Of course it was" replied Mrs.
Crestle.
az think you are mistaken, Mrs.
Crestle," said Mrs. Gen. BullingtOn,
with dignity.
'fOh, come now :" said Gen. Bull
ington Indignantly; ''let us drop the
sergeant"
And so the sergeant was dropped,
Rattu RattuS; uSaI9ee aI9 eert5h Tires ynF fpEg days aftsE
in the same spot, Colonel Crestle said: |
''There is going to De ball tO-mOr-
row night"
"a ball?'' said Daisy, suddenly |
Frightening up.
fYes,W Said Col. Crestle, "a ball
over to Porter's Gap. Shall we gO?"
"Oh, yesw said Daisy, "by all |
means"
"Why, Ned" said Mrs. Crestle,
uiust think what you are proposing ! |
There will be miners and all sorts of |
dreadful creatures there; and it's fif- |
teen miles away from here. Our 60
ing is quite out of the question:
81 think you are mistaken, Mrs. |
Crestle, - said Mrs. Burlington. "Itis /
possible for US to go, and for one /
should enjoy it. General, we will go,
and will take Daisy with u.s."
nall ia tha Gonaro1 h.. I
missiveIy.
Now, Mrs. Gen. Burlington did not |
wish to go to the ball at POrter's |
Gulch, and only the controversial |
spirit inspired her to do so. But, of |
course, it was impossible for her to 1
recede from her position; and so, on |
the appointed evening, she and Daisy, |
together with Gen. Burlington and |
DIR. Gilbert, entered the huge noun |
tain wagon belonging to the camp. |
and started for POrter's Gulch. Just |
as they entered that flourishing
settlement, DR.. Gilbert was recog- |
niZed and carried off to attend sick
person near; so that the BullingtOns
and Daisy entered the dining-TOom of
the Gulch House, where the ball was
to take place, alone.
an imposing apartment, The ceiling
was low and smoky; the walls, un-
like most of the houses at Porter's
Gulch, were papered, but with paper
so hideOus in its design and d-e9lr'.,, 90
to I,asl,,. tBssS siss5 tsstOTs regret that the
Iaths and plaster, which had, at all
events, the merit of simplicity, were
hidden from view.
Dancing had already begun when
the Burlington party entered. The
room was crowded; there were three
sets of "plain cOtillions'-wOnderful-
ly plain, Daisy thought, with q shud-
der-already on the floor, while forty
three young men with large hands
and feet, who had been unable to Sc
cure partners, sat grimly in the seats
which were placed on all four sides of
| the ballroom.
Such a motley assemblage as that
was! Fat women, gaunt women,
gray-haired women and little girls
were among the dancers; and a
grandmother, if Daisy had only
known it, was executing that inter-
esting and beautiful figure known as
the "ladies' chain" with her grand
daughter.
At one end of the room the Orches-
ira sat in state, composed of melOde-
on, guitar, q cornet and bass trum-
pet. The performers on these various
! instruments seemed to have various
ideas of time and tune, and continu-
ally INDUCED in little departures from
the key in which they were playing.
The blast of the trumpet was not sus-
| tanned, but intermittent; when it did
occur, however, it was so powerful as
to entirely drown everything else. In
spite of the confusion and noise, the
entrance of the two ladies excited an
abundance of attention calculated to
delight both ladies had they been vo-
raeiOusly craving of masculine admi-
ration.
The "plain cotillionn soon reached
its end; and several men thereupon
rushed toward Mrs. Burlington and
Daisy.
''The next chance" said one of the
roughest-lOOking of these, 'is a waltz.
May have the honor, marin ?"
Sir" saik Mrs. Burlington, in
mingled anger and disdsin, az do not
waltz
] EfTgTr