Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-01-02

cousin Barbara 2 Tom is a good fell
low, with a nice house in Hartford
shire, good horses, pleasant grounds
and excellent wine. There is the bed
room, frst-rate there could l do as l
chose--eat, drink, smoke and read.
No not read ; there IS the rub There's
was not book in Toms house except
"McCulloch's Commercial Dictionary"
and list Of Lord Brushtons fox
hounds. I spent two wet days there
once, and was driven nearly mad. Be-
sides, Tom conversation, though pleas
ant at first, bores after ten minutes.
I do not deny that the ages and prices
of a mans stud are interesting subjects
to him, though perhaps they possess
not such attraction to the world at
large and although the rates of con
soils and shares deservedly occupy a
large share Of public attention, yet,
when you happen to possess neither
one nor the other, you don't much care
what they are "done att Toms
friends are all alike, and no one dimes
there but the curate of the parish, an
unwholesome young man, who wears a
wonderful waistcoat and no shirt-col-
lar, who believes in auricular confess
sion, and who sometimes looks at Bar
bara in such manner that if | were
Tom ] should forget my respect for the
cloth and commit an assault upon the
clerical person. Worse than all, Tom
has innoculated Barbara with his city
notions; and she bores me with such
Stock Exchange jokes, Mark Lane on
dts and rumors of Threadneedle street
that, at tie recollection of them. gave
up Diballs in despair and blotted him
ont of my list.
Where, then2 One more invitation
| found, without reckoning the Mind
you come to us at Christmas, old fell
low" (Which never means anything be-
yopd meals, such houses being invari-
ably full when you arrive) But you
can have very nice bed at the Pig and
Whistle" Very nice Bedroom situa-
ted either over the stable, where the
horses champ and kick all night, or
above the taproom, where conyivial
rustics persist in loudly explaining
what may happen to their delight on a
shiny night until the small hours in the
morning. No; this was a regular spe-
clfc invitation to Trumpington Hall, a
glorious old specimen of Elizabethan
architecture, situated in the heart of
Kent, with magnificent garden, fac
lawn sloping down to the lake, fine
corn fields all round, and the best
shooting in the county. Inside of the
house there are fine old family pictures,
splendid oak panelling, queer little
mullioned windows, and, above ALL a
right down hearty welcome Old Sir
Max Trumpington is a gentleman of
the old school-open hand, warm
heart ; won't hear of your going away
when he gets you there, The house Is
always full OF pleasant company-good
fellows and delightful girls. Were
there any drawbacks Yes, confound
it, always something; | was going for
rest aud health, and none but seasoned
vessels could find those at Trumping
ton. l remembered old Sir Max being
very particular that each man should
take his regular allowance of wine,
which regular allowance about two
bottles) it was impossible to shirk, and
the "next morning" headache was un
avoidable; besides, | had tolerably
vivid recollection that the previous
autumn. as Laura Ashton and | were
strolling through the Home Copse,
Fanny and Nelly Trumpington, who
are always up to some mischief, saw
me blow fly repeat it distinctly,
blow a hy--otf Laura's face They
would not believe it wasa fly, chatfed
me about it before the assembled com
pany at dinner, and would infallibly
refer to the subject. Being fearfully
susceptible OF ridicule, | dared not go
to Trumpington Hall.
The sea is good place at Christmas.
Should | go to Brighton l asked my
self. No; | always hated Brighton as
the stronghold of monotony. Day
after day the same people. Same old
! gentlemen, with mouths and nostrlls
wide open, gasping and inhaling the
sea air-same officers, with tight girths
and lacquered moustaches, galloping
up and down and dealing destruction
to the female population--same female
/ population nodding and riding and
/ flirting-samc valetudinarians in same
4 Bath chairs-same tarry -trousered man
shouting, "Sail, sir! !" and pointing to
same boat-same lookout man at the
custom-house looking through same
/ telescope same noise and galloping,
and driving and flirting, and blue sky
and red pavement, day after day.
No, | was utterly at loss, and was
1 going to give up any expedition in des-
pair and decide upon remaining in
town, when a sudden thought flashed
upon me Would so to Germany, to
| that old town on the banks of the
Rhine whore l had passed my student
/ days, and pass the Christmas III the
society of the university students and
the artists who there do congregate
There | should get a cordial {,
welcome; there | should be al. /
/ lowed to do as | liked, and
/ the change of language and manners
! womb hlchlnn me mn mud rnstnrn mo