The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1873-09-06
From Tinsley's Magazine.
A LITTLE MISTAKE.

GLOW about the little Rose '?'' several
voices cried in chorous, but our host in
stantly replied, Hush ~ 1t was a sore
point with him.
| have mentioned our host, and now let
me introduce him. lie was. man of
powerful build, fair, with aprotusion of
whiskers; with beard and mustache, but
soft light eyes, which had nothing in them
of his character, reckless and iovial His
words, given above, sprang from some
banter of ours (there were half u dozen Of
us who had sat after the late dinner in the
largest room of the smallest but "snug
gest" shootingbox the whole County of
orkshlre contained) upon his apparent
dislike OF the gentle sex. Perhaps we felt
| curious to know why or how it was that a
man with an unencumbered estate, "a con.
genial temper, aud good country gentle.
man, albeit on the verge OF forty, should
not long ago have been-what shall say 2
In love no, that is not always the Case,
but-marrIed.
Few of us it may be thought, though we
knew at the time that we called out, 'liow
about little Rose ~ that there was a sore
point there. 1t was only an imperfect
knowledge of the story of u young lady
| with whom our friends name had been
mixed up; but such of us us were best
| acquainted with il remembered Of hearing
| OF a little governeSs III a private family
where he visited iwhere il was thought
the daughter of the house, u coarse, snowy
girl, was the attraction being found
hearing u declaration of love from a friend
The story went, too, that the governess,
upon whom they had some claim of rela-
tiOnship, was sent from the house upon a
planned tale OF heI lovers ftlsebood, and
kept abroad till she died IN that belief /;
that the memory of the girl 50 remained
with him, that he quickly left London, and
was lost to the mannuvring mammals who
| sought his unencumbered estate rather
than himself for their daughters "on
show
You want to know" he said, not
answering the question put to him" you
want to know why didn't get married at
| the usual time? Well | don't mind tell
ing you. Fill your glasses, then; and,
| Con, don't you play the nurse with the
| bottle
According to our hosts invitation, we
filled our glasses, and drawing up, sat
pulling at our cigars i'll silence, awaiting
| his story. He sat looking at the fire for a
| few moments, and then broke out
"lts not much ! have to tell, but as
some of you have not passed your flirting
days. it may teach yoq lesson. | was
only twenty-five when it happened, and
believe that is about the usual time
when matrmony is perpe.rated. Then
my father was alive, and | only plain Mr.
| | had never lived much down here, but
had passed a good deal Of my time IN Lon
don, and | had some old friends Of my
college days, and old boaters on the Cam.
with whom the days passed more pleasant
y than proftably, Pm afraid. At any
rate, | will own that, after Il longer and
| more varied season than usual, | felt that
my constitution would be better for il
change. So | determined to get away
and take the Cumberland lakes for time
My most intimate friend at that time,
| Jack - we'll, never mind his other name,
as some of you may know him, though now
he's settled down to what he calls a quiet
| life. That means a small house, bis
suburban retreat and Il large family of
babies crying about the place frem morn
ing till night. Jack, say, had given me
little commission to execute for him in
| the neighborhood, and it was to serve as
| an introduction for me to some lady of his
acquaintance who, he said, possessed two
| charming daughters. A man has liking
| for female society at that time of life, an
| the ladies being 50 promlsingly described,
| determined Oh my arrival in cumberland
to take advantage of my commission. |
| did so, and | found the ladies one dark
! and the other fair-tbe young ladies
speak of now. My good friend Jack bad
informed me that they were of very OBJ o.
site temperaments. Elsie-very fair-was
gay and fond of bold and merry natures,
he said Dell short for Delilah-was
dark, and retiring almost TO bashfulness
and timidity. He had joked me by say
| ing that he expected to see me come back
| tied to one of their apron strings; and that,
| if | was anything Of a reasonable being,
| these were two girls who ought to satisfy
| my expectation. OF course my commission
procured me an invitation to the house,
and my stay in Cumberland began most
tavorably. Alas Tor promises! | had de
| termined to act upon Jacks suggestion,
and render myself agreeable to the young
ladies' according to their respective in.
| clnations. When, therefore, ! met them,
| csnversed with the fair one in light,
lively, and as | believe, happy manner.
| even forced myself into q merry mood,
made jokes, and laughed at them myself,
but, strange to say, she answered scarcely
a word to all my observations. / sought
all opportunities before a week was out of
catching her unexpectedly. In the recess
of the windows OF the diuning-room
kemmed her In, and made laughing love.
| praised the color of her hair and ewes,
and vowed I'd steal a ringlet of her hair,
thought it was coyness, and followed her.
Mind you, | was only acting upon my
friends suggestion, and was not rude be-
yond what youth will excuse. With the
sister Dell-dear, dark.eyed DELI play
ed wholly diverse character Books
Scoot, Byron, and Shakespeare; music
| the oratorios, Schubert, and the works of
the severe school of composition, form
ed the groundwork of my discourses, and
| never attempted to catch her alone. 3D.
ing by chance one day wandering about.
| met the fair Elsie coming across the hill
toward me. Two were company, thought,
and here was a happy occasion for re.
hearsing my part. Liughingly | talked
to her-I cannot say with her-joked and
told stories. | spoke of my travels, my
college life, my London xperiences-such
as a lady might hear-and enlarged upon
them almost to the verge of romance-to
interest and amuse her. Not word