St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-11-24


| replied as briefly as | could, whilst
watched two porters disputing for the
possession of my pOrtmanteau.
| suppose Tom saw that | was yet
suffering from the effects of my voyage
and was some what out of sorts, for he
did not speak to me for some time.
When he did it was in tone of re-
proach.
"Fitz, you have not asked me how he
is he said.
"He whom ?" | inquired, rather
mystified.
"Your little godsOn."
go. of course how stupid | am! |
beg your pardon, my dear fellow; how
is he? All right, hope" ("If the fond
parent had only heard my fervent
prayers for his only heir few hours
ago :" | thought to myself, feeling for
the first time in my life, bit of hyp-
Ocrite.)
. "He is wonderful big infant, they
tell me-" said the atfectiOnate parent,
with an air of pride and some assump-
tion of Indifference.
SIS he % | asked with what | hoped
was IA tone expressive of interest.
Tom was so good-natured that he
had already forgiven me my want of
thought.
"When is it to be, Tom ~ said
presently.
"What ~ he asked.
''The christening, of COURSE" said |.
"Wednesday," he answered; land
we have decided to leave the selection
of his name to you"
"My dear fellow, that is too much
responsibility; if gave the boy name
he disliked, like Christopher or Tobi
as, or Alonzo or Simon, he would new
er forgive me when he grew up, but
would hate me to the day of his
DEATH
''What nonsense you talk, Fitz You
can talk it over with Mary, and come
to some arrangement"
cone question:" said |, abruptly
stopping in our walk toward the
brOugham that was to carry us to
Toms comfortable home ''shall have
to hold him at the font ?"
eyes that is, no ; upon my life |
can't say. Why p
because | have never held one be
fore, and am sure should let it fall.
| have never seen One-having no mar
ried relatives or friendS-eXcept in il
bus or in IL perambulatOr in the
streets and | am rather afraid of
! them, | am, upon my life. think they
are all bad-tempered and bad-man-
nered, and have Il common habit of
working themselves into frighttul pas
sions about nothing in particular, just
to plague people and make them un-
| comfortable"
For answer my friend shook his fat
sides with laughter, and, when he could
speak, said:
.'You talk like a bachelor, Fitz."
"You forget that | have not had
twelve months experience of matrimo-
ny" | said, hitting him home.
He only laughed all the more at this
My reply seemed quite to tickle his
! fancy.
at would be the best thing in life
for you if you had it would make you
a happy man." he said, when he recOv-
cred himself. "Take my word for it
YOU don't know what comfort is till
you're married"
81 am not very miserable in my pres
ent state of blessed bachelOrhO0d, and
in no hurry to make IA change" said l..
"Then you are wrong, my boy. Dc
you know why sent for you ?" he said
looking at me suddenly, and, as
thought afterward, speculatively.
''To stand godfather to your son, o
course"
"That is one reason; but | have
another. May and have laid a plot
I'm afraid I'm spelling sport by telling
you, but I'm hanged if can hold my
tongue"
Il am the victim of your plot, | sup
pose ?" inquired mildly.
"You are, my boy. We want to make
you as happy as ourselves by marrying
YOU to one of the brightest and best o
girls she is just the one to make yOl
as happy as you could desire"
Upon my life, you are awful!
good, both of you; but | have no in
clination to join the list of martyrs
mean to-to enter into the holy bond
of matrimOny."
ave will say no more about her un
til You see her"
.'When will that be P' | asked, feel
ing rather curious to see the woman
whom my friends had decided was t.
make me a happy man.
'On Wednesday morning; she is t.
he one of the godmothers."
There was much ado about tina
christening. The cake was of IL gigan
F.. tie size, as if ordered with ii mercifu
consideration for the healthy appetite
of the sisters, cousins and aunts q
Tom Phelan and his wife. The previ
, ous night dinner was given to cele
brate the event more fifty. | wa
: dressed ealy and went down to tn
, drawing-rOOm where Tom was talkin
to Mrs. MacFum, IA little woman wit
: IL twinkle i'll her eyes and a juvenil
!, cap on her head, who prided herself o
4 being connected with the family of til
= great MacFums, to whom Brian BOr
himself WAS but an upstart and til
Y lords of Kildare and Leinster bu
: ''mushrOOns, me dear, if it comes
t that" as she used to say with sens
= of pride, expressed by a backward jer
;. of her head that made the lace of he
| cap flutter airily and the roses trembl
t. from eXultation. in more senses tina
V one, on their wire stems. When III
- host had introduced me, and she ha
= nodded her Juvenile cap in recOgnitiO
r, of my best bow, she went on with til
1 narrative Oh WHAT hel uedT lflenu Lao
1t Ariadne had said to her when she W;
d last in London, which Tom had inte
rupted for the purpose of introducin
IA me.
It saw that he was impatient to &,
: away, but there was no use in his stri'
e ing to stir from Mrs. MacFum Just the
: who started with fresh anecdote
1t what Tom Moore had told her he Ia
o said to Lady BlessingtOn when 81
II sang "Believe me if all :" and so WI
le left to make acquaintance with Il