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WILLS & IREDELL, PUBLISIIERB.
ALLENTOWN, PA
A SPINSTER'S SWEEPSTAKE,
AND WHAT CAME OF IT.
=I!
A few years ago—it is easy to find out how
many, for it was at the close of that terrible
Indian mutiny time of 1857 and 1858—I found
myself so shattered in health, and broken
down in spirits, by some twelve months of
hard service in the north-west provinces, where
rebellionhad been the hottest, as to be corn
' polled to take sick leave ; the spring was then
too far advanced to make a homeward voyage
through the Red Sea a prudent step for one, in
my condition, so I resolved on seeking change
and cure in a cheaper and speedier fashion, by
going off to one of the many delightful srmita
rja in the Himalayas.
The curious among the readers of this little
sketch must forgive me if I withhold the name
of the station to which I went ; and they must
likewise further exercise that Christian feeling
towards me for introducing in the disguise of
fictitious names the various characters that fig
ure here. It may be that some of my readers
of Indian experiences 'may identify not only
the place, but also some of the individuals ; to
nil such, if any there be, I can only say—exer
cise by all means your memories and percep
tive powers to the utmost, if you please,
A pleasant little spot was this retreat of
mine, among the pine -covered hills, backed
by range upon range, ending in mountain
summits clad In a glistening garment of never
changing snow ; while, far below, like a grey
misty ocean, lay the sandy plains, traced here
and there by silver veins, fast and broad flow
ing rivers in reality, but seen from such a dis
tant height, looking like thin serpentine lines
of gleaming light. The pure, free atmosphere;
the cool breezes ; the tempered sun—no longer
feared and avoided as an enemy, but courted
and enjoyed as a benefactor—all these, and
endless other beauties, silent appealings from
nature to man's better sense, seemed almost
to bring back upon me a tranquility of spirit,
and a delicious feeling of contentment and re
. pose—a state of bind which many years of
military life, with its rough experiences and
hardening influences, had banished for awhile.
I cannot say that civilization and the congre
gation of one's fellow-creatures had added
much to what nature had done towards mak
ing the place enjoyable ; but this view of the
case depended of course upon one's peculiar
character and disposition. Mine; I fear, had
imbibed, from my profession, which bad forced
me to a mere existence in some of the dullest
and most detestable \ of the many dull and de
..terNable places to be found in the upper prov
inces of India, a dash of the cynic, the misan
thrope, and the materialist ; a state of mind
which I only found to be acquired and not
inherent when my thoughts traveled back, as
they very often did, to the home far away,
and to those among whom my earlier years
- had been passed. Ittvas then, and only then;
perhaps, I discovered that there remained in
my nature a little of the sympathy and warmth
towards others which is born in all of us, more
or less.
There was the church, of course, utterly de
serted for six days out of the seven ; but on
sue sevenm homing high gala, 'for then 'were
gathered together in great force the feminine
strength, or rather weakness, of the station,
gorgeously attired in the Paris fashions of the
preceding year. A club .likewise, close to,
though clearly an institution of utter antago
nism, but which there ie no denying got by far
the best of it, for the club days were six of the
seven, besides the nights too ; rarely out of
those one hundred and forty-four hours weekly
could one pass by without hearing the clicking.
of billiard balls, or without seeing, through
some of its many windows, silent parties of
four seated at whist tables, shuffling, cutting,
dealing, and going through the mysteries of
the game, intent as though the fate of British
India depended upon their play.
Then, topmost on one of the many peaks of
the hill over which the station spread, stood,
with the English flag w . aving over it, the house
of the governor of the,province--ffle centre of
a world—a small world, certainly, yet as brim
ful as any larger one of anxieties and fears,
hopes and aspirations, running over with envy,
hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness.
Where the golden calf of self-interest was ele
vated and worshipped unceasingly, as it is
everywhere elevated and worshipped in this
world of ours—a centre it was to which all
looked, many for advancement, others for ap
proval and praise ; some, the shortcomers and
offenders, for moderation and forgiveness ; all
for something .0r another; from a coveted ap
pointment down to an invitation to dinner.
Ranged round about, respectfully, yet very
moderately subordinate, were the residences
of the general of the division, where, from the
top of amore humble staff waved a flag of
smaller size ; and the commissioner, besides
those of other civil and military magnates;
then, promiscuously mingled, came the smaller
fry—the gudgeons, the minnows, and the
tittlebats of the social seas.
• We were soon settled doVvn in a small house,
which by a very liberal construction of an
English term had been described to me by the
house agent as furnished.' I say we, though
it seems that my companion has not been in
troduced; as he plays rather a conspicuous
part in the small events about to be chronicled,
It is only fair to bring him forward, with a
flourish of trumpets, by the grand entrance,
and not shuttle him in up the back stairs.
Buckley was his name .Charley Buckley—
or, as he had always been called by his brother
oflleera, Buckey.' No doubt, it had been
thought that by slidingthe 'l' the name was
softened down, and so conveyed a better Idea
of the affectionate regard felt for him. lie was
decidedly a favorite with men, women, and
children, and with the brutes too ; and this
last point I am by no means disposed to treat
lightly,,for it has always seemed to me that
there 14 a marvellous discernment sometimes
shown
. fty dogs and horses, more like reason
than instinct, in the spontaneous attachments
and dislikes which they forin towards us.
`Buckley Certainly had but few enemies either
among human or brute kind. I don't mean
to maintain by this that nearness to moral per
fection ensures friends, or that Buckley was
very close to that impossible standard of excel
lence often read of but never met with; to
was only a rather above the average specimen
of the young, vigorous, well-educated, and
generous Englishman, such as our public
schools and colleges send out Into the world
by hundreds, and fortunate it is for England
that it is so. A good rider across country,
great at cricket, foot-ball, and rackets ; over
ready to join, heart and soul, in promoting
any scheMe for the general good and amuse
ment—whether races, balls, pic-nice, croquet
fights, or anything else. lie added to this a
frank, handsome face ; an open, generous
manner ;- broad shoulders, and five feet eleven;
outward and superficial advantages, which,
oppose the feeling as we may, 'prepossesses
Most of us at once. Nor must I forget to add
Lfrbigh
II
VOL. XXIII.
another strong point in his favor—a liberal
allowance, generously and freely spent.
Ills military career had then been but n short
one,lie having joined the regiment in which I
was a captain but five years before. Between
us there had, from the first, existed a great
frlendship-4he sort of friendship generally
met with between a younger and an elder
brother, not forgetting,- however, a dash of
patronage sometimes on Buckley's part which
rather amused me. My greater age (I was his
senior by about twelve years), combined with
a certain sort of character among the juniors,
for a calm and unprejudiced, Judgment in most
matters (I am sadly afraid that, spite of every
desire to put it mildly, I am making an ego
tistical fool of myself) had given me a degree
of influence over him which it was frequently
necessary to exercise, often to the disturbance,
but never to the permanent lessening or break
ing of our attachment.
And so we settled down to pass the summer
months away, Buckley devoting his time to
the Club billiard tables in the morning, to call
ing on all the ladies, married and single, in the
place during the middle of the day, and in the
evening to riding upon the Mall, or lounging
at the Band Btand,xieth the prettiest and most
agreeable women to be and ; while I, fol
lowing the more bermit-lik and thoughtful
propensities of my nature, devoted myself,
with little exception, to reading and day
dreaming, and to quiet and solitary rambles
among the hills, not forgetting my Persian and
other studies—for I was grinding hard for a
Staff appointment—content to hear of the do
ings of the little world around us from my
companion.
We are getting up a Spins' Sweep,' said
Buckley to men week or two after our arrival;
will you join it? They are great fun.'
We were standing in the veranda in the
early morning, drinking the customary tea,
and enjoying—at least I was—the fresh air,
and luxuriating in the bright sunshine as it
poured slantingly through the branches of the
surrounding pines.
`A Spins' Sweep NWhat on earth is that ?'
I replied:
Well, a Spinsters' Sweepstake, since you
don't understand contractions of your native
tongue. They arc generally got up hero every
year, and are an immense resource to thhmor
devils who don't know how to kill time, a s
well as an amusement to some of those who
do.'
Your explanation leaves me no wiser than
before.'
Well, old fellow, I am sorry to find a than
of your intelligence in so benighted a state of
ignorance as to the manners and customs of
time-killing bachelors in these diggings; but
I'll tell you all about it if you promise first of
all to take a ticket. I can't, you know, expend
my time and energies for the mere diffusion of
knowledge without some material result.'
Consider it promised,' and I continued with
a smile,-' I entrust tb you both my purse and
my reputation, so be careful of the trust.'
Meanwhile Buckley had lighted a cheroot,
and prepared to enjoy the first, and what he
always declared to be the most delicious:smoke
of the whole twenty-four hours, by throwing
himself into the most comfortable of the two
easy cnatrs our establishment boasted, fl ed
elevating his legs upon the small table, utterly
regardless of the safety of the scanty stock of
crockery thereon ; leaning back his bead as
though about to fall into a dreamy contempla
tion of the rafters of the veranda roof, he took
two or three luxuriously lazy whiffs before con
descending to proceed.
' Well,. my dear fellow, it is this : you must
know—from hearsay, of course only, because
you don't often go prowling aboutthat there
are no end of-spins here ; and you must know
that there are no end of fellOws here too. Pos
sibly you may guess—vinegary old cynic as
you are—that it may sometimes enter into the
dear little heads of the aforesaid spins—though
this I would not myself for the world assert,
but merely just suppose, that a state of matri
mony would perhaps be a more pleasant con
dition of existence than that of lonely virgin
ity ; while you may have an idea, moreover,
that in the hearts of us solitary, s,elfish,wretch
ed bachelors there is a suspicion that the beer
and skittles of life, or, to express it more ele
gantly, the claret and billiards of existence, are
not likely to be made more plentiful by ven
turing on the risky and expensive investment
df a wife. There,' he went on, breaking into
one of his gay laughs, which had been gradu
ally rising as he spoke, I have unconsciously
condensed into a nutshell one of the greatest
social problems of this enlightened century.
Well, to proceed, we young moral philosophers,
seeing and comprehending, these things, have
resolved to derive both Instruction and amuse
ment from the study of this peculiar phase of I
the human character, male and female ; and in
order to bring the study within the compass of
all, and so make it popular, we,'knowing the
love of chance inherent In all men, have hit
upon a plan for developing - the nobler aim by
pandering to tie ignoble,. To go Into practichl
details, it is this : we get out a list of all the
marriageable girls in the place, not forgetting
the widows, should there fortunately he any,
as they give a wonderful zest to the thing, and
often puzzle the oldest philosophers among us.
These names are drawn, and the man who
draws the name of the girl who ,first marries
gets the stakes—in fact like a Derby, Ascot, or
other race sweep, with the difference that wo
men run instead of horses, and the stakes are
matrimony.'
see,' I replied ' and to carry the simile
still further, the reputation which a woman
earns for good running depends very much
upon the value of the prize carried off.' _
Precisely so. The uncharitable addition
comes from the very bottom of your heart, I
know. But the fun of the thing is not in the
mere lottery drawing, but in the buying and
selling and the betting that follow, and the
opportunities for exercising one's observation
and Judgment ; the rise and fall in the value of
likely fillies, as flirtations keenly watched,
grow cooler or become more serious, Is per
fectly startling, and would stagger the Bulls
and Bears of the Stock Exchange. The day
before and the day after a ball or picnic is the
time for speculation. Oh, it's just the sort of
thing you would enjoy. You should take a
dozen chances at least.'
'lt seems to me,' for I was half annoyed,
though half amused, at all this,—' it seems to
me that you young moral philosophers, as you
call yourselves, ,pave not hit upon an amuse
ment either very generous or considerate
towards others, but rather suggestive of the
fable of the idle boys who throw stones to the
danger and annoyance of the frogs. What
say the fathers and the brothers of the fair
spinsters to this little scheme ?'
'One of the grandest sciences of life, old fel
low, as you know, is to adapt oneself to the
customs and usages of the society into which
we are thrown. Let us hope that they seethe
wisdom otVollowing this excellent philosophy.
Of course,' he continued, in n more serious
tone, ; ' we keep the thing tolerably quiet, and
ALLENTOWN, PA., WEDNESDAY MORNING, JANUARY 27, 1869
have no desire to hurt the feelings of any one.'
I've no sisters, either married or single,
nor indeed any female relatives at all here ;
but if I had it would not be very gratifying to
me to think that they might unconsciously be
aiding in the entertainment of a set of Idle
young fellows.'
'lt is not often,' said Buckley, that we find
you riding the conventional horse, but I must
say you have certainly got upon his back now.
Do you suppose that the matrimonial chances
or prospects—the term is fearfully caddish, but
for want of a better it must do—do you sup
pose that the matrimonial chances orprospects
of one's sisters at home are not speculated
upon and discussed imong their acquaintances
there fully as much as is the case here? and
do you imagine that there Is less of real respect
and true chivalrous feeling•among us than there
is among the scandal-mongering gossips of an
English little Pedlington ? No, my dear Cox,
be liberal and dispassionate as you . generally.
are, and don't be called to reason by an inex:
perienced griff like myself. However, enough
of this ; go and tub, and then we'll break
fast, for I've promised to play Tommy Mar
shall at billiards at the Club at ten.'
Whereupon he threw away the end of his
cheroot, yawned, got up, stretched himself,
and went in -doors, leaving me to think over
what had been said, and to come to the con
clusion, as I very soon did, that Buckley had
shown the older head of the two, and the
greater worldly experience Silt morning.
Many days had passed since our conversa
tion about the lottery ; and the subject, so far
as I was concerned, was well nigh forgotten.
I was busy with my Moonshee at the mid-day
lesson in Persian, translating one of the many
extravagant stories so well known to all stu
dents of that language, when Buckley, with a
young officer of artillery named Watson, dis
mounted at the door and came in.
' Well, Cox,' as he threw his whip into one
chair and his hat into another, deep in the
mysteries of those very improper Persian tales ?
Thank God, my education in that line was
neglected, and I don't understand them ; but
send away Mr. Harshang Dass, put aside your
books; and let's have some tiffin,—and above
all, some beer; we are both dead-beat after
our ride in the sun, and the mental exertion
of inventing little bits of scandal and small
talk for the entertainment of the women folk
on whom we have been calling.'
' Give me five minutes, and I will be at your
service,' I answered, after a nod and a word
or two of greeting to Watson ; meanwhile
make yourself useful by shouting until you
wake up the Khitmulgars in the kitchen, if
they should fortunately be - there, and not off
at the Bazaar.,
In the course often minutes the teacher hail
been dismissed, books put aside, and the table
arranged for lunch.
' In what a conventional age we live,' Buck
ley began, as soon as he -could recover his
breath after emptying at one_pull a pewter of
bitter beer, and inverting the mug upon the
table, in incontestable proof of his having really
emptied it—' in what a conventional age we
live. 'What an excellent custom it would be
if the married people hem were to keep a tap
of cool beer in their verandas, specially for the
refreshment and support of all morning callers.
It would be an Immense charity to the poor
thirsty peacocks of society, like Watson and
myself, and, besides, be an advantage to them
*selves too, for there's no denying we should be
much more amusing and fluent when in the
drawing-room than we can be now, under the
present rigorous system, with throats full of
dust, and energies exhausted.'
Scarcely a profitable investment,' I said,
for the benediets ; it is doubtful whether they,
and - their wives too, would not think that
morning callers could be got at too dear-a
price.'
You look at things in too commercial a
spirit ; you reduce everything to a kind of bar
ter or exchange.'
'Nevertheless, Buckley, it is n spirit which
is the basis of every act, motive, impulse, and
feeling of life—from the affection of a mother
for her child, down to the purchase of a penny
box of cigar-lights in the street ; however, we
won't discuss metaphysics now.'
' But,' put in Watson, 'there's no doubt a
couple of glasses of cool sherry, administered
by the servant before one went in, would be
both sensible and pleasant, without being open
to the charge, as Buckley's suggestion is, of
coarseness.'
It reminds me of old Mrs. Briggs, the,wife
of Briggs, the Commissariat, who gives milk
punch—made of Commissariat runi of course
—to her visitors ; did you ever call there
Buckley asked us.
We both confessed we had not, though we
knew of her by hear-say.
I did once,' he went on, and great fun it
Was; the punch was broughtinr flid a small
glass was forced down my throht--4i case of no
compulsion, only you must. The size of the
dose is regulated by the rank of the visitor:
subs and captains get a small glass, tield-officers
a larger one, and soon: one day the general
called, and he was Made to take sonic in a mug.'
' It is a pity that she stands too near the bot
tom of the metaphorical ladder for her good
example to becoine fashionable,' I said ; 'but it
is clear, from the graduated scale by which she
measures out her punch, that she has learned
something from the manners of the upper tell.'
' There was a good story told of her the
other day,' Watson said ; 'she was saying to
Mrs. Robinson that she always got her hoots
from Paris, It was the only way to be well
Sited. Mrs. Robinson asked the name of her
maker. "Drolt and .Gauche," answered old
Mrs. Briggs, with the most delightful uncon
sciousness in the world. Slie had seen the
words, one inside each boot, and had jumped
at the conclusion that they were the names of
the makers
' By-the-way, Cox,' said Buckley, after our
laughter had ceased, ' the drawing for the
sweep conies off this afternoon at Baker,s bun
galow—you know Baker, of the Seikhs ?—will
you come ?—Watson and I are going.'
; lam afraid not : this is the,last safe
day for the mall, so this afternoon must be
given up toii 'riling English letters ; you must
look after m interests at the lottery. Who
are the favorites?' I inquired. ,
Opinions differ, of course ; sonic say one,
some another,' Buckley replied. 'There's
Miss Macdonald, the brigadier's daughter, who
only came out last cold weather;, she is really
engaged to Edwards, the competition wallah,
and the wedding Is to come off at the end of
the season. It resolves itself into a question
of time : will other matches be made up, and
will they come off before them ? Surely there
will. There are lots of likely girls here this
summer. There's Miss Munro, sister of Munro
of the Civil Service, only three months from
England, with a complexion as fresh as paint,
besides a small something a year ; Miss Battle,
sister ofMrs. Butler, without much complex
ion, and no money, but a tip-top figure ; walks
like Juno, and sits a horse Hero
Buckley broke down for want of a simile..
'An Amazon,' suggested Watson, with a
laugh
No ungenerous comparison if you please ;
then there's Kate Maxwell, who lives with the
Fullers, a nice girl ; Miss Richardson, the ma
jor's daughter.!
With a reirousseo nose, pink cheeks, bright
eyes, lively spirits, and a good temper, but no
regular features, and altogether wanting in
style—what the Persian writers happily de
scribe as the beauty of the young jackass, I
put in parenthetically.
Besides,' Buckley went on, regardless of
the interruption, a host of other girls, not for
getting the charming widow, Mrs. Tollitt, any
one of them likely to win In shy opinion.
Good gracious, when we consider that four
long months are before us, it is positively ab
surd to attempt to say what may be. Why,
in this country a man may almost be engaged,
married, and the father of twins in that space
'6r time.'
We'll say nothing about the last matter ;
but it is certainly ample time for the first two
events to conic off,' I remarked.
But,' exclaimed• Watson, with a look partly
inquisitive and partly amused ,at Buckley,
you have forgotten little Carry Wharton, her
place is first, decidedly.'
' Little Curry Wharton, little Carry 'Whar
ton,' I repeated—qo think of your leaving her
out of the list I Why, she is the prettiest and
best girl I know, and should stand above all.'
Yes, she is a nice girl,' Buckley replied,
with an attempt at carelessness which ,he .did
not carry off very well.
You have been rather attentive In that
quarter' of late, I think,' I observed, after a
short pause.
Not-attentive in the way that you imply or
that people generally mean by that word,' .said
Buckley, flushing a little. You know that
her brother and I were at Rugby together—
her brother Harry of whom she was so fond ;
he was killed before Delhi—you must remem
ber.'
Yes, poor fellow ! a fine gallant boy lie was
—and Carry Wharton is now almost without
near relations. Let us hope that some one
will claim her before long, and proVe as good
a husband to her as she deserves.'
Both her parents.' Buckley went on, have
been dead some years, and she now lives with
her sister, Mrs. Jurton : the small pension tut
a colonel's orphan being all she has to depend
upon, I fancy.'
`However,' he added, jumping. up, it is
time to be off. Take a soda and lnAndy,and
light up another cheroot first, Watson ; and
Cox,' turning to me, don't expect me home
to dinner to-night-.--1 ant engaged to the Jur
ton's for croquet at five, with a ticket for soup
afterwards. Au revoir, old fellow.'
Watson gave me a humorous look as Buck
ley finished, said Good-bye,' and went out ;
and in.less than a minute they were both can
tering off hi the direction of Baker's house.
English letters written and sent to the post,
a solitary diriner quickly disposed of, two
hours of reading, followed by a pipe, brought
the day to an end. It could scarcely have
been more titan half an hour after my having
turned into bed when I was suddenly roused
up by the sound of I'uckley's familiar voice at
the bedside—' Cox, are you asleep ?'
You might have ascertained that, if anx
ious to know, without waking me to ask,' I
replied rather sharply, for this sudden inva
sion rather put me out.
Don't be out of temper, Cox ; I ant sorry
to have awoke you ; but I could not go to bed
without first speaking with you.'
His look, seen in the dim light of the small
night-lamp, was thoughtful and anxious,
while there was a subdued tone in his voice,
as unusual as was the serious expression upon
his face.
Something is the matter,' I exclaimed,
Jumping up and then suddenly sitting down
upon the side of the bed. ' What has hap
pened? Any news from the plains? Has
the Nana been taken ?' Every one's thoughts
in those day turned upon the mutiny, and the
uncaught monster, who had played so flondish
a part in it. Has the Nana been taken ?' I
repeated.
.' No, no,' said Buckley, smiling at my ear
nestness. ' I have no such good news to tell.
It is about myself that I want to speak. Since
we parted this afternoon I have made a fool
of myself.'
, ' Which generally means that a man has
proposed—is it so with you?"
Yes.'
'ln that case advice would come too late—
so'l'll say nothing.'
don't want your advice; but simplyto tell
you all about it if you will listen, But you
may prefer going to sleep again, so I will leave
you,' and he turned to go.
My seeming indifference had nettled him.
It was but a seeming indifference—all the
while my thoughts had been inn confused
'state between sleeping or waking, made still
more confused by his sudden and unexpected
confession.
` Sit down, Buckley, and tell me as much or
a&little as you like—you can trust me, I think.'
I said no more, but left him to begin in his own
way and when he pleased.
It all came of that cursed sweep—confound
the thing and all those who started it P he sav
agely jerked out, as though it were a relief to
his feelings to get it out ; then, continuing
more sjowly—' We went to , the drawing,
Watson and I ; lot of men were there—
among them that insufferable snob, Smith of
the Dragoons. You know how thoroughly I
detest that fellow l''
A quiet nod was my reply. One of the
im
pulses of my companion was a hearty prejudice
against the Queen's officers generally, an old
feeling, and, even at that time, a very preva
lent one among the officers in the late Com
pany's army— a feeling which, it is only just
to say, was most religiously and warmly re
ciprocated.
Well, as bad luck would haVe it, this Smith
drew the name of Miss Macdonald. lie was
awfully elated at this, wanted to back her, and
offered to take four to one In hundreds—rupees,
of course ; so I gave him the odds. The bet
was booked, and I swore to myself—for he
positively, had put me out of temper—that he
should not win—not for the sake of the paltry
stakes or the still more paltry bet,•l don't care
one penny for them, but he shall not have the
laugh of me.' And here the Grand Turk
looked very scornful and very savage too, as
though the committing of serious violence
Upon the absent dragoon would have been
very agreeable indeed. 'After that
,Lrent to
the Jurtons to play croquet. I wa4lll6rough
ly out of temper, and did all sortsWreckless
things—went through the same hoops twice,
•croquetted away my partner's ball Into the
most out-of-the-way places, and by the ttme
the game had made enemies for life
of all the players, (Honda as well as foes.
After the people were gone, Carry Wharton
and I walked about the garden. I feel like a
blackguard, Cox,' he went on passionately,
'ln mixing up all these things almost In the
sane breath ; but it can't be helped—it was
then that I proposed to her.'
And she:accepted you 1'
' Yes—provided Mrs. Jurton, who is her
nearest relative, makes no objection.'
'Then it may be looked upon as settled:
her consent is certain ; to you have only to
look sharp not only to win a wife but to gain
a bet too.'
' And carry oWthe sweepstakes as well, since
you prefer to jest about the matter,' he an
swered, bitterly. ' I drew Carry Wharton's
name—But, for God's sake, Cox,' he went on,
say no more of this miserable lottery I I
looked to you for sympathy and comfort,•and
not for chair.'
"I can't see that you stand much in need
of either sympathy or comfort,' I added. 'You
have proposed to a most amiable girl, who I
have long thought was more than fond of you,
and towards whom I have also thought your
feelings were more than those of friendship.
She will make a wife of whom any man might
be proud. It would be well if all those who
want to marry could get such a one ; there
would be fewer bachelors in that case, I think.'
That's the very point,' said Buckley ; I
don't want a wife. Twelve hours ago I had
no more idea of marrying, and no more desire
to marry, than the man in the moon. But
above all, the miserable circumstances of the
lottery and the bet make me so disgusted—
confound it all.'
In short, you begin to think that there are
after all objections to the study of moral
osophy through the'medium of spinster sweep
stakes I"
You try to provoke me ; you hit a ma
when he's down !'
"My dear Buckley, I don't sympathise with
you, because sympathy would be out of place.
Would you have me sit down and weep over
the matter and encourage you to do the same ?
—to moralize feebly on the subject of hasty
and imprudent engagements, and their miser
able endings ? to offer you all sorts of common
place consolation ; in short, do my very best
to make you believe yourself to be the most
miserable wretch in the .Avorld, with' nothing
before you but a wretched future or suicide ?
The thing is done rnd cannot be undone.
Even supposing it possible to undo it, it would
be done again ere the next three 'months are
past. Don't blame the lottery for it; all it
has done has been to bring about the crisis it
few months earlier, for you were . on the high
road to an engagement with Carry Wharton.'
I believe you are right. I believe I have
cared far More for her for some tine than I
have admitted even to myself.'
Of course you have,' I went on. ' I have
seen it for a long time. Sympathy and com
fort, indeed You will never need either on
account of this. I have too much faith in ker.
And God forbid that she should ever be in
need of them ; but I have no fears for either
- of you - in • the -- future.'
But then the bet and the lottery,' said Buck
ley. 'People will mix up them with this.'
Why should they ? It was pretty shrewd
ly suspected why you had been so much in
terested in croquet at the Jurton's of lute ; be
sides you have neither won the bet nor the
sweep yet. - Who IMOWts but one or two -ord.
dings may come olr before yours? Perhaps,',
I added, with a smile, may be surprising
you one of these days soon by throwing my
self away. 1 almost think it would be dam
getous, confirmed old bachelor as I am, if
there was a second Carry Wharton here,' I
continued more seriously, and feeling very
much Inclined to sigh as I stopped. 'How
ever, good-night ! I congratulate you most
sincerely and heartily.'
He returned my pressure of the hand warm
ly, and with a smile, said Good night and
turned to leave the room.
But, selfish fellow as I am,' .he said, com
ing buck with the old gay look upon his face
and the cheerful tone in his voice again, '
was forgetting to tell you your fate—you are
quite out of the coach : you drew the she go
rilla of the place.'
' I can guess who you mean,' and we both
laughed. Let xth spare the utterance of the
lady's name, though only the walls would
hear it. Yes, as you truly say, lam out of the
coach.' It was clear that the name of Grace
Thompson had fallen to my lot, a girl most
plain, and to whom, unfortunately, one could
not apply the alternative adjective — ' amiable.'
' Good-night, once more.'
Time, the mighty old clock, went on, tick
ing, ticking—marking off upon the dial of the
year the days and weeks and months. Won
derful old clock ! never to' have needed any
winding up, nor oiling of wheels, nor clean
ing of mechanism since the works were first
set going, nor ever likely to, to the very end
of its existence. Marvellous old chronometer !
never varying with season or with place, in
winter the same, in summer the same, in all
latitudes and longitudes the same—at the
equator or at the pole, on mountain summits
or in the deepest valleys—needing no regulat
ing and yet never having its decrees questioned.
The middle of September was par ; sick
leaves and privilege leaves were drawing to a
close; grass widowers, who had been kept
down in the plains at their courts or with their
regiments during the tediouS summer months,
began to look for the return of their wives and
children. It was clear that the long summer
carnival was near its end. Camels and mules,
freighted with furniture, portmanteaus, and
packing-cases, went staggering along the
down Ward roads. Tradesmen were balancing
up their books, making out • and presenting
their 'little at•their customers like loaded
pistols, and causing in most cases scarcely less
consternation than loaded pistols would have,
estimating the bad and questionable debts, and
Calculating the probablo gains. The club
manager was doing the same as the shopkeep
ers, with the same sensational results. The
clergyman, commercial in his way too, gave
himself up, heart and soul, to collecting the
pew rents for the waning season, circulating a
subscription-list on behalf of the Additional
Clergy Society, and debating whether one or
two more appeals in the shape of collections
could not bojmade before hie flock' became
scattered abroad. Tip season, viewed in a
matrimonial light, had been a most disastrous
one. The bachelors, spite of every encour
agement from the lovely spins, had not shown
themselves equal to the occasion. No mar
riages, not even a proposal, had been brought,
about ; Miss Macdonald's engagement still
dragged Its slow length along, and Buckley
stood revealed the hero of the Loup
It is hard, or to speak more truthfully, it is
impossible to imagine with wit& feelings the
poor girls must have set themselves to work
to superintend the repacking of trunks and
bonnet-boxes. Many a bitter tear, no doubt,
fell upon the delicate silks, the dear pets of
bonnets, the exquisite croquet boots, and the
glossy riding-hats, as one by one they were
stowed away. How different to the feelings
with which, a few short months before, they
had been unpacked ; then all was hope and
anticipation, now all was bitterness and des
pair. The feelings of a newly-fledged M. P.,
who, primed with n virgin speech, rehearsed
and corrected over and over again, finds the
debate prematurely to a close by ,a division—
or the soldier, who, after whetting hie sabre
for the combat, is forced to return it to his
sheath after a little bloodless skirmishing—or
the schoolboy caught in the act of orchard
robbing when just about to fill his pocket with
the coveted fruit, are among some of the most
trying circumstances of masculine life, but
they must be as nothing compared with the
trials of disappointed spinsterhood.
Nor were disappointment and disgust con
fined to the spinster's only, the feelings were
strong and almost general, for the music and
dancing were nearly over, and the piper had
to be paid. Married life, like single life, has
its cares, as little Mrs. Williams, who looked
so happy at the general's ball two nights ago,
was quite yeady to declare. Next week she
must go down to rejoin her dear Charles, who
was unable to get leave this summer, and had
been grilling in the plains most patiently.
How on earth she was to tell him of that bill
for Its. 470, just sent in by that horrid
Madame Valence, she reall' did not know.
It was perfectly awful how the trifles amount
,ed up—a dozen pairs of gloves or so, a new
bonnet, and a feiv other odds and ends were
all she had had ; however, if Charles liked her
to look nice, and he always declared that he
did, why he must not mind paying for his
whim. She was not extravagant, not at all ;
and then it was all the fault of the horrid
country that things were so dear. Then there
was the charming Mrs. Campbell : her dear,
old, suspicious hubby had positively written
that she was not to be so intimate with that
dear, delightful Capt. ), Morton, the A. D. C.
It was positively shameful that people should
carry stories about her to her husband's ears.
What business was it of theirs if Capt. Mor
ton was kind enough to ride with her on the
Mall, or to walk beside her jamtian to the
Bank, or to send her nice flowers and fruit?
Nasty meddling old things ! they were spite
ful and jealous, and only wanted to make rids-.
chief. So she should have to coax her dear
hubby when she got back, put him in good
temper again, and make him promise never,
never more to listen to unkind things said of
her, or to think of them again.
Every one, in shot, was out of sorts, more
or less. While the women said 'Bother the
place,' the men with mire emphasis exclaimed,
Damn the place ;` for, as I have said, the
fiddling and dancing were over, and the set
tling day had come. But there were two ex
ceptions to this state of things—Buckley and
Carry Wharton; the wedding-day had come
at last. Smoothly and safely they had !Milled
down the stream of courtship, and were now
to be safely moored in the matrimonial haven.
The waters had looked uncertain near their
source, almost promising, many might have
thought, a rough and anxious voyage ; but of
this, I, usually the least sanguine of men, had
never felt any Misgivings.., I almost begin to
think that my cynicism is but a theory after
all, and not a very deep-seated one either, al
ways breaking down or giving way when
brought to a practical application.
The wedding was a quiet one, and after the
breakfast, which was at the Jurtoni:' house,
we gathered in the verandah to say good-bye
and God speed. They were going off for the
honeymoon to a house a few miles in the in
terior, thertito remain until the time came for
Buckley to return to his regiment. It was
doubtful whether I should see them again for
some time, as may examination had been passed
and Orders were given me to Join, within a
week, the staff appointment to which I had
been gazetted.
Cox, my dear fellow,' said Buckley, taking
me by the arm and lending me back into the
dining-room, 'one word with you. Here are
two letters I received only this morning,' and
he placed them in my hand. , Will you dis
pose of them for me? To Smith I would
wish the cheque returned ; and as to the other
matter, let it be sent anon e ymously to any char
itable fund you may choose.'
I promised to do as he wished, pretty well
guessing the nature of the letters.
' And now,' lie continued, 'good-bye. You
must write us sometimes, and I—and Carry
ton—will write you, and very often. May we
soon meet agaiq; old fellow.'
I warmly shook the offered hand, promised
to write often, said a few words, which, kind
as I tried to make them, seemed, as they were
uttered, to be miserably commonplace, and to
carry a meaning very short of what I felt, and .
we returned to the verandah.
Like Most Englishmen, we were Loth un
demonstrative in our meetings and our tart
ings. I devoutly believe that either mie of us
would have risked his own life to have saved
the other's or would have shown the equally
rare virtue, had occasion called for it, of giving
the other a letter of credit upon his bankers to
the full extent of his account. And yet
friends such as we were, and there are many
to be found in the world, meet, after long
years of absence, with a mere Well; old fel
low,' and a shake of the hand, and separate,
perhaps, for years, in the same cool fashion.
We can imagine a couple of Icelanders doing
this sort of thing, and we can imagine a couple
of Frenchmen indulging in stage embraceff
and other antics on such occasions; and yet it
cannot be the sun—latitude can have nothing
to do with it—for we cannot imagine the
pulses of the two phlegmatic Icelanders beat
ing one whit the faster, or their keeping bot.
tied up under their sealskin waistcoats very
much impulsive and generous feeling ;, nor
can we picture to ourselves Henri „tand Al
phonse, spite of their gesticulations and em.
braces, having very much idea of carrying
their regard beyond such demonstrations.
And yet under this seeming coldness and in
difference we keep down the best feelings of
our natures. It Musty that the dread of be
ing thought a humbug and sentimental—those
spectres which hiiiint an Englishman, and
make him outeof very fear appear other than
he is—are at the bottom of it all.
A general confusion of handshaking's and a
general confusion of spoken farewells, many
tears and much kissing on thepart of women-
kind, Carry Buckley smilingand tearful carried
away In a jampan, with her husband riding
beside her, a fluttering of liandkerchlefs, sonic
slippers in mid i air, and they were gone.
Miserably lonely and, cheerless the little
house seemed, and very solitary and very
much alone I felt on my return home that
afternoon. Even the pipe failed to afford mo
the usual amount of comfort ; I could neither
smoke, read, nor work at my usual tasks ; so
after trying each in turn, and falling utterly,
I rushed off to seek companionship and life at
the But Buckley's letters yet remained
in my pocket. These I first took out, and soon
disposed of. One was from Smith, with a
cheque for'Rs. 100, in payment of the eventful
bet ; the other was from Baker, who had been
the treasurer for the Spinster Sweepstake and
WILLS & IREDELL,
Plain ttnb Pimp fob Printero,
No. 47 EAST HAMILTON STREET,
ELEOANT PRINTING,
NEW DESIGNS
LATEST STYLES
Stamped Check., Cards, Cir.lan, Paper Books, Consil
lotion. and lly- Lawe School Catalogues, 11111 Head.,
Envelope., etter Head., Dili. of Lading, Way
Bala Tage and Shipping Card., Posters of any
else, etc., etc., Printed at Short Notice.
0
NO. 4.
contained a draft for Um dukes, in amount
Rs. 800.
My little story is nearly finished. We will
take just one more little glimpse at our friends
before the curtain falls and the lights are ex
tinguished. Time, the perpetual old clock,
has gone on ticking ; the dial of the year had
been circled and thrown into the abyss of the
past, there to moulder and rot among the un
known thousands of its predecessors; another
dial and another had been circled too, and
added to the decaying mass. It was three
years since Buckley's marriage, and I was
with them again for the first time since.
In looking back, as I very often did during
those three years, and recalling to my mind
what Carry Wharton then was, it used to seem
to me that she was all a woman should be,
and that in meeting her again she could scarce
ly be found so good, so excellent, and so love
able as of old. But perfect as shelled been as
a girl, I found her, as d wife, still as perfect.
And what is still more, Buckley evidently
thought so too. And as I saw them in their
happiness, their mutual confidence and love,
aiding, cherishing, and supporting each other,
a darkness seemed to fall from minceyes, and
a voice seemed to say, You were generous in
your Judgment of these ; you were confident
in your hopes of these ; you judged and you
hoped wisely ; there is much that is good in
this world ; be generous in your Judgment of
all, be hopeful in your hopes of all.'
THE DEEPEST COAL PIT -IN
ENGLAND.
A. correspondent of the London Telegraph
has been down the great coalpit at Wigan, and
writes a long account of what he saw and
heard, from which we extract the following
interesting details : "It is very difficult to real
ize the enormous value of Wigan underground.
Looking at the plane of the mines which we
mean to Inspect to-day, we see that between
the surface and the deepest point to which the
sinkers have reached, there have been no
fewer than twelve workable seams of coal.
These include the great scam of cannel. The
seams are classed in fiv6Aijerent series. First
there is the Ince series:consisting of four seams
—the 'yard' seam, at a depth of eighty-four
yards; the four feet' seam, one hundred and
thirty-four yards below the surface; the 'seven
feet' seam, twenty-six yards lower; and the
furnace' seam, at a distance of one hundred
and eighty-six yards from the surface. With
the exception of that which was named last,
all these seams are exhausted. Below them
come the Pemberton series, with a five-feet
seam, at a depth of two hundred and seventy
yards, and a four feet seam twenty-five yards
beneath. Then there is the Wigan series,
with US five feet, four feet, and nine feet seams;
the first of which is four hundred and forty,
five, the second four hundred and sixty-six,
and_the third four hundred' and ninetrtive
yards below the surface. T.,ower still, at a
depth of six hundred yards, is:the famous can
nel scam, and now the men are going even
below that; they have indeed - sunk the shaft
to the yard seam of the.Orrell series, which lit
six hundred and seventy-three yards below
the surface; and are now, night after night,
pushing their way to the fiery and dangerous
Arley seam, which is here more than eight
hundred yards below ground, although at
ilindley they have reached the same coal at a
depth of three hundred and twenty yards.
There are about six hundred and fifty men
employed at these mines—the Rosebridge Col
lieries. Just now the times are rather bad for
colliers. They have not been known to be
worse at any time during the last thirty years.
" After chatting awhile with the manager
and his son, we made ready for a descent. We
do this by doffing the clothing we ordinarily
wear, and donning in its stead a very rough
miner's dress. Then we (the manager's son
and the writer) walk out, and, calling at the
lamp room, provide ourselves with lamps,
which are somewhat better than the ordinary
' Davy.'
" It is necessary to prepare your nerves for
a shock. We are going down to the Cannel
Mine, a depth of six hundred yards, and the
big engine will throiv us that distance in less
than a minute. At a signal there is, as it were,
a sudden withdrawal of the bottom of the cage
beneath our feet, and a rapid falling through.
dark space ; then there is as sudden a check,
and we feel, not only as if we had regained
our footing, but as if we were being thrust
back again as rapidly as we had been before
falling. Before time is allowed to analyze the
sensations we have experienced, the cage
touches the bottom, and we stumble out half
dizy into the eye of the pit.
Before we leave the pit eye we have our
lamps lit, and then turn to take a stroll into
the workings We are not long in reaching a
little cabin, Into which we step, and while
sitting there we are told some particulars re
specting life in the pit. When the men come
their to work they obtain their lamps, already
lit, but unlocked e at the pit bank. Then they
descend, and at the pit eye the lamps are ex
amined as the men enter the particular district
of the mine in which they may be employed.
Every day the fireman examines the clothes .
of each miner, to prevent the introduction of
pipes and matches. The law is observed very
strictly. If a man is found to havelhe means
of striking a light he is sent before a magistrate
and either fined or .imprisoned. But such a
discovery is rarely made at Rosebridge. The
authority of the manager is regarded, and he
himself is personally respe.ctedlly the men ;
and throUghout a largo colliery district these
mines are noted for the admirable system of
working adopted, and foithe skill and wisdom
engaged in their management.
• "From talk about matters in general, we,
still sitting in this cabin, six hundred yards
below the surface of the earth, turn to what is
more personal, and I learn that my guide has
had his dangers and his narrow escapes, as all
men must have who have to do with the get
ting of coal. Once he was in at an explosion,
and of course ran for his life. The subtle
choke damp, that palpable white mist, was
swifter than himself, and floating all about
hap, so numbed his senses that ho sat down,
and felt as if lulled to a gentle, delicious sleep. •
Consciousness was fast passing from hint,
when his brother, stronger than himself,
dragged him rapidly to the pit eye, and saved
his life.
.My friend thinks that choke-damp Is
the easiest and nicest possible way of dying.
There is no pain—there is simply a going to
sleep, which you have neither the wish nor
the power to prevent."
—A certain damsel, having been aggravated
beyond endurance by her big brother, plumped
down upon her knees anti cried: "0 Lord
bless my brother Tom. Ho Iles, he steals, he
swears; all boys do; 1111 mate DON'T."
Amen.
—" how long can a fool live ?" asked a
awyer or a witness that he was examining.
"Don't know, I'm sure, Sir. flow
ong have you lived ?" was the answer.
ALLENTOWN. PA