TOPSY BINGHAM'S BOATRACE.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7871, 23 May 1891, Page 2

TOPSY BINGHAM'S BOATRACE.

The Story op an Introduction.

Topsy Bingham is the belle of a certain Suburban Community whioh shall be nameless. It is better not to give it 4 name, as to do so would immediately make every que conversant with some of the most private affairs of a young lady who, even if her real name is not Topsy Bingham, would at once be recognised if one were to hint that her skirts and neckties —not to mention her tan shoes and silk stockings—are the cynosure of all eyes whenever she graces a lawn-tennis party br strolls down the High streec on a summer's day ; while the fact of her favouritecolour, both in winter and summer, being a peculiar rich scarlet renders her harmless flirtations rather more conspicuous to the eagle eyes of the local dowagers than they would otherwise be. . She did not, however, wear scarlet a year or two ago when she went to stay with the Cookhams, near Putney, for the University Boat-race. She wore just as much light bine aa aha could conveniently cram on to her trim little person, and freely blessed the lucky tosser of a bygone day, who won for Cambridge the choice of the more becoming colour * for Topsy Bingham had a brother in the! boat, and it was to see "dear old Dick" practise with the crew that she went to Putney _ fortnight before the race took plico.

"Dear old Dick* waa not feeling so proud and'self-satisfied as his sister was on the day when she came up to town and took train again at Waterloo. Dfck had nofc improved so much with practice as the captain of the C.U.B.C. had fondly hoped, and the sporting papers spoke freely with regard to his performances. There could be no question that the Cambridge boat was not going well; there was a distinct " raggedness on the. bow side." said the critics, and they gave Dick as the cause of it. They even went so far aa to say that his seat would be better filled by TroyteBarker of tbe or even Skinner of Emmanuel, who were both being kept in training for emergencies. Diok confided his woes, by letter, to the sister who had always shared his joys and sorrows; he roused her indignation and secured her sympathy, while she tried.to infuse in him her own confidence in his merits and contempt for his aspersers. On the day she went to Putney she bought an evening paper, whioh was particularly carping in its views on that mornings practice. Topsy read all it had to say-before she got a hundred yards from Waterloo, for a thick fog had brought the train to a stop before it could reach VauxhalL She laid the paper on the seat beside her, and stamped her foot upon the floor. v Would you like the foot-warmer V said a voice from the other en 4of the 4imly lighted carriage. A neatly dressed little man was her travelling companion, with one of' the, largest and whitest collars she had ever seen. He pushed the foot-warmer rather officiously under her little patentleather boots, in spite of her protests that she was not cold. "Anything about the crews in the St. James's?" he, asked, taking up her paper and glancing at it as he stood under the dim lamp She eyed him father sternly as he did no, aa he had not asked her leave to read lb, and she. made up her mind to refuse to answer if he trie 4to converse further with her; and snub him well if necessary. Topsy Bingham never could bring herself to be very civil to little men, and be was very small; the top of his tall hat, was a good deal below the glass globe of the lamp though ha was Standing up and holding the paper towards it. "Ah I" he said, as he read: it; " they are .still slating Three: and no wonder-r-he will have to go/

" It's a shame!" broke in Topsy, forgetting her resolution to be dumb. It's a horrid shame!'*

"P_sW.at«" said the-little m M surprise, looking down at her—he Would hardly have done so, at her, had she not been seated.

" It's a horrid shame to abuse him like eke said; "a, .4 It. W the fault-ortho coxswain."

" Oh, well '*■*-_• began- the little man ; butane lntexrupte4 him. "Ha ha* done nothing but go on at poor Dick ever since they began to train. I belle, e'ifs he who tells everyone Dick is to blame for che boatgping ha4ly." ■.- . . " E_e has gbo4 opportunities o_ 3u_&th&* said the little man rather loably i he was evidently alarmed at the storm he ha 4 provoked ; for he was not only little, but §ul_T young, an 4ha 4 possibly "never before trie4fcq Pacify a, young lady in a rage. " Good opportunities of judging!" echoed Misaßingb.,m; "he haa.to steer the heat, _9f i S»dtbftehe ti£ goingJm at poor Dick, 'Three, you re late iThree, you're too soon i Time, Three,' just as if there was no one else in the boat. I've heard all about him—little beast 1" At this last interjection the little man fairly collapsed on to the seat opposite Topsy, taking off his hat as he did so and mopmng hia forehead nervously wRk a largos|lk handkerchief wjth a. vfcry wide colo-i"*e<*i border. His hair was cropped shore and rather thin on his temples. .la Bingham a fpiend of. you?* V he «a! 4 faintly. , "Frien4!" sai4 Topsy disdainfully; "Dick's my brother r «* And yot. think he ought to row f said the little man," I know some of the crew," he added..'? and they say the boat rolls very much ; and the time i 3 bad on the bow aide," he added more firmly, "Dick says its Five's fault that fie can't keep time sometimes; and- then Girdlestone goes on at him, and he gets nervous and loses his temper-*-., ick (fees get cross sometimes.

"After all, the cox-does not make up the crew," said the little man encouragingly. But Topsy refused to be comforted : she took out her handkerchief and sniffed. " Girdleatone has steered! the idre boat for three years," she said; "and they think a lot of his opinion, I believe he always gives it too; he's a swaggering conceited little man, Fm sure, with nothing to do but sit still and be diaagfgfcable." The corner of Topsy s mouth began to drop, and she sniffed again, and blew her nose; the little man regarding her with evident apprehension and certainly some terror. "I know Mr Girdlestone," he said— i^ j&W a»rf. ;''■»..' then, recollecting that the expression was perhaps he tween strangers, f, aw> end aai alffftt. * ' "I think"—began tha little man .er-

vously; but the engine whistled and the train went on, and hia remark waa drowned. „ . ~ •• Thank you for your paper," he J»ld, handing it back to her. She said nothing, but sat reading it, and hardly looked as him again till they both got out at Putney. He, on the contrary, looked at her a good deal, and found It more pleasant than talking to her in the afcate of mind sheiwews in. Topsy is very pretty; but if Dick fets cross sometimes, so does she. opsy had a very dull fortnight at Putney. It rained nearly the whole time, and was foggy duting. the rest of it; so that she was bound to admit that she had not seen much more of Dick than an occasional glimpse as the boat rushed past in mid-stream, and might almost aa well have remained at home. He said that training prevented him from calling on the Cook hams, who lived a mile from the river; but he wrote occasionally in rather better spirits. At all events he was being kept in the boat, whioh waa something, and the papers said he improved. It does not particularly matter which crew won the race that year; Cambridge, at all events, did much better than waa expected of them, aud soon after the start, when Topsy saw them from the garden of some friends of the Cookhams, they held a distinct lead, to her no small delight. She looked a perfect pioture of a partisan of the Light Blues—from the top of her hat (whioh was trimmed with just the right Bhade, procured expressly at Cambridge; most ladies wear it much too dark) to the beautiful spray of Neapolitan violets and lilies of the valley which adorned the front of her jacket. They hardly matched the blue, but were, no doubt, the nearest approach to it which could be got excopt forget-me-nots, which woul4not have amelt half so sweet. They came out by a special messenger from Putney, though they bore the label of a Covent garden flower shop. " Delightful of Dick to ben 4 them," aai4 Topsy—"4ear 014 Dick I" ___. _, __ . r What a nice brother," sai4 Miss Cook; ham, " to send flowers to his own sister. " You don* know Dick," said Topsy j then added, " why there he ia I" The race had been over for more than half an hour, and they were watching the crowd over the garden wall while lunch was being got ready. Diok had gone back to Putney on the steamer, and elbowed his way through the admiring throng to the house where he expected to And his sister. He looked very well in his blue blaeer and cap, and Topsy felt half an inch caller as she walked across the lawn to meet him. "Will you let mc introduce Mr Glrdlestone." said Dick. "My slater, Miss Hingham—Mr Glrdlestoue." Topsy hardly glanced at the source of her past anxieties—in fact, till he was introduced she had not seen the "-Varsity cox" behind her more massive brother. " Dear old boy," she said, " how splendidly you rowed! " " Do you think his time has improved ?" said Mr Girdlestone. " I believe Five was really to blame. Miss Bingham." Topsy looked at the little man in his dapper little light-blue blazer; there was .omething familiar io his face. He was struggling to put on his neat little blue oap properly, having taken it off to bow to her, a flannel cap is a very crying thing to bow with. He took it off altogether, and tried to replace it iv the only way in which the thing can be properly done— namely, with both thumbs Inside it at tbe back. A» he did so, Topsy saw something familiar •in the outline of his forehead ; she had seen those funny little temples somewhere before.

"The little beast I" he said, bowing again, aod getting very red as she began to recognize him. " I was afraid to coufess it that day you were in such a rage with .mc."

Topsy Bingham is small, and for a few minutes nhe folt even smaller.

'•I met your sister the day the crew went out at eight int be morning " he explained to Dick. v Tney let mc run up to town afterwards for a wedding: a cox has privileges. Miss Bingham, even though he is a lit—-

"Don't please!" said Topsy, trying to change the conversation: "what lovely flowers you sent mc, Dick. "I ? " said Dick in surprise, looking at them.

"Come," said Mr Qirdlestone hastily, "they are going i» to lunch; we have deserted the rest of the crew, so let mc take you in, Miss Bingham, and be forgiven my sins." So in they went; and as Mr Girdlestone has been seen since on the Bingham's carriage at Lord's, and in their houseboat at Pangbourne—not to mention other places—it will certainly be best nob to reveal the name of the Suburban Community Miss Topsy adorns,* They have enough to gossip about there already.—Si. James** Gazette.