Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-11-21
MISCELLANEOUS.
A ApILGRIMAGE TO AylGh0h.
AS RELATED IN AN INTERCEPTED LETTER.

DNNNPSa
You DARLING JESSIE Here I-we-are-if
you look ut the end Of this letter before you come
to ii, vow will never forgive you,-after no
end OF adventures, and mean to give you a
complete history Of my share in them, as have
little leisure and Har--oh fddleatick l
hayn't written to you since Chrstmas.
You know I was to graduate at Wesleyan in
May. SO did, with all the honors-spoke the
yaledctory too-such speaking l was Just
scared to DEATH but didn't let on, and seven
young gentlemen fell in love with me, then and
there, and wrote the most ridiculous effusions
TO tell me 30. On my way home stopped day
in Philadelphia to do some sh opping, and who
should l meet way down Chestnut street but
Loulie Cavendish hadn't seen her for three
years, and here she was woman, and dressed
good gracious me ! Nothing would do but We
Carrie Webster, dear college friend and fellow
graduate WAS with me-must go TO Parknson's
and have some lunch and an ice. You know
boarding school girls have a weakness in the
matter Of eating-we went and such talk as
We there had
II WAS then and there We made up the party.
Lou wanted to know where we were going in the
summer said she was tired of hotels and water
ing-places, and WAS open 10 any rational propo-
sition. l suggested the Adirondacks which she
said was not rational proposition. Carrie wanted
10 go to the White Mountains. "Bad !" said LOU
mo use to go there unless youvea cold in the
head It's good for nothing but the hay-fever.
Why can't women hit upon things that are sem
sible and original ut onceY' "Thank you" said
| "try your own invention, Miss Cavendish."
"Oh, |, said Lou, ~ Lad half made up my mind
10 turn devotee for the occasion, and go upon
the pilgrimage to Our Lady OF Lourdes. What
do you sayY
''This is a good idea," snapped l ; 'let us go
upon pilgrimage, not to Lourdes, but to some
other place" "Where2" says Carrie. looked
at her helplessly. "Where ~ cried Loulie "can
there be but one place2 Are we not women
Let us go to Avignon /" "To Avignon ?" l asked.
"0f course, to hang wreath of immorteles
upon the tomb Of John Stuart Mill !" "Mill,"
said Carrie, repugnantly, "the man that wrote
that nasty ''Logio" and that stupid book OH Po-
tical EconomyW He never did anything for
me but give me the headache" "He WAS the
foremost vindcator of the sex he formulated
the principles of woman's rights he found the
cause shrek and a caterwaul, and he left it
science. There he lies, where he lived, where
he died, by the side of the woman he adored and
who adored him 1t will be graceful and
gracious act to illuminate our principles by de-
corating his tomb" We clapped our hands, and
at once agreed to go.
We arranged the preliminaries forthwith.
Loulie was TO engage passage for seven single
ladies' on the steamer of June Is. Each of us
was 20 bring friend with her to make up the
party, and Louie engaged to furnish us with a
No man was to be Of the party, nor were we to
travel IN company with the hirsute sex upon any
occasion.
We met in New York on the 18th. 1 had per-
Huaded Katie Wainright to go with me Carrie
brought Mamie Boyce Loulie was accompanied
by Lille Halle, and she had the duenna along
with her also, one Miss Lucinda Jobson, portly
maiden OF fifty, with straight back, huge
double chin, prim mouth, a red nose, specta-
cles and false front-the most formidable dra-
rnn m n m nf In, hltt aa-
cret a Jolly soul with passion for high-seasoned
dshes Scotch ale and punch and contagious
laugh that shook her like an earthquake. She
loved lobster salad with passion, and hung over
btsgle decrfDisses till was ashamed OF her
but her tact, Judgment, pluck, and ndomitable
good humor made her model companion. But
oh lordy didn't she snore after one of her late
suppers.
The rules which we adopted for the guidance
Of our "Sororidns iSoddHtum of Apignon'
were short, but sharp We were to keep to-
gether until the pilgrimage was accomplished
we were not to venture beyond luke-warm flirta-
tations we were not to be fast we were not to
engage ourselves to any man we bound our
selves not to elope under the heaviest penalties
we were to see everything and to fight for one
another and our cause to the death
Tho steamer sailed on the 10Th. went below,
and-let me draw a veil over the horrors OF the
next five days. Kate Wainright shared my
state-room, and recovered sooner than L On
the morning OF the sixth day out occurred the
first contretenps of the pilgrimage. Lou Ca
vendish bounced into my state-room, disgust and
Indignation painted on her countenance. ado
you know that Quinn ?" she asked. "Quinn ?
II said family" eyes, Phineas T. Quinn, al
Irishman, with waxed muatache. He's sor
of sub-editor in New York, correspen
dent, or something of the sort, ant
Wainrght is a shame and she don't resent it
not bit What's thL use of having a society ant
rules, il people don't keep EN-. I've cut tina
Quinn dead. and Id cut kate-if It WASH
against our rules" ''Suppose you cut her out
dear; thatl settle the difficulty" Lou gave mi
glance of superb Indignation and left. l go
up and dressed, and went upon the scene
Katie came to me- and talked Quinn 30 rapidl
that had no chance to scold. "rve told hin
our expedition He ia enchanted about It, III
says we must visit Killarney, by all means Mi
used to go there every summer-wrote his Sub
lection Of Women within sight Of Blarney Cat
tie. Amt it nice n "Child, said l reproyingl
but lust thon gentleman came mp and hel
out hisha<d to me. Who do you think it was
Who but Harry Mason, the last person in til
world / expected to see. Quinn came alon
presently-he is very presentable man, to'
with good manners-a little too much flouris
maybe and took Katie for a promenede. Notl
ing would do but must walk with Harry. to,
ito replace the pallor in my cheeks with sei
roses," 30 he said.
Mamie Boyce and Lille Halle are met walkr
with Captain Clute of the navy, going out
little fellow with strut. But his buttons, I'm
form aud gold lace were just perfect. Present
we encountered Miss Jobson escorting Lou Ca
dish and Carrie Webster. They stared at II
and bushed, confess it. Lou has such a WI
of looking through you, though Of course | w
fancy free, and white rs milk IN point Of co
science. But you cannot help blushing If "
know you are suspected. l can't at least.
That night, after We were through with d
dreary entertainment in the cabin-there was
Western girl with red elbows and the way b
tortured the piano and the passengers is hor
ble to relate-Lou Cavendish summoned t
SO,idlltiun to a council of war in her state rool
She looked 30 severe and frowning that MI
Jobson pushed her spectacles up and declar
she was taken with Misunderstanding won
revive her and enable her to talk but a lit
snack of some sort, Welsh rabbit and bot
of brown stout. But Lou wouldn't permit her
ring for the steward III Miss Jobson wanted
guttonize she would have togo to her own sta
room. "Girle, said Lou, in a monstrous vol
'the rules are being broken already sis
ing done, MIR. Grant White says, is not prope
murmured Miss Jobson in dreamy soto vol
Lou, with a whitening glance at our duenna, w
on; "rhere ls flirting amongst us already, .
1t is not luke warm but scalding hot, though
twenty-four hours old u Jobson laughed
comical laugh at this. "Miss Lou.," said 8
''if you mean to starve us, 1 beg you will forb
from tantalizing us with dietetic metaphors
least" Lou rang the bell. ''You can have
gallon OF porter, and mountain of cheese
all care" But Jobson only ordered a cold
and some cobblers, and believe all the &
took someexcept Lon.
LOU" said /, ''let us stop quarrelling