The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-11-25
A Life'S Regret.

| margaret LOUISE, ana heleut Tue IASt
named being of course myself. We
reside in a small villa on the outskirts
OF the town of NoTtOn-FOlgate, and
from all appearances are likely to re-
main for the rest of our lives pursuing
what strangers would suppose was
1 the calm and even tenor of cOiOrless
existence.
Our income, though small, admits
OF our keeping two domestics, and
when we pay visits, which at rare in
tervals we do to some of the country
families, we jointly subscribe and
charter q close carriage, which enables
us to make our calls with something
like dignity. Not tnat my two elder
sisters are lacking in that respect. for
they never, either sleeping or waking,
I believe, forgot that our late father
descended from an ancient and hon.
orable family, and that the name of
Howard, which we bear, is derived
from 9 source, which, even though it
does not acknowledge as, is ours just.
ly and on the tree which testifies to
our pedigree our relationship is clear
ly set forth. Our late mother could
also boast OF gentle blood, so that on
both sides of the house our cOnuec-
tiOns were andeniable.
In addition to those advantages, na-
ture had not been unkind to us-in-
deed, in our younger days we had our
own share Of admiration, and the
three Misses Howard had on many
occasions been pronounced the best
looking girls at the numerous balls
which, chaperoned by our mother, we
"A raortrlarlrr fn affnnh nnr admir-
eTs were not few, and we were always
engaged for every dance whenever we
went; but, there to all appearance it
ended, for, after more seasons than L
care to record, none OF US were mar
ried. Palmer girls by far, even PEN
niless ones, in due time made their
appearance, had an interval of gay
ETY., and then announced their en-
gsgements, which duly ended in mar
riage and they would return IN all
the dignity of matronhood to patron
ize and remind Us in more ways than
one OF the wide gulf that separated
our unappropriated selves from them
and their f'positionr as married wo-
men. At first it was not so CALLING,
but by-and-by began to feel it keen.
ly, and to long-as every women does
sooner or later-for ties OF my own /;
but my longings were not to be grati-
fed, for the one hateful reason that no
ordinary man was supposed to be
good enough to mate with "a How
ard, )" though one degenerate descend
ant dared to wish il could be other
wise.
By degrees it became known that
We were hard to please, and though ii
was true enough OF Margaret aud
| LouisS, still felt so differently from
them on the subject that it was rather
hard to be included; but / was "a
| Howard" and so had to pay for my
privilege.
Margaret was seven years my sem
iOr, and Louisa five. Consequently 1
was accustomed to being considered
quite child until 1 had attained the
ripe age of twenty-five, when ali
event happened, which, but for my
precious pedigree, might have changed
the color of my whole existence.
We had received invitations to s
ball given by certain l. Idy AylmeT,
who always made point of asking US
to her entertainments; and though ]
was beginning to be very weary Of
gayeties, to decline was out of the
question, so, after some deliberatiOn
as to attire, etc., an aeceptation was
sent and when the evening arrived,
we, accompanied by our mother,
crushed ourselves into a hired car.
riage, and set out for Aylmer's Court
We were received as usual most
cordially; aud after a few dances were
over became conscious of the pres
ence of a gentleman who seemed to
regard me with some interest. He
was a very niee-IoOking man of about
thirty, rather fair, and with a small
moustsche slightly inclining to red.
he was not tall, neither was he very
short ; his figure was good, and h=
had q soldier-like look about him
which I rather admired.
As usual, was we'll supplied with
| partners (; but when Lady Aylmer ap-
prOaehed with the individual | have
jnst described, and introduced me to
him, l was very glad l had spare
dance still left, for which he at once
engaged me.
| l did not catch his name when Lady
Aylmar brought him up, and when
my eldest sister inquired who my new
acquaintance was, 1 could only say he
was q Captain Somebody | fancied
Bruce was the name.
"a good name, Remarked Margaret;
81 dare say he is relative of Lord
Bruce"
But was doomed to uudeceiye her
shortly, for on addressing him as Cap
tain Bruce he smiled and told me
that was not his name, his name be-
ing Bebb.
Bebb, 1 thought-what a funny
name! However, il did not prevent
me thinking him very pleasant, and
being secretly glad when he told me
he was to be Quartered at Norton-Fol-
gate for some months to come.
To be brief After several meet.
ings, Captain Bsbb, whose name h ad
now transpired in my family, began
to psy me marked attention but, al.
though in my inmOst heart I liked
him, still I was well aware that for ga
Howard" to ally herself with a Bebt
would be regarded as an impOssibility
by my family.
His personal appearance was stig-
matized as the most vulgar that had
ever been seen his hair, which was
really brown, was always alluded tC
as carrots and a shuddering fit fire.
quently overlook Louisa as she de-
scribed the horror she had experienced
when, on one fatal occasion, he had
shaken hands with her, and his hot
clammy clasp had almost given her 8
lit.
Perhaps, owing to this, his name
degenerated from Bebb into BIubber
and several times my mother herself
narrowly escaped addressing him a:
such, so persistently was he called il
behind bis back.
| doad nln having kaan fnnnA an.