Ellsworth American., 1876-05-11

recognizes "buck-a gay, dashinp. younp
fellow" which must also have been slang
in the beginning; and he defines swell :
to strut, to look big which may have
been the origin OF the term as it is used
now.
The first of your swells Is Young man,
heavy under the eyes, dressed 10 light,
checkered lounging suit. His manners are
polished. and he talks the sort of stuff you
have read in Ouida's novels. His couver-
satioD is addressed To the second swell, sit
ting at his right. He presently lights a
cigarette, and offers one to swell number
two, who declines it. But latter, when he
light, big cigar. does not loffer his
companion any. Is this one OF the myste-
rieS of swell etiquette?
Swell number two is an elaborate beau
verging on sixty, very skillfully made ~
little bit OF a juvenile mustache on his old,
hard face, waxed with extreme care, and
palpably dyed, tiH telltale gray hair show
ing visibly at the roots; prominent thin
nose; sweet smile; c.ean-shaven chin /;
side-whlskers rather scrubby on the throat /;
high collar, and choky tie.
swell number three Is neatly gloved
talI-hatted, heavy-ieatured, and prOdigious-
/ ly mustached. He, also, has a very sweet
smile. He is reading the Daily Telegraph
and laughing quietly over an editorial ar
ticie drawing "A comparison between the
Derby and the political troubles OF those
amusing Frenchmen. He shows the article
70 his brother swells. They each pronounce
II "kepitile," and throw the paper on the
door when they are done with IT,
You roll through lovely English scene
OF rural lifc--none loveler on earth, per-
I haps-and yet off at EPSON Station. The
races are yonder, over the hills. You can
see the flags flying. There are cabs here
20 take you TO the ground but who would
have u cab with those lovely green hills to
walk over: Jumping ever a fence. YOU
>trlAe "acrosS-lot>" toward the diving flags
the gras- l. much troddrn. for thousands
~ people pass this way-up and down the
rolling hi.l>, with cool, weeping breeze
l.uuln- the heated brow, and a landscape
a lovely aS paradise reaching away into
the distance; past clusters Of "sQuaLtcrs, ="
WitA OIL blankets stretched on stake. for
rpvcrng--yp~jrs? you wonder; tie chill
drrn are wonderfully dirty-pAst clusters
Of men who are shooting with shot-guus. a
penny pop Al grccn-class bubbles, which
arr J T. Ie'r f.c air. and fired 1t on the
wing; Ia~t II. her clusters OF m.u. who are
throwing CLUBS a COccour'~ set upon
stakes. aud which, when hit, tall into ha~k-
~ hr.u" past iouL lines Of wagons, with
horses trihVrci Ia the wheels munchiuy
hay and, ru>h.u. through a dense crowd.
You tiud Yourself standing close 70 the
racc-trtrN. looking out over the motley
scene On EPSON Downs.
800 ave a >taur: 90 ave n >t;tne p
haw.> ra.mutiin fellow, with whom this
hsathcu combination Of sounds i supposed
% im-au "Wh. Will have a ,rludE" lie
has got some rough benches which ne hA,
planted on the >wIrG near the track, and
which he i anxious to let for -iXpence TO
snrh people A. want to stand on them tor
4 better yirw.
You give him ,ixpcn"c and get up. In
mrd.atrly ! "BObby"-as the stauI-lcttIus
rIGmLhiu cam, tie poiicemAn-cpmc
along aud tjp> over the bench. throwing
Gown such ui The tenants A don't ret q H.
city down Al the warning. and tells the
rlgAmuitln TO take 'rm away nov.
BOBBY %auntcrs Oh. ana a. soon Il, h-
back j. turned the benches are rghted
again, and the rIglmutiin j. hawlln., -Op
'aN" >tAue: 'oo ave a >tanrf' with might
and mann. As soon as they are once more
occupird-iur in the excited. cvtr->hltiuL
throns tins little farce has gone on quite
uuuOsrrved by every body except the pto-
PIN who were tipped of the benches
along comes Bobby again, and repeat, his
original performance. This time he awak
en- indignant rcmonStrance from the ten
ants who have invested their siXpence, ia
the deccitiul benches.
"Wot Kind o conduck DO you cali tins"
says one burly fellow. shaking his fist In
/ the officers face, TO allow has to be swim
7 died Id this ere sort o vly:
90 allow" says Bobby. with serene
scorn; who's alluwin'? / amt"
After fully dozen repetitions OF this
Y farce, the policeman comes with reinforce
meutS. who lug the benches away for good,
and so break up the business.
/ You get up on cart behind the horses
Z for back OF the throng on foot Is another
tarong OF carriages full Of people, with
horses uuhtched and munching hay-to
f l"oa lei>urely aud well at the running. II
j. a pretty sight enough, but you don't care
I for races. You came 10 study the crowd.
I Near You j, something far more interest
lug 20 properly mind-to Wit.
+ nice little wemau-a tidy, plump little
" body. with curling brown hair, and atiec-
u"nde hazel eyes. who looks precisely the
creature To be the homeiy angel of some
small household, whose man she wor>hIU-.
and whose babies she bears She j. sitting
patiently on the step, oi An Omnibus, While
+ hcr husband aud her little boy are gone
/ forward to the ropes To see the race. You
I Imagine her home; some darling nook Of
/ brown cottage all overrun with vines and
aud whose duh duties are her constant
( pleasure, because love dwells in her white
4 breast. What brought you here. little
I woman! "Stay-at- home" is written all
! over your soft round form, on your pouting
! but gentle lips. in your quiet brown eyes.
/ Clearly you care nothing for running
horses or rough crowds. You have come
because husband came, and your happy
| heart can know no better reason for com
/ ing or going in this world. God bless thee,
little wife, Sitting patiently there on the
| low steps. quite unconscious that senti-
mental philosopher, is looking into your
soul through your eyes, let US hope some
subtle sense OF the kindness he feels for
| you may steal into your tender heart and
be good to you, Us the sight OF you is good
| To him.
There is clatter of flying hoofs, a cloud
| Of dust; hurrah the horses have passed
the goal and are subsding slowly round
the first quarter. Immediately the crowd
inyades the track ahc spreads roomily
over it. Which horse non! What do 5 il
matter: You are looking ut the serene.
soft light which warns in the brown eyes
as the little womaifs husband comes up to
her, and she takes his strong arm content
edly against her soft breast, aud Greeps
quietly away by his side, leaving you lone
ly.
You walk about. Lonely in this vast
throng. What an extraordinary idea. Yon.
der is the grand stand, crowded with ele-
gantly-dressed people. There appear to be
numerous ladies there, but you are not
near enough TO be able to judge whether
the appearance is a meckery. Certainly
| Traviatas are numerous in the throng
where you do move about. Many are seat
ed in carriages, where they eat cold FOWL
and drink wine. or these, some are un-
mistakably drunk. and make great noise
without seeming to attract much attention.
In this noisy crowd there are few who note
the noises others make, themselves benz
too fully occupied in making noises. Many
other Traviatas are walking about on the
dirty track. in lohg, trailing gowns OF silk
and satin-actually in white satin and the
like, which drag behind them on the
ground-and these the crowd jeer; but the
women wag their heads as IL they do not
care.
In the intervals between the running va
rious small shows thrive. Men in blacken-
ed faces. through the color of which, i'm