Year: 1863

Fifty Esixty years ago, Ireland might be
called tie classic land Of the duello, where
men fsr sht their way to eminence even in
peacefi fosessions, and could only hope to
9 ia.:- esss famc unLcs;sasias spirit. 1t
is not so generally known, however, that this
same recslessness was occasionally engen-
dered in the bosoms of the fairer sex. partly,
as it may be supposed, from the fact of hear
ing their male relatives speak of dueling as
matter Of course, which no man either wished
or hoped to avoid. and partly from the rol.
licking sort of life and imperfect education
which at that period even females of the
upper classes led and received. Faulty and
to be deprecated, however, as this feeling
might be, in one instance it had fortunate
termination, and procured for the Irish peer
age one of its afterwards most brilliant and
respected matrons.


The matter happened thus:


Near one of the principle western towns
and seaports resided the respectable family
of the B--s; and at the time we speak of.
their house was blessed with one fair daugh-
ter, and no more. Miss Christine B-was
belle, beauty, and the spoiled darling Of
quiet, easy-tempered father and mother,
who allowed her in everything to have her
own way. She was a very lovely, high-spir,
tied girl, rendered inordinately vain by ad
mlration and parental indulgence and SC
proud OF her own peerless attractions, as tc
fancy that no station or rank was too hi Oh for
her to hope to reach. With such manifold
means OF conquest, Of course she was sur.
rounded by admirers wherever she went and
although now and then she condescended to
give certain amount of encouragement to
some of them, still, when they pressed for a
final answer, it always was given in way
fatal to their hopes. Hence it was that after
season or two she had earned for herselft the
name Of a heartless coquette. whose sole aim
was to amuse herself at the expense of others.
Her popularity did not diminish, however,
as her fespectability was undoubted and her
social talents great; and, on the whole, she
was regarded as one who possessed many
good and amable traits to counterbalance her
more obvious and distasteful ones


About this time there arrived on a sporting
visit to one of her friends young gentleman
who was both an ''honorable" and an @ NJ
F." lie was the only son Of a nobleman of
great wealth and ancient title, and was per-
fectly. alive to the value which these claims
sayS him t9the consideration ofothers and to
his own self esteem. lie was very young,
not more than three and twenty, and looked
to be even younger than he was for he was
slim, not tall, and with delicate features, and
particularly light hair. He was handsome
enough to be admired by those who were in
tiuenced by his rank and expectations. and in
his own esteem he was understood to have no
superior. Soon after bis arrival in her neigh
borhoad he was introduced to the fair Chris
tine, and from that moment became her sha-
dow. , At first she avoided him, and treated
him coldiy, speaking of him slightingly, and
ridiculing his pretensions 10 be considered as
either a very agreeable or very fortunate
man for in his loser moments he had spok-
en- freely to his companions of his wonderful
success as lover, and of the many conquests
he had made.


Miss B had heard from the sister of one
of hismale friends, that he had even gone so
far as to set her down as one of the list of the
vanquished, and had laid wager that before
he left the country he would bring the uni
versal conqueror to his fvet-not with the idea
of marrying, but of laughing at her. Strange
to say, however, the information thus given
her as warning had an effect on her contra
ry to that which it was expected it would
she Kept her mind to herself but from that
time forward it was evident that she was
gradually yielding to the fascinatons of the
honorable George, and was unwittingly
creeping within the treacherous folds with
winch he meant to enyelop her. She rode
out with him alone, talked to him in prefer
ence to others, dismissed partners in the ball.
room to become his, sang when he asked her.
and, in point of fact, appeared to be fast ap.
proaching to that stage of devotion to which
it was his aim to bring her. When this had
gone on for some weeks, he began to feel that
he had sufficiently proved his power. and
shesSed wish to draw off, His fair
friend, however, either did not understand
these recalcitrant symptoms, or did not wish
to countenance them Nevertheless. she took
no umbrage at his new coldness, and still
continued to seek his society and to claim his
attention as usual. At length, as if wearied
by her persevering affection-which no effort,
:,srost 10 insult, on his part apparently could
diminish-he announced at dinner party at
which they both were. that be was about to
leave his Western friends in day or two.
To this Miss B-made no demur, and Of
fered no opposition; neither did. her spirits
fig. nor was she seen to drop a single tear,
or eoil her beautiful brow by frown. 1t
was even remarked that her spirits on that
evening were higher than usual, in proof of
which she made point of somewhat depart
ing from feminine timidity, and showing her
power in unaccustomed ways. For instance.
greatly to the Honorable Georges annoy
ance who thought himself the magnet of at
tentionl, she followed the gentlemen into the
billiard room, with two or three of heryoung
lady friends. and insisted on playing game
vish him. She beat him, too and this only
added TO his disgust. Tired of this amuse-
ment, the gentlemen proposed to adjourn to
the shooting gallery. in order to determine a
DISPUTED point. Hither. also. Miss B
and her lady friends persisted in following
them. very much to the delight Of every one
but the Honorable George. Almost as they
entered the gallery, he Yeutured a reproof to
her in an undertone by saying that he had
hardly expected TO find her sympathizing in
50 yerv unfeminine pursuit This did not
renress her ardor, and she answered lightly
that il was evident he did not know either her
habits or her tastes. or he would not have
been astonished at anything she did. After
saving which, size proceeded towards rack
where several pairs of pistols hung, and