The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-03-20

IktlWuTxelenlte 10 whom mr.. QofnOWAy
Dicke appeared to be q person OF impor
: tancei and moreover, had not yet dis
covered whether he wore a wig or not
@lhe worst part ola wig" says the ole
riddle, "as OF love, Is the parting" but
Mr.. Dornoway.Dicke's parting was per
Iect, and SO delicate that one would have
almost said II had been effected by ie,
male hand. Among the simpler inhabi
tants Of Arcadia he might take less ex,
IRENE precautions 70 deceive the public;
and be certainly would not get his hall
cut, II cut II ever was, so often. ~ will
come TO Dornoway Court with pleasure
said and on the appinted day went.
Important as my hosts position In the
country may be, 1t Is not my intention Ia
describe "Mr. Dornoway-D icke at home
as though he were public character
Suffice It to say, that he was better al
, home than abroad, or at least in London
| and as his family were pleasant people,
! and his house full OF cheerful company,
did not regret my visit. The "Court," az
he loved to call 1t, was, however, so pec1-
liar that must say few words about 1t.
1t was the only editice with which am
acquainted which gratifed ones sense OF
humor. II was quite spick.and.span as
respects newness, but built and furnished
in the medieval style. A gravel drive,
rolled 10 perfection, led up to frowning
entrance, with huge oaken portal in
which was inserted little hole barred
with iron for purposes OF espial. Through
this the porter was supposed Though he
never did it) to take cogaizance Of the ap.
preaching visitor, and II peaceful, to un.
haK tka aout,,n hn1tu ~ tEn f,rnak loo. -
let him in. Everything In the house was
apparently Of the same epoch, but in real
ity about three years old. In the dining
room was fireplace as big as an ordinary
parlor, and before which one would not
have been surprised TO see pair OF trunk
hose airing, or couple OF lack-boots.
The Switchboard, to the modern and mart.
istlc eye, resembled kitchen.dresscr;
while In the morning.room was spin.
ning.wheeI with the flax in It, as though
the thrifty housewife had just been called
away from that occupation to superintend
the construction OF venison paSty, or 10
issue orders for the entertainment OF the
company invited TO the morrow's tourna-
ment.
These ridiculous objects, as soon dis
covered, were designed TO pursuade the
public that the Dornoway Dickes them
selves were medieval, and had resided at
the "Court" for the last 600 years, whereas,
as matter OF fact, they were new corners.
In the country, even though you are dis.
family connected with the peerage, this Is
q serious obstacle to position" and the
whole of my hosts gigantic intellect was
concentrated on attaining II. He had been
called upon" at once by every one in the
county Yithin circuit OF twenty-five
miles, except One. write II reverentislly
with capital 0, for 1t was "The Duke"
lam not, Of course, speaking Of the late
Duke OF Wellington. In Mangelwurzel-
shire, as in every other county, the Duke |
was the Duke who lived there-His Grace
OF Turniptops. This divinity was still a
young man, unmarried, and not much |
gwen to calling on anybody, and for three |
long years all the efforts of the Dornoway
DiCkes had been unavailing to induce him |
to honor.the "Court" with his august |
presence. Two months ago, however, he
had sent his card by a mounted messen.
ger, and one month ago, oh, Joy OF Joys!
he had accepted an invitation to a garden
party at the house for one Of the very days
on which was TO remain its guest.
had been given that Mr.. Dornoway-Dicke
had made his appearance at the club to
make arrangements with Gunter; and now
that l knew the circumstances, ! was not
only not surprised at the magnifcence OF
his department on that occasion, but as
tonished that he should have been 80 affa-
BILE as he was. My private impression is,
that he asked me down to Dornoway
Court not so much from personal affection
asto secure an additional witnessto his So
cial triumph; bat that is neither here nor
there. The duke was coming; and the
family were in state OF excitement rare,
/ should hope, in Hanwell, and not habit
ually exhibited even at Broadmoor.
The great subject OF discussion among
them for weeks had been, Who was to be
invited to meet the Duke? and 1t was not
exhausted yet. Every body-who was any
body-had been asked except the Titbats;
and the knotty point that could not be set
tied was, whether these people should be
asked or not. Captain and Mrs. Titbat
were their immediate neighbors; their
lawn.tennis grounds were in fact contigu-
Gus, and the two families, though not abso-
lutely on friendly footing, were well
known 10 one another. Young Titbat,
when player was wanting, had some
times even been invited to make up the |
party at their iavorite amusement; and
when the balls went over the wire fence
that separated the two domains, the juve-
nile Titbats did not pretend las some
young people would that they were lost,
but would honestly chuck them back |
again. Sill the Titbats were not among
the county families, nor anything like 1t.
Their eiforts-iar more desperate than
those OF the Dornoway. Dickes-had mis-
erably and utterly failed in that direction.
II was not so much that their mansion was
too small TO BIZ reckoned as country
house; that their paddock could not by
any strain OF courtesy be called park; or
that their oriental lake was an undeniable
pond, There was something amiss-I
never could find out what-about Mrs.
Ttbat.
She was woman-I once beheld her,
and under circumstances can never for
get-ot large proportions and hirsute as
pect Indeed, she had very respectable
beard); her complexion was rubicund,
and to the uncharitable might seem to iu-
dictate that she INDUCED in liquor, though
never heard that she did so. Whatever
was WfODR Will ueT uhu uhppcueu sV
long ago that It would have been much
better and kinder oil her fellow.creatures
to have forgotten it. My impression Is,
that instead Of rushing into matrimony
with the imprudence OF most young coup
les, Captain Titbat and herself had exer-
cised an unusual prudence, and had got
Themselves indissolubly united till time
and trial had shown them to be suited TO
one another.
Dornoway. Dickes have dreamed Of asking
her to their garden party except for that
contiguity, 70 which l have referred, OF
their lawn,tennis grounds. The Duke, it
was known, was devoted to the game;
and II the two grounds could be thrown
into one, 1t was felt by all the family that
| u ,,,a,,t1 hat,h ham an imToanaa tmnrnve-