Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-08-02
THE RED LANCER,

"Can YOU give me ten minutes in my
room, Fanny dear, before you dress for
dinner -
"Gracious, child how you startle onel
So like poor mamma. Her very tone.
Don't YOU remember we had always tO
give her ten minutes when we were "
be scOldcd 3"
~ don't think ever arrived at that
digHity. You forget that | was hardly
ont OF the nursery when poor mamma
died. was seeded ON the spot"
"Much the more satisfactory for both
sides. II spares the victim the agony OF
suspense, and ii does not allow grievance
tO cool ecOld me at once, Gerty, and
have II over"
''Scold you l could scarcely do that.
ouly want to speak TO you seriously
about something"
~ distinction without difference.
Children are 'scoldcd' and grown pcOl le
spoken tO seriously ! but IL comes 10 the
same thing. There is even a way of put.
ting grown people in the corner If one
only knows how. Go ON dearie, Pm
pady," and the speaker folded her pretty
arms and looked 70 ahsurdly dcmure that
speaking seriously" was out of the
question.
Thy were sisters, these two fair
women, who stood in the recess of an
oIrl window while thU red sun went
down, one breezy autumn day In the old
country. 1t wae not ~ long ago, as il
seemed to the elder, since little Gcrli
cri, d To be let sit w and see her In hel
bali dress and how the whlOlm "litllc
Gcrly' (hUru Cnuyyse) was wife and
mother, ana chaperoned Lady Fanny
(still Clanvyse) to those festive gather
ings Of which she WAS still an ornament
though not di qualified, according 10 th'
dismal classic decree, from dancing at
ten lance in warmer climate upon those
animals whose abtics amuse Mt the Zoo
Lady Grriy, whom that fair domain
called mistress. as far MS the eye coult
see, was not TO be compared In physica
beauty to her sister but oh, tire pervcr
sity Of man She was snapped up In he
very first season by the best parti In the
county, though he was commoneri an,
here She was told to ''go ON and speal
seriously" to her dead fathers eide
child.
Was il the fault of us "Lords of tn,
creation," as We call d ourselves, tha
Lady Fanny remained uuwedded I Trutl
to tell. it was not. She had refused tw,
very promising offers, aud she had suf
fcrcd herself TO be led into a most unplea
sent Irritation, the results of which are t
be recorded in these pages. A man who
ns the story went, had been struck out o
fathers Will, who had undoubtedly quar-
relied with his elder brother, who pos
sessed four hundred year, besides hi
pay rs Captain of the Lancers, spent wv
thousand aud owed twenty, cannot b
said to be otherwise than supremel
detrimental" when the lady from whoI
hc has kept all other sutors has her fac
for her fortune. And IL was 10
ouch man that Lady Fanny Clauyys
had remained Lady Fanny Clanvyse fo
-four Seasons.
There had been no encagement-nOthln
that the parties most interested cOnsidere
as like an engagement. The Red Lance
hated ladies'socely, as rule, but he rod
with Lady Fanny in the Row, and wit
ne nnc else. He hated talls and dancing
as Il rule, but lie would drop in after sui
per, and whr oil in a gallop, to the di
gust of deserted partners. There was NJ
much in this, but il set people talking
and when people talk, you know whl
follows. Lady Fanny was foolish euougl
but not halt so foolish as her irien,
made her out to be. Had they know
What passed in certain dimly liz sOnse
vatury ,bwhtre the air was heavy vii
the aroma of flowers, and the silent
made musical by the flash of hiddt
fountain where, Hi aven knows ho'
those unglOyed hand met where for oI
mad, happy moment, he drew her TO h
side, aud the touch of lips thrilled The
to the hearts core, there would have be'
an awful scandal but no one was the
To tell.
When Lady Fanny woke next mOrnin
and realized that il was not dream, 81
Was very happy. Darcy Mlllyllle pael
his room all night and slept not.
What could a rod Lancer with four hu
drcd year and owing thousands dot I
To The altar via the Bankruptcy Coul
aud take ten rO0med house in Camb1
well Hardly. Write to Lady Fam
and say that II was all a mistake Har
ly. Brave il out and rely upon the col
mon sense of her family TO supply
excuse for retreatl No. lie loved hi
and with all his faults he was a ma
lie had not many ideas, and the first a
the last was 10 do that before Lady Fa
ny which he would have scorned to
before an army In position, viz TO r
away and leave things 10 come rig
somehow. He had great faith in thin
coming TO right somehow. Once he Ii
lost eleven thOusaud upon II Derby, a
pulled it all back ON the Asc0t cup.
"Doublc your stake and 20 ou," III
been his maxim on many board OF gre
cloth, and his luck had turned. ll'
things were to come right about La
Fanny he did not stop TO imagine.
lie was one of her Majesty's hard b
gains, this Red Lancer. He passed mt
OF his time ON leave. There were sol
who pretended that the regiment did !
degenerate during his repeated absenc
They were jealous Of the favors he
eeiy,d, perhaps. lie got six months, a
ltit for Norway in the yacht Of his frlei
Wat severn. Before he caught his tel
salmon the fashionable world was
formed through its iayorlte organ that
marriage was on the taps between
Marquis Weybride and Lady Far
Clanvyse, the lovely and accomplish
daughter OF the late Earl Bridgeton.
Having made these necessary expla
tlOns we return TO the two ladies. Il
not easy to ''speak seriously" TO y,
eldest sister, even when she tells you