Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1883-05-31
AN UNDERGRADUATES AUNT.

Frederick Flushington belonged t,
small college, and in doing so con
ferred upon it one of the few distinc
tons 1t could boast-namcly, that o
possessing the very bashfulcst man il
the university.
He was sitting one afternoon owe
his modest lunch of bread and butter
potted meat and lemonade, when al
at once he heard the sound of unusua
voices and strange lluttcr of dresses
coming up the winding stone staircas,
outside, and was instantly seized will
II cold dread.
There was no particular reason foI
being alarmed, although there wer,
certainly ladies mounting the steps
probably they were friends of the MAJ
opposite, who was always having hi,
people up. But still Flushington haC
that odd presentiment which nervou!
people have sometimes that something
unpleasant is on its way to them, ant
he halt rose from his chair to shut hi.
outer oak.
1t was too late; the dresses were
rustling now in his very passage
there was q pause, a few faint
smothered laughs, and, little feminine
coughs, then two taps at the door.
Come ill.," cried FIushington
family.
The door opened, and his hear
seemed to stop. and all the blood
rushed violently to his head. as Il large
lady came sweeping in, her face rip
pling with broad smile of affection.
The Mortified Flushington, who knew
nobody with the least claim to smile
at him so cXpanSivcly us that, drank
lemonade to conceal his confusion.
you don't know me, my deal
Fred?" she said, easily. "Of course
not-how should you? rm-for good.
ness sake, my dear boy, don't look SC
terribly frightened! I'm your aunt
your Aunt Amelia, come over from
Australia"
= "Oh, butt she added chccriv,
that 'snot all; Eve another surprise
for you; tho dear girls would insist on
coming up, too; to sec their grand col
legc cousin; they're just outside. I'll
call them in, shall I?"
In another second Flushington's
small room was ovcrrun by horde OF
female relatives, whio he looked on
gasping.
He was once caught and introduced
to a charming young lady from Now
ham, and all he could do was to bacl;
feebly into u corner, and murmur
"Thank you" repeatedly.
lie was very little better than that
now, as his aunt singled one girl after
another. ave won't have any formal
nonsense between cousins" she said;
you know them already by name, /
dare say this is Nlilly, that's Jane,
here's Flora, and Kitty, and Margaret,
and that's my little Thomasina over
there by the bookcase"
Poor Flushington duckcd blindly in
the direction OF each, and then to them
all collectively; he had not presence of
mind to offer them chairs, or cake, or
anything; beside, there was not nearly
enough of anything for all them.
Meanwhile his aunt had spread her
self comfortably out in his armchair,
and wasuntying her bonnet-strings and
beaming at him until he was ready to
expire with confusion. II 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!"
Flushington 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 he might have to 90
through the same ceremony with the
cousins, which he simply could not
have survived.
Happily for him they did not expect
it, and he balanced u chair on its hind
legs, and, resting one knee upon IL,
waited patiently for them to begin n
conversations; he could not have utter
ed single word.
The aunt came TO the rescue: "You
don ask after your Uncle Smucl, who
used to send you the bcctlesP she said,
rcprovingly.
mo" said Flushington, who had
forgotten Uncle Samuel, and his
beetles, too; "no, how is Uncle Sam
uel-quitc well, hope?"
"Only tolerably so, thank you, Fred,
you see, he never got over his great
lOss.n
NO" said Flushington desperately,
"of course not, it was largo sum of
money to lose all at once"
II was not referring to money!" said
she, with slight touch of stoniness in
her manner, 81 was alluding to the
death of your Cousin john"
Flushington had felt himself getting
on rather well before that, but this
awkward mistake-for he couldn't
recollect of having heard of Cousin
John-threw him off his balance again;
no collapsed into silence once more,
inwardly resolving 10 be lured into
no more questions concerning relatives.
His ignorance seemed to have aroused
pathetic sentiments in his aunt: III
ought to have known" she said, shak-
ing her head, "they soon forget us in
the old country; here's my sisters son.
and he doesn't remember his cousins
death! VOL, well, now we're here,
we must see if We can't know one an
other a little better. Fred, you must
take the girls and me everywhere and
show us everything, like good
nephew, you know"
Flushington had horrible mental
vision of himself caroering about all
over Cambridge, followed by n long
procession of female relatives-a fear.
full responsibility to so shy n man.
"Shall you be here longP" he asked.
"Only week or so, we're at the
Bull, very near you, you see; but I'm
afraid you think us very bold beggars,
Fred, but we're going to get You to
give us something to eat, I've just set
my heart, so have the girls, (haven't
you, dearsD, on lunching once with
college student in his own rooms"
During luncheon the aunt began to
study Flushington's face attentively:
"There's a strong look of poor Simon
about him when he smiles" sho said,
looking at him through her gold double
FThpra did won oafob u oyiyle