The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-10-24
Miss Lirripip's Lovers.

enough, even In THESE days Oh agrlculI'
ural depression and stagnant trade; but
girl with five thousand year is
rarity; and girl with five thousand a
year and pretty face into the bargain is
a positive phenomenon, and, as such, can
not fail to be greatly admired by num-
Der of more or less eligible young men
with taste for beauty of the most SUBJ
stantial kind. Even middle-aged bachel-
ors awoke from their habitual indiffer-
ence when, on being introduced to a
lovely dsmsel of two-and-twenty, they are
conscious that the possessor of consid-
cradle fortune stands before them; for
although money is the root of all evil, it
is root which most people very willingly
undertake the risk of cultivating.
Since Lydia Lirripip was thus beauti-
full and thus rich, it is not surprising that
she had not only admirers-men who
dared to wish uncertain things; but low
ers, too-men who had the presumption
to hope. 1t is true that Lydia encouraged
none of them, for she was quite satisfied
to live at home with her father, Gen.
eral Lirripip, in Bruton-street, Grosvenor
square, and to ride in Rotten Row in the
morning and to drive in the park in the
do not require encouragement; nay, in
certain affairs the less encouragement
they receive the greater their persistency
becomes; and considering the healthily
constituted young women seldom, if ever,
give any encouragement to young men,
the persistency of these latter in the face
of alarming difficulties is matter on
which all of us may heartily congratulate
ourselves. Indeed, but for the persistency
who knows whether the world would go
round
1t was the height of the London season,
and Lydia Lirripip went with her father
one evening to great ball at the Count
ess of Carnaby's. Everybody was there
everybody, that is, of rank and fashion
and ere she had been in the brightly
lighted rooms for five minutes, Lydia was
engaged for all the dances on the pro-
gramme. Now, to most Of her partners
she was only engaged for single valse or
polka, but, for old acquaintance's sake, or
for some other reason, she allowed three
gentlemen to take two dances each. 1t
was no doubt very indiscreet of her to do
30, but in one case at least it was also
very good-natured of her, for she per-
mitted old Sir Pertinax Popinjay, who, as
every one knew, was far too tiff and
equity to move about properly, to put down
his name for the only two sets of lancers.
Sir Pertinax was effusively grateful and
smiled his sweetest upon her as he re-
of regretting her kindness, felt thoroughly
rewarded by seeing that she was giving
pleasure to the gray-haired baronet, who,
thirty years before, had been noted
dandy, but who now struck her as being
simply prosy old fellow, whom very few
girls would be likely to dance with. Her
other favored partners were Mr.. Horace
Freake-a young artist who had that year
for the first time exhibited at the royal
academy-and Mr.. Merton Murley, a man
who had no profession and no occupation,
and who, if he had private income, de-
rived it from a source not generally known
even to his friends.
In this world many strange coinci-
dences happen. Two chemists have been
known to make exactly the same discov-
cry on the same day; and two astrono-
mers have claimed to catch sight of a
new comet at almost the same moment.
1t is not, therefore, incredible that, while
dancing these six dances with her three
favored partners, Lydia casually men,
toned to each of them that upon the fol-
lowing evening her father was going to
take the chair at the annual meeting of
the society for the Encouragement of
Cold.water Bathing on the Continent
that she was not going, but would be
alone at home that she wished that girls
were able like men to amuse themselves
and that she envied her partners their
clubs, their theatres and their socable
smoking concerts. Nor is it incredible
that, having heard this, Sir Pertinax
Popiniay, Mr.. Horace Freake, and Mr..
Merton Murley all made up their minds
to call upon Miss Lirripip upon the fol.
lowing evening, and to make to her GER
tain avowals, which, although they had
long meditated them, they now felt i'm.
PEELED to make as soon as possible, and
without any unnecessary delay. What
these avowals were may be guessed but
why the three gentlemen all determined
at the same time to make them is ques
tion which cannot be explained, although
the fact that Lydia that evening looked
even prettier than usual may possibly
have been one of the causes of the extra
ordinary coincidence.
Lydia little dreamed, when in the
small hours of the morning she dropped
off to sleep, of what was hanging ovel
her. Sir Pertinsx had made no sign
Mr.. Murley had not been more attentive
than had for some time been his wont
and Mr.. Freake had been actually more
dull and uninteresting than Miss LirripiI
had ever seen him. She therefore slept
soundly, and was undisturbed by fears Of
the coming evening and its visitors.
The following day was wet. The gen
eral, who had lived for many years in In
dia, and had liver which caused him tc
be somewhat irascible, shut himself up il
his library and savagely studied the sta
tistics of cold.water bathing; and Lydia
who could not 60 out, painted in her bou
doir. The Lirripips dined at hslf-pas
five, to enable the general to get to tn,
meeting at half-past seven and as he hac
taken no exercise during the day, and hat
been quite unable to master all the in
formation he required relative to tn,
average of cleanliness upon the Continent
Lydia's father was not in the best of tenn
pers. "Sit up for me-" he said " shall
be in by half-past eleven" These wer'
his last words, as, the carriage having
been announced, he hurried away from
the table, stopping for an instant a
Lydia's side to kiss her hastily on the tol
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