The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-09-19
SHOOTING THE RAPIDS.

"Curious, 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-
ton Of calling it travelling for pleas
ure."
"Well, Edward" said Il sweet voice,
CHATS very pretty compliment to us
your companions, | think | ought to
make you do penancc for that"
"That's right, Miss Wentworth; keep
him in order" chimed athird 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 gentlemcn--seated at lunch on
the balcony of the Hotel du Rim, at
Scbaflhausen. 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
Handsome Ned" given him by his
intimates. Young, rich, good looking,
popular with high and low, in the plen-
itude of health and vigOr, lately be-
trothed to the charming girl whose soft
lustrous eyes were watching him half
tenderly, half archly, from the other
side of the bOard-NisCOunt Montague
might fairly account himself an eX-
tremely luck y young fellow. But upon
that bright young face, firm and manly
as it was, broodcd 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 ol
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 OF
young England at its best. Side by
side, the two young men had shot
buaaloes on American prairies, stalkcd
moose through Canadian forests,
"bowled over" royal tigers in Bengal,
and hobnobbed with negro kings on the
coast of Africa, and they were now,
taute de mievr, 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 a devout
believer in the Continental creed, that
an Englishman's natural pastime is tc
knock somebody down, or set Il house on
fire, or make heavy bet that he'll
lump headforemost out of the window
and then do it forthwith"
"Aye," laughed BTdett, just what
DR.. Buchanan said to me yesterday
Mein Herr, those countrymen OF yours,
When | was practicing in Saxony,
had no peace for them First thing il
the morning, king king. at my door
What is itT 'An Englander, whe
has broken his leg in trying to scale the
Teufels-horn, which no one ever
ascended vet / set the Herr Eng
lander's leg, and am making him com
Portable, when king! king! again
What now?' 'An Englander, nearly
drowned in swimming across the Elbt
for wager | wrap the Herr Eng
lander in hot blankets, and bring hin
to. Before half an hour is over, king
king once more. Mein Herr! what :
the matter?' An Englander, who
has broken blood-vessel in trying Il
run twelve miles an hour, because some
body said he couldn't Mein Herr
am sorry to have to say it, but yonI
countrymen are equally devoid Of ieaI
and of reason"
But you won't I do any more OF thes'
horrible things now, Edward" /" sale
Marion Wentworth entreatingly; "yol
promised to be more careful, you know
while you were with u.s."
"Don't he frightened, my child,
answered the viscount, with his ga!
laugh; :" believe me, / have no intention
of being killed any sooner than Is neces
safy. Would you believe it, Sed thi
unreasonable young woman |. maxim
herself miserable, and daily expectin
notification to attend my funeral, o.