The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-09-27
SHOOTING THE RAPIDS.
4 Prophecy and It's FulfIlment.

Prophecy anu It's FuIniilnent.
"Curious, isn't it, how the old GUS
toms still hold their own? Here is the
fashion of penance still in vogue, with
the additional aggravation of calling it
travelling for pleasure
"Well, Edward" said sweet voice,
"that's very pretty compliment to us,
your companions. / think l ought to
make you do penance for that"
"That's right, Miss Wentworth; keep
him in ORDER" chimed in third speak
or. However, going abroad has this
one advantage for us English, that there
we can sometimes venture to be amused
without thereby committing the seven
deadly sins in one"
Such was the chat which passed
among the group of four-two ladies
and two gentlemen-seated at lunch on
the balcony of the Hotel du Rhin, at
Schaff hansen, one sunny afternoon in
the latter part of May. The first speak
er was fine-looking young man Of %,
whose comedy features, dark curling
hair, and tall, well-shaped figure amply
bore out the name of Handsome Ned"
given him by his intimates. Young,
rich, good-looking, popular with high
and low, in the plentitude of health and
vigor, lately betrothed to the charming
girl whose soft, lustrous eyes were
watching him half tenderly, half archly,
from the other side of the board-Vis-
count Montague might fairly account
himself an extremely lucky young fell
low. But upon that bright young face,
firm and manly as it was, brooded the
doomed look which haunts one in the
portraits of Montrose, of Claverhouse,
of Charles I.--ominously bearing out
elders of his native country that "the
last of the Montagues' was SO in dou
BILE sense, and that with him the grand
old line which had left its mark upon
every age of English history since the
days of the Tudors was doomed to pass
away forever.
Beside him sat his inseparable asso-
ciate, Sedley Burdett, whose square,
muscular figure and frank, sunburnt
face looked the very embodiment of
Young England at its best. Side by
side the two young men had shot buff
faloes on the American prairies, stalked
moose through Canadian forests" bowled
over" royal tigers in Bengal, and hob
nobbed with negro Kings on the coast
of Africa, and they were now, .fdLte de
mieur, escorting the Flower of Kent"
and her mother on the inevitable tour
through Switzerland, not without
secret hope that some unscaled noun
tain might afford them chance of
breaking their necks in the good old
British way.
"Did you see how old Johann eyed
me as he brought in the lunch?" said
Montague. Hes evidently devout
believer in the Continental creed, that
an Engishman's natural pastime is to
knock somebody down, or set house
on fire, or make a heavy bet that he'll
jump headforemost out of the window,
and then do it forthwith"
"Aye?" laughed Burdett; "just what
DIR. Buchanan said to me yesterday:
Mein Herr, those countrymen of yours
When was practicing in Saxony had
no peace for them! First thing in the
morning, king! king! at my door
"What is it?" "An Highlander, who
has broken his leg in trying to scale the
Teufels-horn, which no one ever ascend
ed yet" / set the Herr Englander's
leg, and am making him comfortable,
when king! king again. "What now?"
"An Englander, nearly drowned in
swimming across the Elbe for wager"
L wrap the Herr Highlander in hot blan-
kets, and bring him to. Before half an
hour is over, king king! once more.
"Mein Herr! what's the matter?" "An
Englander, who has broken a blood
vessel in trying to run twelve miles an
hour, because somebody said he
couldn't" Mein Herr, 1 am sorry to
have to say it, but your countrymen are
equally devoid of fear and of reason"
But you won't do any more of these
horrible things now, Edward" said
Marion Wentworth entreatingly; "you
promised to be more careful, you know,
while you were with u.s."
"Don't be frightened, my child"
answered the Viscount, with his gay
laugh; "believe me, have no intention
of being killed any sooner than is neces-
sary. Would you believe it, Sed? this
unreasonable young woman is making
herself miserable, and daily expecting a
notification to attend my funeral, on no
better grounds than an old monks
prophecy"
"An old monks prophecy?" echoed
Burdett, inquiringly.
"What, haven't you heard of it?"
cried Montague. "Well, this is treat,
TO find one man to whom that story's
new. You must know, then Gas those
fellows in Sanford and Merton keep
saying), that the estate which Harry the
Eighth bestowed upon my respected
Sir Anthony Browne, included
Battle Abbey and the lands belonging
TO it.; and mighty short work he made
of the poor old monks, if all tales be
true. But after they were all expelled,
Il began to be whispered that one monk
still remained in the old walls, and that !