Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-04-26
WON AND LOST.
"These who will not when they may,
When they will they shall have nay"


A garden party on the banks of the
Thames croquet and strawberries the
excuse; filtration and matrimony the
object. But in all the glory of a June
sunlight, the bright river glittering as it
runs on to the sea, roses, hinging their
rich perfume on the air, soft music
blending with the song of birds, the ex-
cuse and object are sometimes forgotten,
and delicious sense of purposeless
idleness and inexplicable enjoyment
remains.
At least such was the case with Philip
Kerr, captain in the Royal Rifles, as,
leaning against tree, he looked at the
| scene around him.
What to him was the emembrance
that two brothers stood between him
and title? What the apparently cer-
tain fact that his fathers broad wood
lands and the halls where he was born
were not for him? That his only home
was the headquarters of his regiment in
a garrison town, or the dining-room of
the Rag and Famish? 1t was nothing
to him at that instant that his pockets
were empty, and his banking account
overdrawn. Had he not irreproacha BILE
lavender kids on his hands, and, as far
rs he was concerned, priceless boots on
is aristocratically small feet? Above
all, was there not smiling on him, be-
tween her turns at croquet, the only un-
married daughter Of the great city firm
of Richley, Alpaca & CO.? Not very
young, and not very handsome, to be
sure, but then there was a dowry of
thirty thousand down, and seventy
thousand to come when the senior part
per should take his fight to better
world, and that surely would balance
thirty years of age and remarkably
plain face.
Besides, she was well inclined to re.
gild with her wealth some worn out
coronet; or, failing that, to attach her.
self as branch grated on to some
long-descended family-tree, and SO enter
"society" in her own right, as four
teenth cousin by marriage to a peer of
the realm, rather than be admitted by
sufferance of dowagers on the lookout
for heiresses.
While awaiting this desirable event,
she kept her hand in by series of un-
limited and sentimental flirtations with
| every agreeable and intellectual man
she met with for Theodosia Richely
| went in for intellect, high art, Broad
Church notions, and woman's rights
and Philip being particularly agreeable,
and passably intellectual, and, above
all, the third son of Scotch baron,
Theodosia had selected him as her
present aide-de-camp and attache. She
had always the alternative, in all cases
when intellect asserted its superiority
| and became too troublesome, of re-
| ferring it to the senior partner, without
| whose consent, as she plaintively re-
| marked, 81 should but infiict upon you
a penniless wife, my dear Henry" or
Robert, or whatever might be the
Christian name of the present aspirant;
| and this reference generally terminated
| in the dismissal of the agreeable and
intellectual being, no particular reason
| being given, and the fair Theodosia
gently hoping, That though things
were not propitions, still, friendship
need not be broken" Then, by way Of
| consolation, would arrive anonymous
presents, and o sentimental correspon-
dence would be kept up with the
family; but this stage Philip had not
| yet arrived.
He was content to be smiled upon, to
disregard the warnings of wiser men
than himself, and drift down the stream,
careless whether it stranded him on the
sunny shore of home paid for by his
heiress-love, or dashed him on the bar
ren rocks of foreign service.
/ Ihere We're just two or three things
that Philip could not do. With all his
many tascinations, his perfect NOUS
tache, his talent for soothing irate
tailors, his seat on horseback, and his
step in the valse, he could not be angry