MIXED CORRESPONDENCE.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8789, 10 March 1894, Page 2

MIXED CORRESPONDENCE.

lUnslrated Sporting and Dramatic News. " Your friend seems a jolly old buffer, Rupert. Who is he T The remark and question following it were made by my friend Gilbert King, who had happened to drop in at the smokingroom at Wood's Hotel, where I bad been dining with my f nther-in-law. " That * jolly old buffer/ as yoa pleased to term him, is my respected father-in-law, Mr George Denmore." . "The dickens it is; it's raeself that didn't know ye were married, at all. An whin did ut come aff lad ?" ' ""' . As may be surmised, the jolly old buffer uuder remark had left the room just at the moment of Gilbert's entering, aud was at the time of speaking careering homewards In a hansom. ( _ "He is jost what you say-, Gilbert,* I re-. plied; "and a splendid substitute for the proverbial mother-in-law.*'

" Well, mc boy, hare aaothur drink, an a cigyar wi* mc, an' tell mc all about ut." Gilbert la an old friend, and, though an Irishman, ia as close as an oyster; so, settling down Id a snag arm-chair, I told him the following particulars of the event* that led up to my taking the most momentous step la my domestic life. Only a year ago. One day I was called upon urgent business to a large manufacturing town In the North. The summons was very emphatic, and necessitated mc going by the earliest train I could catch. I took a cab, after packing In a 'hurried fashion a few necessaries of the toilet demanded by what might prove to be a prolonged sojourn. The driver, ap- j parently understanding from my energetic j manner and sharp ton* that I needed expedition, touched up his horse, and we went along at a very untownllke speed. We arrived at Euaton-aquare Station with j two minutes to spare. I was fortunate, as j I thought, in securing a compartment to myself; when just as the whistle sounded and the first jerk half dislocated my neck, the door opened, and with a " Take care, sir!" from the attendant outside, an oldish gentleman was half thrown or wholly pitched into my lap, rolling from thence to the floor. There was no need to ask him if he was hurt, for a merry " Ha, ha I" and " Jolly near squeak for it, eh ? " foUowed his fall. " Yes," I said," you had indeed," I proceeded at once to pick up the fragment* of my pipe, which, by his violent entry, had been knocked from my mouth. As I did so he caught sight of the broken pieces. " Hallo I that's my work, I suppose. Apologies are no good in a case like that, you know. What's to be done ? I'll lay a wager you haven't another with you." "I'm aorry to say I have not," I returned, in what he probably interpreted as rather dejected tones. " Never mind, my boy; I've a case full of tip-top cigars and you shall help yourself." With that he produced a perfect magazine of a cigar case, laid it upon the seat beside mc, saying, «... "There you are, help yourself. 11l join you in five minutes." That aontretmps with my pipe led up to one of the pleasantest chats ia my experience. He was a capital conversationalist, and had a knack of Instilling confidence. It was not long before he made himseif acquainted with the fact of my having journeyed extensively in the colonies, and seemed to enjoy greatly what I had to recount in the way of experiences. At Rugby wo had a drink together, which seemed to farther warm the cockles of oar hearts for the remainder of the jouruey. As it happened our destination was the same. At parting he handed mc his card, saying, " You must come and dine with mc at my place. I'll show you round. Tve a lovely crib, air, oat there." Hero he threw his index finger carelessly in a direction which brought the poet Cbwper's line "I'm monarch of all I survey " to my mind, after which a deoch-an-doruis still further bound us to each other. The next day I kept my appointment with my newly made friend, who I will now speak of by his proper name, Mr George Denmore. On arriving at his house I found it a really splendid establishment, one that emphasised the probability of its owner being a wealthy man. We were met at the door by a young lady to whom he introduced mc, somewhat after this fashion. , , ~ _ " Kitty, my love, this is Mr Rupert Leslie, the entertaining companion of nny return trip from London, of whom I spoke last night. Mr, Leslie this is my daughter." * I cannot rave about the young ladys beauty or go into ecstasies over her divinely-moulded form. Let it suffice for mc to say she was good to look at, charmingly full of fun and mischief, and,.as her father said, possessed a forty horse-power fund as a tease. After indulging in a whisky and soda, and my haying a second Introduction to my boat's excellenb cigars, the superiority of which over my lost pipe I am nob pre. pared to admit, we strolled off Into the grounds, and a truly noble pleasaunce they formed. . _ Miss Kitty and I soon became firm friends. She was just the sort of girl a staid, matter-of-fact fellow as I am could get along with. No humbug, ail straightforwardness, 9nubbed compliments as some people snub kittens by the timely application of cold water. So well did our acquaintance progress that at one time I felt alarmed lest her father should consider himself and his somewhat redundant glorification of his belongings neglected. • " Well, 1 think I've shown you about all, Leslie." , ... " Oh, papa I not all yet; you've forgotten the 'gees.'" " I don't suppose Leslie cares for horseflesh, and perhaps he's tired, and >( won't care for a walk down to the stables." " Oh, yes, but he will, I'm sure. He s just been talking to mc about the Derby. You'll like to see Remnant andßoadicea, Cavalier too—won't you, Mr Leslie ?" Here I just caught sight of Mr Denmore a lifted right hand. It looked to mc as if it were raised to aug-cest a, warning to the voluble girl. However, he saw that I noticed hi* gesture, and at once advised a walk over to the sbables. Said he, " The horses my daughter refers to are racers. They haven't much to recommend them, no class to speak of. Civalier is entered for the Attenboro* Handicap next month, but as far as I know has no chance of winning. My head-groom sees to all the training. He has been with mc for a number of years, and I trust him in everything." _ ' . ' OrTinspectlon I saw that the horses were truly described by their owner. That Is to say, they did not look to be a very gay lot. Still some very mean-looking animals have done wonderful performances. My host seemed better satisfied when he found I was not Inclined to rave oyer his animals, and soon after we returned to the house. A most enjoyable dinner followed later on, and the three of us seemod to outvie each other, or tried to. ' ' ~ *,_ Between Miss Kitty and myself Ihere seemed to exist some extraordinary bond of sympathy. In the short apace of that one afternoon we came to be on a footing such as an ordinary acquaintance of years would warrant. Her bright, cheery ways and thorough straightforward speech won my heart, which la not, ordinarily, a very impressionable one. By One fact that macle Itself evident during my stay with the Denmorea I wa* impressed. The fact that Denmore kept racehorses and :yet knew, or pretended to know, so little about racing. I left Mr Denmore's house that night, realising thoroughly what a nice girl his daughter was, and believing that tenmore hud another aide to his character. What that side was like I had to find out. My stay in the North was prolonged to some week*. During that period I saw a good deal of the Denmores. More than one prettUy-worded invitation reached mc from the young mistress' of Denmore Dene. It we* Intended that I should have bad one more, I believe, but the envelope that came addressed to mc contained words never Intended for my eyes, and were meant for Kitty • Own particular girl chum. Evidently Mis* Kitty had been none too careful with her correspondence. Probably the invitation meant for mc reached Miss Jeani* Adair in lieu of the little bit of "confidence" that came into my hands. ' x , In due course the Attenboro Handicap was run for and won* but not by Cavalier. That animal it appeared had "hit hialeg" —a phrase that fa all-sufficient to cover all sorts of betting-ring manoeuvres, worked very often to the disgust of the owner himself, as well as large number* of admirers of horses that have been rushed early into the markets. Another year had passed, during which period an' undisguised attachment had developed between- Kitty Denmore and myself. I had made up my mind to re-visit the North, and seize that opportunity for securing not only Kitty* " Yes,** but an affirmative from her father, in the way of his consent to our marriage. I sent a letter to Kitty to intimate such was my intention, and within the space of three or four day* the postman brought a letter bearing Kitty's well-known caligraphy upon the envelope. It came by early morning post, and 1 was feeling that my appetite for breakfast had received a sudden stimulus. I sat mc down to table, and seizing a teaspoon, ran the butt end of it through the paper, tore out the enclosure, and read :•— ".DaaalTsci*.— ■■-•■ " fape'e band ia still too painful for feist to writ* you per first band, *o fee ha* depaud we to soud yoa the foVowias. (He ia dictatta* to ate, co it wait be sit right). Oa-aliar ia iunaer fettle now than ever he waa. I fail to see how Lavanter cad *i»eh_il'Jib tn th* Ca_bridge Stakes. My nurse can stay, ot that I'm certain. Toa know be has a &c* tor* ot speed to ItaSah with. If yoa aui qaieil/ get £500 on at as average of, say, 10 to 1, do so for mc. It looks as good asarold. Of coarse, yoa ftan do the same for youwelf ff yon" ears to, If I war* yoa I'd I*at* it till nuar tan last minute. " Tears aSeetionatoly. ■'-." _ITIT DBHMOXS." I burst out laughing, recognising at once that Miss Kitty had in her excitement somehow mixed her correspondence. I laughed to think of ancle's face when he should peruse the letter which was no doubt doing duty for the one I held in my hand. But I had my duty to perform, and duty

and charity ride side by aide Tar oai_V fes-__" ta ~*'' ll ?ft4' pAJft. __SS & _S£t> : ' not what can be called a gambling mi** I *,-"' determined to place the odd han*jJ pounds In sundry quarters ' price obtainable. Hooked at thsTetfe 6 and found that Cavalier was nofa?_t*R-- I Later on a friend told mc that 25 tof _XT 11 be got, but that it was " simply oh«S?h' ' money away to back such a pig of a her*.* * For once In a way I paid no heed to «_ admonitions of friendship, but cot «,! hundred split up comfortably among M _! half-dozen men, who looked upon mc a? ! very raw punter, no doubt. I n *»i.» noticed that my investment affected7h« market at all; but on the moraine of tvl race the prophets one and all, seemed to have had a vision, and to my dell_ht Cavalier bad come with a rush the pre! ceding night, and stood quoted la th* price Hats at 11 to 2 against. I stood wln_2soo "On vefveC I 'aid, as*? made myself strfe by laying £300 to £5, by way of obligation to oue of the " booki«** with whom I had my Investment, 1 Knowing the address of Kitty's uncle i I had seat on the letter at once, assuring 1 him of my discretion, and bumlntt him 1 to forward the letter which, probablyh» 1 had received in lieu of the one intend** 1 , for him. This he did, and wrote m a fi I l the effect that he knew he could trust m* 1 I bat would not believe I was such a fool «« i to miss so golden an opportunity. I Cavalier won his race In a walk. Kitt» ■ and 1 entered for the Matrimony Stakes I FB3TUB, I