Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-03-01


sions.
"There lived at 'Willtoun's Bluff
gentleman of considerable property ,whor
everybody in the parish liked for his fret
handed, liberal ways, his jovial temper
and his proverbial generosity and unse
fishness. Arthur Wilson was, in some rt
spects, Falstaff, without Falstaff,s vices
Like the hero Of Gadshill, he was phys
ically 'tun of man, and he resemble
him likewise in his super-abundant wit an
humor. But, poor fellow ne had bee
destined to suffer from a terrible thor
in the flesh.' His wife, a dried up littl
creature one could hardly see in her hus
bands gigantic and overpowering pre-:
ence, ruled him nevertheless with
!; sway absolute, despotic, and admit
ting of neither appeal nor modifi
cation. 1t was the most ludicrou:
thing on earth to observe this mar
mountain a wave of whose hand woult
have annihilated his tiny consort, shrink
ing with the dread Of a school boy from
the mere sound of her shrewish voice, OF
deprecating her displeasure by elaborat,
genufiexions and anxious concessions
none OF which ever soOthed or satisfied
her exacting ladyship.
1.-The Wilson's had no children of tbei,
| WlII
them, who, in her nineteenth wear was
the handsomest girl l ever remember tC
have known, which is saying an immense
deal, l can assure you.
Handsome Is as handsome does,' re-
marks the proverb, and it must be ac-
knowledged that Kitty Wilson's conduct
added nothing to the general appreciation
OF her beauty. She was wild, eccentric,
reckless young thing, whose depraved
taste was exhibited in manner which al.
most ran her good-natured uncle mad.
For nsi,Nbite dietu, Kitty fell in love, of all
persons in the world, with John ellis.
"Though'a widower and middle aged, he
was good-lOoking, and had certainly ac-
quired not few of the externals of a gen.
tie man; but still the young lady's guar
dian could not entertain, for moment,
the idea of such match. 1t was opposed
to every rule Of les conrenanees. a circum-
stance which only strengthened Kitty's
porverse determination to carry out her
own will in the matter.
"How she had made the acquaintance
OF MIR. Gillis, where and when they had
first encountered each other and been
smitten with mutual flame,' remained
profound mystery; but there Is little
doubt that Kitty would have married her
cavalier if she had had only her kind and
somewhat yielding uncle to contend
with.
But Mrs. Wilson, host in herself.
now rushed to the rescue. She had been
absent from her home during the initial
stages of the courtship, or it would never
have been allowed to go so far.
NO, indeed!' as she viciously ex-
claimed. would have nipped it In the
bud! Whether her authority could be
rightly stretched to that extent,
whether In truth she had any
legal authority in this case. the fiery
little woman did not pause to consider.
:. She only yearned to show her hand,
to begin hostile operations with ven
geance. The chance she looked for
speedily arrived.
"Gillis called at her house, requesting
to see Miss Kitty. He was admitted to
the presence of the indignant matron in 4
stead. What she said to him precisely,
did not transpire but her language and
bearing must have been bitterly insulting
for Gillis left the house in white rage.
and in less than an hours time had re-
venged himself upon the wife by subject
ing her husband to the grossest of indig-
mites.
'But one course remained open to our
gOod-natured friend. He must meet Gills
and In q fight outrdnce.
I'm this dilemma he applied to me.
''' Certainly, / will serve yeu, Arthur
gone appeal; but how about your shoot
ingp Are you in fair practices'
"'Practice p he echoed, dolefully sPye
never shot a pistol but once. Then the
thing burst, and carrie away the tip of
my left ear-look!' y And throwing back
his gray, but still luxuriant locks, he
showed me where the organ in question
had been slightly marred of its just pro-
portions.
There's not a moment to be lost,
then,' / exclaimed. Come, I'll let you
have my own weapons; they are perfect
beauties, and baby almost could man.
age them.'
s. If that were so, 1t speedily became ev-
ident that Arthur Wilson was less skillful
than the suppositious baby.
when had arranged all prelimina-
ries for meeting with Gillis on the fol-
lowing morning, / took my man into the
yard and drilled him. Good Heavens
what a raw awkward recruit for the
noble army of duellists he turned out
10 be!
g Instead of reducing his huge person
to its least practicable size, he insisted
upon squaring his body toward the mark,
and taking his shots in that most hetero-
dox position.
+" And such shots as they were Out of
\ dozen trials, he lodged only two bullets
within q space of ten feet in height and
,ix in breadth. The others were pumped
INTO the ground, with the exception of
,ne widefy-erri1g piece of lead, which
lew over the outbuilding that sustained
he target, and. smashing kitchen-win- |
low opposite, elected shrieks long and
loud from the cook.
Luckily that responsible domestic was
lot hurt, but her fright was extreme.
"No use, no usel tits only waste of
cried Wilson, after the
twelfth shot, which grazed his own boot;
but cheer up, F., may do better on
he ground, you know ..9'
Really 1t was extraordinary. The |
wilder his shooting, the more confident |
ny fat principal became. ALI his former |
had vanished. He was now
IS cool as usual, and even in higher spir-
Is: tried to encourage this mood in |
him, hut, to confess the truth, looked
Ipon the poor fellow as doomed. Why,