Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-12-15


fashionable hour, the hall was nearly
full, and the first country dance (qua-
drilles had not poisoned the peace and
stirred up all the bad passions of Hold
metz was commenced by the eldest son
and presumptive heir of old Squire
Thoroughbred, who conducted gracefully
through it's mazes the chosen divinity of
his heart, Miss Wilhelmina Bouncer,
only daughter of Tobias Bouncer, Esq,
justice of peace in the county of Shrop-
shire.
Enjoyment was at its height, and the
three professional fiddlers had put a
spirit of life in all things, when suddenly
one might perceive that the merriment
was for a moment checked, while more
than usual hustle pervaded the room.
The stranger had entered it; and there
was something so different in his looks
and manners from those of any of the
other male creatures, that everybody
surveyed him with renewed curiosity,
which was at first tinctured with awe.
''He knows nobody, and nobody knows
him; surely he will never think of asking
anybody to dance.
''Dance!' said Miss Coffin, the apothe-
cary's daughter, "wonder who would
dance with him? A being whom we
know no more about than we do of the
man in the moon. Papa says he looks
for all the world like quack DOCTOR"
81 rather suspect" said Miss Blue
bite, starch spinster of fifty, who was
considered the Madame de Stael of the
village, I" l rather suspect that he is an
Irish fortune hunter, come for the ex-
press purpose of running away with
some of us. We ought to be upon our
guard, assure you
But Notwithstanding those sage re-
marks the stranger paid apparently but
little attention to any one or anything
until his eye fell upon the face of Emily
Sommers, and appeared to rest where it
fell with no small degree of pleasure.
No wonder. Emily was not what is gen.
orally styled beautiful; but there was
sweetness, modesty gentleness about
her, that charmed the more the longer
it was observed. She was the only child
of a widowed mother Her father had
pension of an officers widow was all the
fortune he had left them. But nature
had bestowed riches of more valuable
kind than those which fortune had de-
MED.
1t was to Emily Sommers that the
stranger first spoke. He walked right
across the room, and asked her to dance
with him. Emily had never seen him
before; but concluding that he had come
there with some of her friends, and lit
tie acquainted with the rules of etiquette,
she Immediately with frank artlessness,
smiled an acceptance of his request. Just
at that moment young Squire Thorough
bred came bustling toward her; but
observing her hand already in that of
the stranger, he looked somewhat wrath
fully at the unknown, and said, with
much dignity, 81, sir, intended to have
been Miss Sommers' partner"
The stranger fixed his dark eyes upon
the Squire, slight smile curled on his
lip, and, without answering. he passed
on with his partner, and took his place
In the dance. TIE Squire stood stock
still for moment, feeling as if he had
just experienced slight shock of cleo
tricity. When he recovered, he walked
quietly away in search of Miss Wilhel-
nina Bo1mcer
1t was the custom III Hodnet for the
gentlemen to employ the morning of the
succeeding day IN paying their respects
to the ladies with whom they had danced
on the previous evening. At these visits
all the remarkable events of the ball
were of course talked over.
Criticisms were made upon the differ
ent dresses; commentaries were offered
on the various modes of dancing: doubts
were suggested regarding the beauty of
Miss A; suspicious were limited as to
gentility of Miss B.; Mr.. G.. was severe
ly blamed for dancing twice with Miss
d.; mutual inquiries were made con-
corning the odd-looking man who intro
duced himself so boldly to Mrs. and
Miss Sommers, and who was reported
even to have seen them home, OF at least
to have left the assembly with them.
1t is most true that he did leave the
public hall Of Hodnet with Mrs. and
Miss Sommers, and true that he escorted
them home. Nay, it is also true that he,
won so much upon their favor that, on
his requesting permission to wait on
them the next day, it was without much
difficulty obtained. This was surely
very imprudent in Mrs. Sommers. and
everybody said it was very imprudent.
IL "oo 'CAys Wy OuAO1ISC'
But whether is was very strange or
not, the fact is that the stranger spent
most of his time at Violet Cottage; and
what is, perhaps, no less wonderful, not
withstanding his apparent intimacy, he
remained nearly as much a stranger to
its inmates as ever. His name they had
ascertained was Burleigh Frederick
Burleigh; that he was probably upward
of eight and-twenty, and that, if he had
ever belonged to any profession, it must
have been that OF arms. But further
they knew not. Mrs. Sommers, however,
who, to well-cultivated mind, added
considerable experience of the world, did
not take long to discover that their new
friend..was, in every sence of the word,
a gentleman; and the thought, too, that
she saw in him, after a short intercourse,
many of those nobler qualities which
raise the Individual to high and we'll