Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-12-27

would not be amiss."
We all laughed quite heartily at his.
and Mr.. Latham said he knew of a
ready-made clothing house. The lord
chancellor shook my hand and patted
me on the shoulder, and we bowed and
left his presence.
We drove to tailor'S, who soon
fitted me into fashionable suit. Mr..
Latham said l looked like a gentleman
in anything, but he approved Of ycnrg
men being careful in their tresS, and
advised ME TO select a good tailor and
stick by him, which l did ultimately
to my cost.
That evening | was duly installed
in a comfortable bedroom at Doctor
Munson's, in Bedford Square.
l was formally initiated and was en-
throned on a high stool the following
morning in an aristocratic banking
house in the Strand. The gentlemen
tellers all wore white neckties, and
their manners and platitudes of polite
ness to the lords and ladies who sal
lied in and out. could only have been
eXcelled by the liveried iunkies of Bel
gravia. 1t was perfectly OyerpOWer-
ing to run down the indexes Of our
IedgerS for the names were from the
throne down to Il city aldermanic
knight, and l really began to conceive
the idea at last that | was closely
connected with the peerage of the
realm, from constantly posting theii
checks against their illuStriouS names.
Three o'clock set me free, and care
full of the lord chancellOr'S advice, |
wendell my way to DR.. Masons, OPP
pOSite the geological gardens. 1t was
) lit Oh the back YER
anda of a summer eve and listen to
the band play and watch the :roWd
making holiday.
In the parlor, to which, after Gus
tomary ablutions and so forth, 1 re-
paired, l found a gentleman of pOrtl!
frame, grand presence, and who, ris-
ing from his seat, greeted The with a
cOurtly SalutatiOn.
He put me through a perfect cross
examination, all of which | honestly
replied to. He seemed very much
pleased, and going to the sidebOard in
vited me to join him in a glass of
sherry. | just knew enough to dis
tinguish it as a very poor Marsala.
You have not met my daughters,
as yet. Mr.. Herbert?"
Shortly he reappeared with two
young ladies, one painfully hOmely
and ancient, and the other who,
though comparatively young, was of
proportions that one might term crush
ing. Before we had got through that
novel topic Of conversation. the cOndi-
ton of the atmosphere. he had again
retired and reappeared with two more
one of which was a really pretty girl
of 16. rather too much developed, but
she had a sweet face, and above. the
lOveliest of fiaXen hair, that fell in a
cascade of curls over her shoulders.
was visibIy struck by this apparition
and | fancied | caught the old gentle
man winking TO the eldest daughter.
Once more he departed and presently
produced three additional treasures,
whose ages varied from IS to -
you see, Mr.. Herbert, you will not
lack in this house the refining infu-
ences of female society"
"And now, girls, [ am going to
make some visits. You must amuse
Mr.. Herbert until dinner time"
Instinctively, after a while, | drew
nearer to the faXen curls. Her name
was Rosina, and she proposed we
should go on the garden veranda,
where after a while every embarrass-
ment wore away, and by dinner time
[ was perfectly astOniShed at how |
had progressed. The flaXen locks of
ROsina had not shaken in vain, for
felt myself unconsciOusly by her side.
and the others always drew aside
when we were talking in the window
recess or Veranda.
What could have induced Mr.. La
than to have selected the doctors
house full of young girls, and expose
my unsOphisticated heart to the or
deal of four marriagble virgins, all
bent upon matrimOny, [ never can to
this day fathOm. Perhaps it was to
test me; or it may have been that,
in his own imperturbability to female
charms, he was quite Obliyious of the
fascination to a bOyish imagination in
clusters Of faXen ringletS, an alabaSter
skin, and a pair of very pretty blue
eyes.
| obeyed the chancellOrs instruc-
tons, and found ny pleasures at
home, for in less than three months
under the roof of the doctor, | was
madly in love with ROsina. And one
bright afternoon, after an hours con-
tidential inquiry into my affairs that
excellent father sanctioned our happi-
ness with a parental effuSiOn | am not
apt to forget. Among other items, he
assured me we could live in his house
until ROSina was old enough to man
age a house Of her own. Oh, what
happy, happy days those were. We
went down to Sydenham, taking her
sister, W no played chaperone
for ROsina. The cottages we looked
at and resolved to uy-hOneysuckles
and roses and tiny flower beds, and
nice little strOlls in the deWy twilight
and the prospective plans of a life
long happiness.
There was one clOud-Quite a faint
spot though, in our opinion-and that
was, | must acquaint Mr.. Latham of
our intention and request him 10 in
form the chancellor of my fixed deter
minatiOn. The excellent doctor, when
thought it better for US to
get married first and tell the chancel-