Wichita eagle., 1888-03-07
GROOM OR BRIDEGROOM ?


'By Jove, III do it! There is no other
way Of wooing her; so to the winds with
common sense and propriety. Recommend
me for the post st once, dear Jack, and put
mo down your debtor for life"
The speaker was Ton Rainforth, hair
Drained young journalist, and the person
addressed was Jack Fortescue, Esq, landed
proprietor and gentleman at large. Tom and
he had been dining at the Savage club, and,
retiring to the smoke room, had been elabo-
rating little plot hatched by the fertile
brain of the brilliant young journalist. The
facts of the case at issue were these:
AT the hunt ball recently held in the quaint
old Lincolnshire village Of ReveSby, Tom
Rainforth had the misfortune tor good for
tune according to the readers opinion) to
meet and fall desperately in love with Edith
the pretty daughter Of Squire Everingham,
who, being an eccentric gentleman, deemed
every young man a fortune hunter, and syS-
Dramatically closed his doors in the face of tho
numerous admirers attracted by. his daugh-
tiers pretty face and her ample dot.
Tom had cared no better than the others,
but on coafding his SORROWS TO his friend and
scheme of romance and impudence unpar-
aI!eled in these pro5aic Nineteenth century
days.
Squire Everingham was the right hand
man and general estate manager to Lord
Braintree, an Office his family had held for
several generations He was, besides, a land
owner of no small extent, and q magistrate:
hence his popular title OF Squire" He re-
4 b. T
shire coast, in q moderately sized village,
which consisted of a single long, struggling
street, church, n chapel, and some venera-
bic relics of tho Saxon and early Norman
eras. The squire occupied the great white
house at the corner OF this road, patronzed
the entire village, and was, of course, looked
up to with unqueslonlng reverence by the
Inhabitants He, however, never mixed with
them socially, and as his nearest neghbor,
whom he honored by admitting to CUES
tionable equality, lived some miles away, the
squire and his daughter lived a somewhat Sc
cluded life, broken only at rare intervals by
visits from lady friends to her, and by his
journeys to the market town or magisterial
bench.
Popular rs the squire was in the village, Ee
had one blot on his oscutcheon in the eyes of
y,
and in those of the few county families in
the neighborhood, and that was, he had be-
come accustomed tsinco the loss of his wife)
70 drink, mot wisely but too we'll" and, as
may he supposed he incurred serious censure
for habit net tolerated in these DAYS In
other respects the SQUIRE was still the CHEEKY,
open banded man as of yore; his kitchen
door was ever open to the hungry, and his
a. II, 4
freely to callers and strangers. The only
other change was IN his appearance; the tall
1.-the figure became slightly bowed, the hair
tirged with gray; his riding il the field be-
came reckless and irregular, and greatest
crime of AZ il a hunting country, he com
1nenced to crane" at bis fences and knock
his horses about for faults due to himself.
He also grew quarrelsome, and newcomers
not feeling the same amount Of respect, or
being under the same obligation as the old
inhabitantS, several brawis had taken place,
and in one or two the squire was severely
handled.
With increasing excitement and irritation
of temperament he grew DISCONTINUED with
the slow rate of speed obtainabie from his
horses, and invested in several fast trotters,
and went whirling from place to place, 10
the danger of every one he met. This was
endurable i'll his sober moments, but when,
after a court meeting at the ncighboring
town, he insisted upon taking the ribbons"
himself. thrashing the horse into a gallop,
gong over or through everything in his
way, it became no joking matter.
On one occasion, returning home at night,
he drove over q stone heap and spilled HIM
self and groom into :, broad and deep drain
that ran bv the roadside; on another he cob
lided with his owl gate post, smashing the
cart to natchwooo and breaking his Srooms
ribs. being himself dragged into the yard in
consequence Of having become Nentangled in
the reins, while the horse was kicking end
plunginG in all directions.
Croons soon grew scarce; finally, no one
could be found TO take the place. then, for
some time, the squire drove himself, and after
having been several times fiaed for furious
driving, by his brother magistrates, they ue-
tcrruined to PUT a stop TO the growing scandal
by declaring TO hinA their intention of send
ing him TO prison for month ii he appeared
before them again. This had the desired eff
feet. and set hin seeking for a steady, capa-
bic groom.
Such was the state of aTairs at the time
of the hunt ball: and the intentions OF Tom
Rainfortn, as declared at the opening of our
story, YVES 10 oier himself for the post,
drive the squire, keep him, if possible, sober,
and, mos: Important of all, do his best to
win the heart of the fair Edith. who was al
ready more than well disposed toward him.
After some preliminary correspondence an
engagement was contracted, Tom entered
into his duties, and became the sQuires
shadow. II any one took otfenSe at the
soulre's unreasonable remarks, he was al
WAYS on hand TO smooth matters down. and
for a time all went well. GosSipS noticed,
however. that Miss Edith took greater
amount of horse exercise than usual. and
that the new groom was invariably in at
tendance. while IL was said that her latest
"fadr was always TO see her morse cleaned
every morning.
Truth to tell, she recognized Tom the very
first morning, and threatened TO denouncc
him to her father; but Tom overcame her
scr,,nles. ami of their mutual misunderStand-
ings love markings, anu Its attendant pleas
ures and pains, ana 40 envious chronlcier;
suffice to say she was pleased to keep his
secret, but. woman like, delayed her happl-
moss and. notwithstanding all he had under
conc to win her, declared capriciously she
would never accept HIM unless he accompa-
MED her as groom TO the opening meet OF
the season.
Poor Tom! be had not counted upon a
girls mischicvoUS fancy, and sorely against
his Will he bowed TO the inevitable.