The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-08-07
4 STRANGE WAGER.


buck5kin brooches.
"Hillo, Whalleyl Is that your" he cried
where are you bound forY"
as it mef' was the reply FAX, thin,
it's nobody else An I'm bound for the
house Grattans goin to spake agin the
government
nonsense man This isn't a govern.
ment night at all There's nobody there
but lot of noodles not worth listening to.
Come round with me to the Phaynix for
dinner. Tom Mcnamara and some other
jolly fellows will be there, and we're sure
to have some good fun"
IAN right, my boy, I'm game for
spree any day, " responded the gentleman
in blue and off the pair of bucks went to
the club which Mr.. Driscoll facctiously de,
nominated the "Phaynix. "
Bucks and -bloods were so called from
the smartness Of their apparel and the
way they attempted to ape the fine gentle.
men. Some Of them indeed belonged to
families of distinction, who generally
looked upon their wild freaks with a le-
nient eye These young fellows We're dash
ing, reckless, liberal of their means-when
they had any-and always seeking fresh
outlets for their happy superabundance of
animal spirits In Dublin during the last
quarter of the eighteenth century their
antics furnished the hilarious society of
that gay metropolis with perennial food
for mirth
Buck Whalley-like most lrishmen-
could trace his descent from princely
family Unfortunately, his branch of it
had fallen upon evil days and his early ed
ucation had been much neglected How
ever, he was possessed Of strong consti-
tuition, which the athletic exercises of his
country-lcaping running, wrestling and
playing with the cudgel-had developed
and hardened Probably these pastimes
were more congcnial to him than the pur-
suit of literature, of which, it is no injus.
tice to say, he knew nothing whatever.
But there was latent ambition in the
young mans breast that ultimately
brought him fame. Moreover, by sudden
change of fortune he became possessed of
ample means, which he determined TO
spend in manner worthy of an Irishman
and Whalley.
He Immediately appeared among the
young bloods of Dublin and speedily gain
ed admittance to many of the fashionable
clubs, whose members were delighted to
have a new sensation. Nobody could deny
that he was u buck of the first head His
remarkable garments, his primitive man.
ners, the easy assurance of his ignorance,
his rustic humor, his innocence of the
fashionable world-all conspired to make
him attractive to the sportivc gentry of the
Irish capital. He was found outrG, bizarre
extraordinary They found him source
of endless amusement, and by unanimous
consent he was dubbed Buck Whalley
having proved his claim to that proud
title
In those days, as in ours, betting was
mania among certain classes Football
was not so popular as it is now, but mel
took the odds on horses and dogs and cocks
and pugilists, on elections and duels ant
drinking bouts and on every event of thu
day or of the night. The celebrated Beat
Nash won $50 by doing penance in ,
blanket at the door of York minister Will;
the people were coming out of church HI
gained still larger sum by riding nakeC
on II COW through country village,
Oliver Goldsmith speaks of high breC
women stalking fortune, beauty, health ant
reputation at the card table. He tells
story of one old lady who was SO very IL
that she was given over by the physician
Conscious of her condition, she sent for tn
curate not to administer ghostly consola
ton, but to play at cards with her to pas
the time Having won all her adversary
money, she proposed playing for her fu
neral charges; but, alas, the poor lady ex
pired Just as she had made her game.
The party at the "Phaynix" naturall
grew merry over their dinner and thei
wine Politics and sport were vivaciousl
discussed, and great deal of ingenuit
was wasted in discovering new subject
for wager.
"I'll bet two to one that George Rober
Fitzgerald will fight another duel befor
the week is out, said Dan Driscoll.
"Tl bet 20 to that George Robert vii
never die natural death" exclaime
Dick Fallows.
"In lay anybody g10 note that Jim
my Moffatts game cock will make mine
meat of Dennis O'Bricn's bird next SatuI
day." remarked Ned Lysaght.
"Pooh" calculated Tom Mcnamara,
young squircon from County Galway
Can none of you do better than thatf Ii:
ten 10 me now. Here's something nor
out Of the common. Whalley, I'll bet yo
100 guineas you don't go to Jerusalem.
"DoneW cried the hero, who made
point of never refusing to bet
The news of the wager was soon all owe
the town. 1t created greater sensatio
than one of Grattan's speeches or Curran'
jokes Would Whalley attempt the joul
neyY That was the question on all lip:
Some who were getting tired of him hope
he would. No more appropriate way {
having him extinguished could have bee
devised Others thought that when til
rash buck realized the difficulties of tn
task he had undertaken he would han
over the 100 guineas and quietly subsid
under the storm Of ridicule which the wit
We're already preparing.
Mr., Whalley's acquaintance with gees
raphy was strictly limited. He had nevC
travelled beyond the confines of his ow
favored island, and
j knowledge before his eyes her ample page,
Rich with the spois of time did meier unrol
True he had heard of Jerusalem O
some of the rare occasions when he atten'
ed church Itwas somewhere in the Hol
Land The inhabitants were Jews, an
Jews he had found both extremely usefl
and really friendly under certain circun
stances. So when somebody demonstrate
I