The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-05-28

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las p Christie.
The judge went off at once int
conversation, for he knew if he hest
tated to make acquaintance ht
should fall into the observant silence
his secluded habits had taught him
His new associates were very respon
sive, and the amiable Lempriere fell
sure he had got into clover. He
knew nothing of Americans beyond
what he had read in books, put he
concluded from a few terms OF
speech that the ladies hailed from
the States. Fife was very likely
told good stories, described adven
lures, picked up any topic with men.
tai agility and seemed determined
not to let the ball of conversation
drop when once in the air. The
judge was surprised at himself.
There was plenty of time for 10 or ~
years of happy married life with a
margin beyond for paralysis, imbe-
cility and so ON, which would afford
q field for affectionate nursing.
In the evening the ladies were
quite ready to play at cards or back
CANNON, and Effie had a banjo, but
that had to be reserved for deck, and
the judge did not so much care for
public music, because the young men
mere boys, of course-were attract
ed by it.
When the berth was reached the
first night, and his two companions
were asleep-the ship was very
crowded-the judge calmly contem-
plated the situation. Ee had found
out that Mrs. Christie was the wife
of an American merchant in Bonn
bay, partner in the well known
house of Christie, Moore & Burgess,
end Miss Briedenbach was apparent
ly travelling under her care, but no
one knew anything about hef.
By the time the Auckland arrived
at Alden the old judge decided that
he had got on very fairly, consider
ing the rusticity of his up country
manners, He was a person Of some
Importance when he made his own
tea on the quarter deck in the early
hours and Stevens brought the hot
water and arranged the tray for him
on the slylight. 1t was rather the
thing to get an invitation to join in
a cup of real tea in contradistinction
to the beverage provided by the purs-
er, which the irresponsible declared
was a mixture of SIENNA and cock
roach wings. Then in the forenoon
the Judge would read to the ladies'
Longfellow perhaps, ont Of compli-
ment, or his favorite, Byron, for he
belonged to the period when that no
bleman was considered the type of
everything which was passionate, in
tellectual and rebellious.
Afternoon walks on the decks, talks
at dinner, cards, music, another even
ing lounge. Oh, golden days indeed!
And Fife was so kind as well as
amusing. She would ask for his hand
kerchief and put scent on it and in
quire if he liked it and whether he
fancied flowers generally - white
rose, sweetbriero or stephanotis. TWAS
so nice to have tastes consulted. The
Red sea was very hot and the pleas
ant routine a little broken in upon by
expedients for keeping cool, and as
Fife was depressed in the daytime
she tried to brighten into banjo mu-
sic in the evening, and the banjo al
ways brought the foolish young peO-
pie.
Then, when Egypt was passed, the
Mediterranean was very rough. The
charming, halcyon Indian seas were
left behind, and with them the leisure
and the languor of the east. Sea-
sickness disperses sentiments, and the
careworn, horizontal invalids bore
little trace of the sylphids of sunny
hours. But the bad weather only
lasted to Gibraltar, and then thetlays
became quite lovely. They cOasted
Portugal, and they passed over deep
Biscay with nothing but a long swell
on it, scarcely curling the smooth
satin surface into a fold. To be pur-
suing frivolous amusements in this
locality, so often the arena of I'M
tanned and contending elements,
seemed like picnicking by the crater
of Vesuvius.
The ship glided past the redoubta-
BILE Ushant like a pleasure boat, and
the judge, feeling very genial, re-
marked to a Chinese quartermaster
that the season was delightful, to
which that functionary replied,
"Catchee London yesterday" This
response a little embarrassed the ex-
cellent Lempriere, but the Chinese are
not good linguists, and it only meant
that England would be reached the
next morning.
Very friendly relations had been
established again, in the calm moons
and evenings, with the ladies. The
judge was sure Fife felt an interest
in him, as he had seen her one day
speaking to Stevens. He would rath-
er she should have asked any ques-
tions from himself, not from his serv-
ants, but he supposed women were
inquisitive. He really thought he
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