Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-08-23
KITTY BLAKE.

Oh' bitterly cold night in the Feb
ruar 3 of 1872, quilted my comfortable
stu dy for the purpose of ensconsing
an yself behind white tie, and of en-
easing my person in those stereotyped
sable garments which cry, "Open,
sesame" at the portals of society.
Ny friends, the Wilkins, were indulp-
ing III fit of insanity, and the attack.
which in the commencement promised
to be of a somewhat mild form, gradual
ly assumed graver symptoms, until it
eliminated in tremendous ball. Vain
ly L pleaded a necessity for reading up
a case with which the eminent firm ."
Tozer & Bulsome had entrusted
Vainly 1 declared to Wilkin. ,,uo. ~.
honor of man and : ro+bor thot T
was "out of that ,. .ll' ~ -: I,'O W = :,
that 7 was onlv sort OF thng; and
In5;dn,f Siia5 : "t'' =, VI good for the mahogany
:4S, he ~ + rather wouldn't see it. and
VIZ VIZ sense of bitter injury at my
Ae04G, and an unmistakable sense of
lrfost at the tip of my nose and my ex-
ttremltles generally, I pulled myself
together, dressed hurriedly, and arrived
at Harley street in a humor the very
reverse OF arniable, and with the full
aeterminavion of merely showing myself
TO Mrs. Wilkin, imbibing q glass of
snefrJ, and getting back to resume the
pef'lsal of novel.
The crush had not as yet been we'll
turned on, SO my ascent to the drawing
rooms was nc very difficult task. Upon
the lobby Mrs. Wilkin was standing,
behind a huge bouquet which com
mandeo. the staircase like great floral
gun; and Wilkin was prowlirg in the
immediate vicinity, with the air of a
maD. who had succeeded in losing half
as'overeign, and was engaged in look
lng for it as though he wanted it very
badly indeed.
"Ah, Mr.. Brookley Tn so glad
that yOu have come. Freddy told me
you were doubtful-all clever men are,
but you know always believe in yom,
and | look to yOur aid to make this lit
tie affair go off we'll"
L groaned in spirit This meant
stopping until the candles were snuffed
out-untll the tallow-faced greengrocers
were paid off-until the milkman an
TlVeI at the area railings, and until I
should be jibed by disappointed cab
'bles as 'Fthe cove as was a-playin' the
pianner."
-" BY the way, Brookley, there's a
little Irish girl stopping here, Miss
Blake. Come, and I'll introduce you
as friend O mine," observed Wilkin,
dragging me towards a mass of tulIe
illusion surmounted by bunch of
white flowers.
Now, any Irish girls whom I had
hitherto been fortunate enough to meet
had, somehow or other, been always too
much for me. If I was bZa8e, they
were saucy. If I was degage, they
were sentimental. If I was learned,
they were blissfully and gushingly ig-
norant. [ had been invariably foiled,
and my most skilfnl fencing went for
nothing. had not been able to score
palpable hit under any circumstances
Whatsoever.
held back much after the fashion of
a dog being led to corporal punish
ment through the medium of collar
and string-bowed grim, ungainly
bow, and proceeded to fiddle with, the
buttons of a pair of soiled, bulgy gloves,
and to glarein every direction save that
supposed to be occupied by Mrs. Will
kin's Hibernian guest.
At this juncture an attenuated, wax
en-looking, half-fed artist, hung in
chains, and clad in garments shining
with grease and threadbare from age,
proceeded to pound away upon the
piono, aided and abetted by pudgey
man, who appeared to be blowing his
whole person into abattered cornopean;
ndanother conspirator, who discharged
his duties to society and to Wilkin by
dolefully scraping upon violincello.
"This is our quadrille," exclaimed a
very sweet voice at my elbow, with just
a touch of the brogue pervading it like
perfume, and soft little hand placed
itself conffdingly upon my arm. I had
not asked her to dance-she had evil
IDENTIFY taken it for granted.
Would / say that Ihad never danced?
that had sprained my foot ? or invent
some patent and plausible excuse?
No it would not be fair to mine
hostess, so sullenly resigned myself
to my fate.
"This is my first visit to London, I"
chirped Miss Blake.
"Oh, indeed p
"I live in the wilds of Connemara.
"I wish you were there just now" p"
was my inner thought.
"It's the widest place on the face of
the earth, and the lovliest-but won't
you secure ViS-a-UiSY
I compounded with q pink-faced
youth who was in talons of tall, lean,
vulture-like woman, to face me in the
forthcoming melancholy ceremony, and
to assist in carrying out its sad solemni-
ties in all their funeral details.
"Have you ever visited Ireland, Mr..
Brookley?" asked Miss Blake, at the
conclusion of the first figure.
81 should think not. Ireland is a
wretched mistake"
The moment the words escaped from
my lips, could have parted with a
good deal Of ready money to have been
enabled to draw them back again.
They were childish, rude, ungentleman-
like, and L turned to her to apologize.
The hot flush was upon her cheek,
5 the little hands were clinched until the
gloves threatened to "burst up" and
her flashing eyes met mine as she hotly
retorted-" You mnst be an English
boor to say so. !"