The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-01-06


beginning to be very weary Of gaieties.
20 decilne was out of the question; so,
after some deliberation as to our attire.
ETC., an acceptation was sent, and when
the evening arrived, we, accompanied
by our mother, crushed ourselves into q
hired carriage and set out for Aylmers
Court. -'-
we were received, as usual, most cor
daily; and after a few dances were over
l became conscious of the presence of
q gentleman who seemed to regard me
with some interest. He was a verv nice
looking man of about thirty, rather fair,
and with small moustache slightly in
clining to red. He was net tall, neither
was he very short; his figure was good.
and he had a soldier like look abouf him
which rather admired.
AS usual, was well supplied with
partners, and when Lady Aylmer ap-
preached with the individual / have inst
described and introduced him to me. T
was very glad had spare dance still
left, for which he at once engaged me.
l did not catch his name when Lady
Aylmer brought him up, and when my
eldest sister inquired who my new ac-
quaintance was l could only say he was
Captain Somebody; I fancied Bruce
was the name.
ga good name, +" remarked Margaret; !;
II daresay he is a relative of Lord
Bruce"
But I was doomed to undeceive her
shortly, for on addressing him as Cap
tain Bruce he smiled and told me his
name-his name being Bebb.
Bebb, thOught-what funny name! |!
However, it did not prevent my think
ing him very pleasant, and being Sc
cretly glad when he told me he was
quartered at Norton -Folgate for some
months to come.
To be brief, after several meetings,
Captain Bebb, whose name had trans
pired in my family, began to pay me
marked attention; but although in my
inmost heart liked him, still was well
aware that for s. Howard'' to ally her.
self with q Bebb would be beregarded as an
impossibility by my family.
He came to call-endeavored to in
gratiate himself with my mother and
sisters sent me bouquets, books, music,
and, in fact, did all he could 70 show
his preference, which in my heart of
hearts I would fain have shown was
mutual. But how could Ip My sisters,
alarmed by my evident leaning towards
him, instituted system of ridiculing
him, which, had he only family guessed,
would, felt sure, have prevented him
from ever again entering our house.
His personal appearance was stigma
tized as the most vulgar that had ever
been seen; his hair, which was really
brown, was always alluded to as carrots,
and when a shuddering fit frequently
overlook Louisa as she described the hor-
ror she had experienced when, on one
fatal occasion, he had shaken hands with
her, and his hot clammy clasp had al
most given her fit.
Perhaps owing to this, his name de-
generated from Bebb into Blubber, and
several times my mother herself mar
rowly escaped addressing him as such,
so persistently was he called it behind
his back.
A dead pig having been found one
morning in the sty, l was strongly ad-
vised to go down to see the likeness,
which, from my partiality for Blubber,
nv sister felt sure would be interesting
to me. I am ashamed to confess that
had not the moral courage to refute
those uncalled-for calumnies; these in
cessant cruel taunts were enough for
me: and when / did receive proposal
of marriage from Captain Bebb my an
swer may be imagined. ! refused him
and cried myself to sleep for many nights
afterwards. s.
But the deed was done, and Captain
Bebb was not one to ask again, and /
heard soon afterwards that he pad left
Norton-Folgate.
Seven years had passed away-still
we were .sgoing out to parties;" l un-
willingly, but my sisters more persist
entity than ever. But, alas! times had
changed for us partners were no long
or plentiful, and we were obliged to be
thankful to the few who asked us to
dance or offered to escort us to supper,
and who were, generally speaking, mere
boys, whose nursery days seemed like
yesterday. However, rather than re-
turn home without having danced atall,
I was indeed glad to take turn with
them. But on one particular occasion
at ball in the Assembly Rooms, even
the boys failed US, and the three Misses
Howard were standing together in q
most palpably family group, when the
entrance of large party gave us some
momentary diversion.
It was the Aylmers Court party-Lord
I o1vy A~,1r.aoss fvryn r1ss fhy.oo hnVHq.
gers, a bevy Of bright-eyed pretty girls,
and several gentlemen. Amongst the
latter, whom should recognize but my
old friend and rejected admirer, Cap.
tain Bebb!