The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1895-02-20
AN AMERICAN DUCHESS.

My friend, the burglar. when I asked
him to drink, called the buxom young
lady behind the bar Flossie darling and
asked her to give him some gin hot
unsweetened.
Don't drown it" he said. when she
was putting the water in-"don' t drown
it. Give it chawnce. 1t cawn't swim,
you know He leaned across the coun-
ter and spoke more lovingly to the mag
nificent young person. 81 sy. sy.
Where're you a-going to next Sunday,
Ader? EhF Give us one of them vol
lets you've got.
The magnificent lady frowned at him
with such loftiness that l expected him
to die on the spot. But he didn't. He
only hummed song intended, think,
to have topical reference.
The lady at the bar painted and said
breathlessy (and with no stops) what
next she wondered horrid fellow little
less noise if you please you're not in a
low music hall now. He responded to
this with some feeling that he wished to
'eaven he was.
He drank to toast of ten thousand a
year for all of us, and sat down near
me. Then he took off his soft cap and
silently busted few crumbs off the
marble table and put it on again.
The best looking business l was ever
mixed up in, he said slowly, was down
at Heron Court, near Guildford. /
may be bit old-fashioned in my tastes,
but I've always been rather partial to
duchesses. He said this with a relish.
as though they were something sold in
tins. And when l saw i'll Llovd's that
the young duke had gone and married
Miss Deborah Clancy, daughter of the
we i-known rubber merchant of New
Haven, Conn, and when | saw that the
wedding presents were both numerous
and costly, and the happy pair had left
town for the dukes house near Guild.
ford amid a shower of rice and old slip
pers, then said to myself, l said: "Go
in and win, my boy, and play the game
off your own bat. Don't have no part
ners, says to myself; don't have nc
confederates, but jest 90 in and have g
good old try" So l dressed myself ur
very tastily and | went down to Mil
ford station.
l had a Gladstone bag with me, and
| in that bag had few necessary arti.
cles that no one can do without.
don't care how clever you are, you cam
do without their help. And l had lit
tie money with me, too. That's an.
other thing you always want to have
about you. Many's the little busines;
Eve known spoilt just for the want of ;
sovereign or two.
was walking out one afternoon, anC
| was going down lane pretty close tt
the grounds of the mansion. In from
of me was a neat girl in blue serge
with bonnet box in her hand. Sh'
was one of the slim-waisted sort, ant
she carried herself very upright. As
passed her l caught sight of the ad
dress 1t was for the duchess. lift
my hat like this. Look!
Pardon me, mis-" I says. "but Nigh
you be one of the maids at Herol
Court?"
WELL" she says, "I might"
"Ohi" I says. pleasant weathe
we're having aren't weP"
She said yes it was very pleasan
weather indeed. She said (this she salt
in particularly affable way) she wa
afraid we should have wet before night
Been here longP" inquiries.
No, she hadn't been there long, sh
said. Only three weeks.
Come down with the dukes party
l supposed"
Yes, she said, she came down wit
the dukes party.
Like the placer"
She said she didn't mind it. l aske
her few questions about the people
She said she could get on all right wit
the duke, and she was on awful goo
terms with the duchess; but she wouldn
give dollar a gross for the servants
For one thing, she didn't believe the
kept a proper lookout at the place
Whilst they were wasting their time i
smoking and drinking and flirting,
burglar could get in at almost any nc
ment.
"Oh, we'll, miss, after all" say
'we're none of us perfect, you know
We all have our little 'obbies."
/ put on my best smile and made u
my mind to have a dash for it. aske
her whether there was any chance {
having look in and bit of supper
the evening. She looked at me straigh
Then she said thing that knocked m
; silly.
"Say, mister" says she, "where do
come in? How much am l going
make out of this little game?"
was so astonished that l quite blusl
ed. I did really.
Well." says, "if you are going
put it that way, 1 suppose I'd bette
speak out straight. I'll give you twel
ty quid now, and I'll give you anotht
twenty after It's over"
Make it thirty sovereigns now ar