The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-09-12
SHOOTING THE RAPIDS.

sCurious, isn't it, how the old Gus
toms still hold their own? Here is the
fashion of penance by pilgrimage still
in vogue, with the additional aggrava
tion of calling it travelling for pleas
ure.'"
Well, Edward" said sweet voice,
that's very pretty compliment to us
your companions. think / ought to
make you do penance for that"
"That's right, Miss Wentworth; keep
him in order,n chimed in third speaker.
However, going abroad has this one
advantage for us English, that there we
can sometimes venture to seem 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, al
Schaffhausen, one sunny afternoon in
the latter part of May. The first speaker
was a fine looking young man of three
and-twenty, whose comely features,
dark curling hair, and tall, well shaped
figure, amply bore out the name OF
I" Handsome Ned,p given him by his
intimates. Young, rich, good-looking,
popular with high and low, in the plen-
it1de of health and vigor, lately be-
trothed to the charming girl whose soft
lustrous eyes were watching him halt
tenderly, half archly, from the other
side of the board -Viscount Montague
might fairly account himself an ex-
tremely lucky young fellow. 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
-ominously bearing out the gloomy
tradition current among the elders oi
his native country, that the last of the
Montagues was so in double 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 topass away forever
Beside him sat his inseparable associ
ate, Sedley Burdett, whose square
muscular figure, and frank sunburnt
face, looked the very embodiment oi
young England at its best. Side by
side, the two young men had shot
buffaloes on American prairies, stalked
moose through Canadian forests
/" bowled oyero royal tigers in Bengal
and hobnobbed with negro kings on the
coast of Africa, and they were now
faute de mieur, escorting the 7" Flower O
Kent" and her mother on the inevitable
tour through Switzerland, not withou
a secret hope that some unscaled noun
tain might afford them chance o
breaking their necks in the good ole
British way.
"Did YOU see how old Johann eyeC
me as he brought in the lunch3" sale
Montague. "He's evidently devou
believer in the Continental creed, tina
an Englishman's natural pastime is Il
knock somebody down, or set house OF
fire, or make heavy bet that he'll
Jump headforemost out of the window
and then do it forthwith"
/" Aye" laughed Burdett, "just wha
DIR. Buchanan said to me yesterday
Mein Herr, those countrymenof yours
When I was practicing in Saxony,
had no peace for theml First thing il
the morning, klingi king! at my door
What is ftT fAn Englander, VIII,
has broken his leg in trying to scale tn
Teufels-horn, which no one eve
ascended yet, I set the Herr Eng
lander's leg, and am making him com
Portable, when klingl king! again
What nowT AN Englander, nearl,
drowned in swimming across the Elb
for a wager / wrap the Herr Eng
lander in hot blankets, and bring hiI
to. Before half an hour is over, king
klingl once more. Mein Herrl what
the matterT An Englander, VIII
has broken blood-vessel in trying t
run twelve miles an hour, because som,
body said he couldn't Mein Herr,
am sorry. to have to say it, but you
countrymen are equally devoid of fea
and of reason"
But you won't do any more of thes
horrible things now, Edward" sal
Marion Wentworth entreatingly; 20
promised to be more careful, you know
while you werNwith u.s."
"Don't be frightened, my child,
answered the viscount, with his ga
laugh; believe me, have no intentio
of being killed any sooner than is nece
sary. Would you believe it, sed? tn
unreasonable young woman is makir
herself miserable, and daily expectir
notification to attend my funeral, Q
no better grounds than an old monk
prophecy"
can old monks prophecy?' echot
Burdett inquiringly.
What, haven't you heard of it
cried Montague. "Well, this is tres
to find one man to whom that story
new. You must know, then Gas tho
fellows in Sanford and Merton ket
saying), that the estate which Har
the Eighth bestowed upon my respect
ancestor, Sir Anthony Browne, includ
Battle Abbey and the lands belongi
to it; and mighty short work he ma
Of the poor old monks, if ali tales
true, But after they were expelled,