Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-12-08
him SO expansively as that /; he drank

a
Amelia. come over from Australia.
The shock was severe one to Flush |
ington, who had not even known he pos |
sessed such relative he could only
"Oh !" which he felt even then was
scarcely a warm greeting to give an aunt
from the Antipodes. -.
ooh, but" she added, cheerily, chats
not all I've another surprise for You
the dear girls would insist on coming mp,
too, to see their grand college cousin
they're Just outside. I'll call them ill
shall ~
In another second Flushingtons small
room was overrun by a horde OF female
relatives, while he looked on, gasping.
They were pretty girls, too, many of
| them but that was all the more dread
full to him he did not mind the palmer
| ones half SO much II combination OF
beauty and intellect reduced him to n
condition of absolute imbccility.
He was once caught and introduced to
| charming young lady from Newnham,
and all he could do was to back fecbly
into corner and murmur 'thank you,
repeatedly
He was very little better than that then
as his aunt singled out one girl after an
other. 1--WE won't have any formal nom
sense between cousins" she said, ''you
know them all by name already, | dare
say-this is Milly, that's Jane, here's
Flora and Kitty, and Margaret, and that's
my little Thomasina over there by the
bookcase"
Poor Flushington ducked blindly in
the direction of each, and then to them
all collectively he had not presence OF
mind enough to offer them chairs OF cake,
or anything, and besides there was not
nearly enough of anything for all OF
them.
Meanwhile, his aunt had spread herself
comfortably out in his armchair, and was
untying her bonnet strings and beaming
Mt him until he was ready to expire with
confusion. 81 do think, she observed
at last, "that, when an old aunt all the
way from Australia takes the trouble to
come and see you like this, you might
spare her just one kiss y
Washington dared not refuse ; he tot
tered up and kissed her somewhere about
the face, after which he did not know
which way to look. he was SO terribly
afraid that he might have to 60 through
the same ceremony with the cousins,
which he simply could not have survived.
Happily for him, they did not appear
| 10 expect II, anu lie paliuccu IL NHuii VII
its hind legs, aud, resting one knee upon
it, waited patiently for them to begin a
conversation he could not have uttered
Il single word.
The aunt came to his rescue: "You
don't ask after your uncle Samuel, who
used to send you the beetles?' she said
reprovingly.
no said Flushington, who had for
| O., al Il 30 .
"no, how is uncle Samucl-quite well. |
hope?'
'"Only tolcrably so, thank you, Fred ;
You see, he never got over his great
loss"
NO" said Washington desperately,
"of course not it was IA large sum OF
money to lose all at once"
II was not referring to money, said
shc with slight touch of stoniness i'll
her manner; 81 was abiding to the death
of Your Cousin John"
Washington had felt himself getting on
rather well Just before that, but this awk-
ward mlstake-for he could not recollect
having heard Of Cousin John before
threw him off his balance again he col
lapsed in silence one more, inwardly re-
solving to be luredin into no more questions
concerning relatives.
His Ignorance seemed to have aroused
: pathetic sentiments i'll his aunt 81
ought to have known" said she, shaking
her head, they'd soon forget us Ill the
o Il country here's my own sisters son,
and he doesn't remember his cousin S
death Well, well, now we're here, we
must see if we cant know one another n
j little better. Fred, you must take the
girls and me everywhere and show us
everything, like II good nephew, you
know"
Flushington had horrible mental
vision of himself careering about all
J Cambridge, followed by a long process
sion Of female relatiyes-a fearful posi-
bility to so shy a man. 'Shall you be
here long % he asked.
"Only week orso; we're at the Bull,
very near You, you see and I'm afraid
} you think us very bold beggars, Fred,
/ but we're going to ask you to give us
something to eat. I've set my heart, so
have the girls (haven't you, dears p, on
lunchng once with college student III
! his own ROOM
"Iheres nothing so extraordinary III
it, l assure you" protested Flushington,
"an1-and I'm afraid there's very little
for you to eat. The kitchen and buttery
are closed" Che said this at n venture, ms
he felt absolutely unequal to facing the
college cook and ordering lunch from that
tremendous parsonage he would rather
order it from his tutor cven). ''But, il
you don't mind potted ham, there's lit
tie ut the bottom of this tin, and there s
! some bread and an inch of butter, and
marmalade, and few biscuits. And
: there was some sherry this morning."
The girls all protested themselves very
hungry, and contented with anything
so they sat round the table, and poor
Fluchington served out meagre rations of
all the provisions he could find, even to
his figs and French plums; but there
was not nearly enough to go round, and
| they lunched with evident disilluson-
ment, thinking that the college luxury of
which they had heard so much had been
| greatly exaggerated.
During the luncheon the aunt began to
study Flushington's features attentively
"Theres n strong look of poor, dear 81
mon about him when he smiles, she said
looking at him through her gold double
glasses. "There did you catch it girls
Just his mothers profile Cturn your face a
leetle more toward the window 30 as tc
get the light on your nose) don't you
see the likeness of your aunt's portrait
4 girls ?"
And Washington had to sit still Will
all the girls charming eyes fixed critical
ly upon his crimson countenance he
: longed to be able to slide down under the
: table aud evade them, but of course he
was obliged to remain above.
, Hes got dear Carolines nose |" the
. aunt went on triumphantly and the
: cousins agreed that he certainly had Caro-
e lines nose, which made Washington fee
8 that he ought at least to offer to return it
Presently one Of the girls whispered tt
her mother, who laughed indulgcntly
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