Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-01-26

ask after your Uncle Samuel who used to
send you the beetles p she said, reprovingly.
NO said Flushington, who had forgot
ten Uncle Samuel and his beetles, too GLOW
is Uncle Samuel2 Quite well, hope y
only tolerably 80, thank you, Fred you
see, he never got over his great loss"
NO. said Flushington desperately, "of
course not 1t was "a large sum Of money
to lose all at once"
81 was not referring to money!" said she,
with slight touch of stoniness in her man.
ner. 81 was alluding to the death of your
cousin John"
FushnRton had felt himself getting on
very well just before that but this awkward
mistake--for he could not recollect having
heard OF cousin John before-threw him of
his balance again he collapsed in silence
once MORE inwardly resolving to be ured
into no moro questions concerning relatives
His Ignorance seemed to have aroused pa
thetic sentiments in his aunt. II ought TO
have known" she said, shaking her head.
THAT they'd soon forget us in the old coun-
try here's my own sister'sson, and ho doesn't
remember his cousins death Well, now we
are here, we must see if we can't know one
another little better. Fred, you must take
the girls and me everywhere, and show us
everything, like a good nephew, you know"
Flushington had horrible mental vision
of himself careering about all Cambridge,
followed by long procession Of female rela-
tives, fearful possibility to so shy q man.
"Shall you be here longi" he asked.
"Only week or 80 we're at the Bull
very near you, you see aud 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, and so have the girls
(havent you dears y on luuchng once with
college student in his own room"
There's nothing so extraordinary in it, |
assure you" protested Flushington "and-
and I'm afraid there's very little for you to
eat. The kitchen and buttery are closed -"
be said this at venture, as he felt absolute
ly unequal to facing the college cook aud or
dering lunch from that tremendous person
age; he had rather order it from his tutor,
even. But" he said, 'f you don't mind
potted ham, there's q little at the bottom Of
this tin, and there's some bread and an inch
Of butter, and marmalade, and e few bis
cults And there was some sherry this morn
ing"
The girls all professed themselves very
hungry, and contented with anything so
they sat round the table, and poor Flushing
ton served out meagre ratons Of all the pro-
visions he could find, even to his figs and
French plums but there was not nearly
enough to go round, and they lunched with
evident disillusionment 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:
There's a strong look Of poor dear Simon
about him when he smiles, she said looking
at him through her gold glasses. There,
did you catch it, girls just his mothers
profile turn your face a leetle more toward
the window, so as to get the light on your
nose y don't you see the likeness to your
aunts portrait, girls?"
Aud Flushington had to sit still with all the
girls charming eyes fixed critically upon his
crimson countenance; he longed to be able
to slide down under the table and evade them,
but of course he was obliged to remain above
Hes got dear Caroine's nose - the aunt
went ontriumphantly and the cousins agreed
that he certainly had Carolines nose, which
made Flushington feel vaguely that he ought
at least to offer to restore it,
Presently one CT the girls whispered to her
mother who laughed ndulgenty "What do
you think this silly child wants me to ask you
now, Fred 2" she said "She says she would
so like to see what you look like with your
college cap and gown on Will you put them
on, just to please her Z"
So Flushington had to put them on, and
walk slowly up and down the room in them,
feeling all the time what dismal spectacle
he was making of himself while the girls were
plainly disappointed, and remarked that,
somehow, they had thought the academical
costume more becoming
Then began hotly maintained catechism
upon his studies, his amusements, his friends,
and his mode of life generally which he met
with uneasy shiftings and short timid answers,
that they did not appear to think altogether
satisfactory.
Indeed the aunt, who by this time felt the
potted ham beginning TO disagree with her,
asked him, with something of severity in her
tone, whether he went to church regularly
and he said that he didn't 60 to church, but
was always regular at chapel.
On this she observed coldly that she was
sorry to hear her nephew was a Dissenter
and Flushington was much too shy to attempt
to explain the Misunderstanding he sat quiet
and felt miserable, while there was another
uncomfortable pause.
The cousins were whispering together and
laughing over little private jokes, aud he, af-
ter the manner of sensitive men, of course
imagined they were laughing at him-and
perhaps he was not very far wrong on this
occasion. So he was growing hotter and hot
ter every second, inwardly cursing his whole
race and wishing that his father had been a
foundling-when there came another tap at
the door.
"Why, that must be poor old Sophy :" said
his aunt Fred, you remember old Sophy ~
no, you can't, you were only baby when
she came to live with us, but she'll remember
you. She begged so hard to be taken, and
so we told her she might come on here slowly
after u.s."
And then an old person in a black bonnet
came feebly in and was considerably affected
when she saw Flushington. ''To think" she
quavered "to think as my dim old eyes
should see the child I've nursed on my lap
growed out into college gentleman :" And
she hugged Flushington and wept on his
shoulder, till he was almost cstaeptic with
confusion.
But as she grew calmer she became more
critical she confessed to a certain feeling of
disappointment with Flushington ; he had not
filled out, she said 80 fine as he'd promised
to fill out" Aud when she asked if he recol-
lected how he wouldn't be washed unless
they put his little wooden horss on the wash
stand, and what business it was to make him
swallow his castor-oil, it made Flushington
feel like fool.
This was quite bad enough, but at last the
girls began to go round his rooms, exclaim-
ing at everything, admiring his pipe and UNI
brela racks, his buffalo horns and his quaint
wooden kettle-holder, and they happened to
come upon MS french novel, and, being un-
sophisticated colonial girls with healthy igno-
rance of such literature, they wanted Flush
ington 10 tell them what it was all about.
His presence of mind had gone long be-
fore, and this demand threw him into a vio-
lent perspiration he could not invent, and
he was painfully racking his brains to find
some portion of the tale which would bear
epetiton-when there was another knock at
the door.
At this Flushington was perfectly dumb
with horror he prepared himself blankly for
another aunt with fresh relay of female
cousins or more old family servants who had
washed him in his infancy, and he sat there
covering.
But when the door opened, a tall fair -faired
good looking young fellow, who from his Co.'S
tune had evidently just come up from the
tennis court came bursting in impulsively.
"Oh, l say" he began, 'have you heard
have you seen2 Oh, beg pardon, didn't see,
you know !" he added, as he noticed the ex-
traordinary fact that Flushington had people
up.
"Oh, let me introduce you, said Flushing
ton. with a vague idea that this was the
proper thing to do. "Mr. Lushington, Mrs.
no, don't know her name-my aunt-my
cousins"
The young man, who had just been about
to retire. bowed and stared with a sudden