Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-01-18

you have seen this hero Who Is expected 10 mako
such IN impression on you"
Mrs. Montague looked surprised, then
itself mp into appalling gravity, and Geraldine
looked at me- with tears in her eyes.
at doesn't AFTER al make any real matter
:as said. IN voice Of ,Ss sS
But It's not quite 90 easy for me-" she wais-
pered,, aside. "There's Miss werter, zen
So IL was arranged that we were to wait for
the arrival Of this conguering hero, before we
were TO be formally 6etrothed; although, IS
Geraldine remarked-'sThere never was any
straightway in love with her whom he.had
never met, and who would be most careful to be
pointedly disagreeable to him."
my week at Cheslyn. would not stay to meet
my cousin, who was daily expected there. and
who rejoioed In the delightful name of Mere
miah Ogg, besides his other Recommendations;
and studiously kept away. No correspond
ence between Geraldine and myself was allow
ed. fortnight later came this note from Mr.
"Mr bEAn CEcrL-You are wanted here at
once. Come in time for dinner-eight O'Clock.
Ever yours, NERENIAH BoTTLEToP."
My suspense WAS extreme. There was a mys-
terry about this summons which awed me. Why
cat once?" and why did he not tell me some
thing about Geraldine? Could the irresistible
Mr.. Ogg have superseded me after all? Had 1
And enlivened myself as cast my worldly
goods into a pOrtmanteau by repeating ''Wo-
mans love IL writ on water, woman's faith Is
traced on sand;' and argued why, If Prince
Charles Edward and Mr.. Aytoun had both come
to this conclusion, should 1 be more fortunate?
Owed into Tennyson-''You thought to break
yeoman's heart for pastime e'er you went to
being a yeoman: only wished was. A GER
tain statement also came to my mind, though L
could not remember by what author, TO the
sis as water unto wine:" and thought If there
was any truth in this, Geraldines mamma had
some chance worth mentioning Of getting her
own way, and that might soon find absence
had produced the dire results ii too often does
in these days, the exact reverse of what the
old song asserts as to making the heart grow
fonder.
The poetry stage of a love affair is a serious
time. unfortunately did not possess the gift
OF song myself, or, no doubt, L should have
handed the name of my Geraldine down TO all
and Petrarch) with that Of my own. As il
was, the only safety valve could find for my
disturbed feelings was to brush my hair unnat-
brains-whiIe L wondered, not for the first, or
the second, or the fitch, or the hundredth
time, what kind Of fellow my cousin Nehemiah
would be.
drove myself and my portmanteau over to
Cheslyn, a distance of ten or twelve miles, and
at every mile Of the road my heart grew heavier
and heavier, my hopes DINNER and more
shadowy. pictured to myself, as have often
done before, the figure, face, and even manner
OF my unknown rival; and in my mind he ever
appeared super-humanly attractive, and gifted
with accomplishments and talents such As no
body before was ever known to possess, except
perhaps the hero of a fairy tale. While as to
me-too well knew that was fatally unlearn-
ed, deficient IN accomplishments, and, though
L might have just enough sense and per-
severance to win the heart Of the woman 1
loved, had no skill to keep it. Perhaps
Geraldine herself would be unable to resist the
comparisons, SO damaging to me, which she
must draw every hour of the day between the
wealthy aspirant to her affections and the I'M
worthy possessor, and would naturally yield to
the Vaccinations of the former. Altogether, my
drive was calculated to depress the very best
intentions, and arrived at Cheslyn as surly as
a bear.
Fortunately every one was dressing for din
ner, so had time to recover myself-inasmuch
as destroying two shirts and three neckties
through sheer nervousness is conducive to re-
storing the masculine temper. Until that even
ing, am bound to say, had never felt any
reason to object to the arrangements made by
nature with regard to my personal appearance.
! was tall, and strong, and tOlerably good look
ing, though not my most partial admirers could
for one moment have held me up as a beauty:
but, on this night an insane ambition came over
at the last moment, descended to the drawing,
room under the melancholy impression that L
had brought the wrong pair of trousers that my
as at n MaE Sro% % . TOO snort since wore It
from bullying, and that perhaps If grew whis-
kers might be better looking. But, as all the
world knows, whiskers are not prOcurable on
ten minutes notice; so, pulling my moustache
to unnatural lengths, and nervous as a girl, 1
opened the drawing-roOm door. There were a
great many guests, and having shaken hands
with Alr. BottletOp l glanced round to find
Geraldine. Quite pang went through me
when saw her talking earnestly with gentle
man TOO like my fancy portraits of him to be
any but my cousin. He was a slight-I thought
Wi varx- orlr
eyes, aquiline nose, black hair, and-whiskers!
Was not forewarned that my rival would have
whiskers?
Geraldine appeared quite oblivious of INV
presence; 50, acting on the spur of the moment
/ became quite obliviOus of hers and offered
my arm, in obedience to Mr.. BOttletop's man
date, to very fat young lady with very small
eyes.
During dinner went through a purgatory of
anxiety. Geraldine and my rival being seated
on Sn,t the same side Of the table as myself and it
either of them. / only knew that they had gone
into dinner together! therefore 1 felt an abstfd
and almost overpowering inclination to set ETH
my place, and walk up to her, and insist on
knowing the best or the worst at once.
My fat little neighbor was very sentimental,
and inquired what was my favOrite flower, poet,
color, Sc; and on my utterly failing to satisfy
her on these points, she proceeded to enlighten
me as to her tastes. 1 forget the poet, but L
the color of the heavens" and she rolled her
little eyes like languishing young pig as she
informed me that among flowers she loved best
the wild forget me- not. At the time l was too
savage to be amused, and it was not until nearly
the end of dinner that discovered she was ar
rayed in her fayorite hue, and had a bunch of
supernaturally large and blue forget-me-nots
stuck i'm her hair.
On the ladies leaving the room rose eagerly
to rush my chair away, and catch glance from
Geraldine in passing. but my pig faced lady con-
trived to knock over and smash q decanter and
two or three wine glasses by some porcine evo-
luton; grand confusion ensued, in the midst
Of which-while was rubbing sherry of the
legs Of my trousers, or picking up broken glass
on my hands and knees under the table-Geral-
dine vanished.
"COme, Cecil" said my godfather, Miss Pod
ger has given you the wine outside, try some Of
this Burgundy in. You know my friend MIR.
Miles, L think. Let me introduce you to Mr..
BrOwn-Mr. POdger-Mr. Jones-Oht and Miah
here. Miah, this is Mr.. Ogg."
This latter sentence was addressed to the gen.
tleman of the aquiline nose and dark eyes.
"Miah?" thought; "this Is confirmation in
deed" For my Ingenious mind took up this
name, and perhaps assisted by "reminiscences of
early life, twisted it easily into . and ele-
CANT abbreviatiOn of our common misfortune
the name Nehemiah. This, then, indeed. was
my cOusin-my wealthy rival.
Mr. POdger bore down upon me, and began to
relate story which, to my mind, had neither