The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1841-06-11
a9oetrp.
TIE BELLE OF THE BALL.

hC VII II "a AS-hfA
SEARs-years ago-ere yet my dreams
Had been Of being wise and witty;
Ere had done with writing themes,
Or yawn'd DER this Internal Chitty;
Years, years ago, while all my joys
When in my fowling-piece and iiIly;
In short while was yet boy,
fe!! in love with Laura Lilly.
saw her at country ball;
There when the sound of flute and fiddle
Gave signal swee, in that old hall,
Of hands accross and down the middle,
Hers was the subllest spell by far
DIAL that sets young hearts romancing,
She was our queen, our rose, our star;
And when she danced-oh, heaven, her dancil
Dark was her hair, her hand was white;
Her voice Was exqnlsey tender,
Her eyes were full OF liquid light;
never saw q waist so slender;
Her every LOOK, her every smile,
Shot right and left Il score of arrows;
l thought twas Venus from her isle,
wondered where she'd left her sparrows.
She talk'd of politics or prayers;
OF Sou!hey's prose, or Woodswor,h's sonnet;
OF daggers or of dancing hears,
Otblttle or the last new bonnets;
By candle light, at twelve O'Clock,
To me it matlered not IL little,
If those bright lips had quoted Locke,
might have thought they murmurcd Little.
Through sunny May, through sullry June,
loved her with love eternal;
spoke her praises to the moon,
wrote them for the Sunday Journal,
My mother LAUGHED; soon found out
That ancient ladies have no feeling;
My mother irown'd; but how should gou!
Find any happiness in knee!ing,
She was the daughter of dean,
Rich, fat, and rather apopeclic;
She had ono brother just thirteen,
Whose color was extremely hectic;
Her grandmother, for many year,
Had fed the parish with her bounty,
Her second cousin was peer,
And lord lieutenant Of the country.
But titles and the three per cents,
And mortgages, and great relations,
Aud India bonds, and tiihes and rents,
Oh, what are they to loves sensations;
BLACK eyes, fair forehead, clustering locks,
Such wealth, such honors, Cupid chooses;
He cares ns lilta for the stocks,
'is hhvh AhpNhsShi'u w. bo
She sketch'd the vale, the wood the beach,
Grew loyelier from her pencils shading;
She bolonzed; cnvied each
Young blossom in her boudoir fading,
She warbled Handel it was grand
Sho made the Catalina Jealous,
She touch'd the organ; could stand
For hours and hours and blow The bellows.
She kept an album, too, at home,
We'll fill'd with all an albums gorics
Paintings of butterflies and Rome
Patterns for trimming, Persian stories;
Soft songs to JuIia's cockatoo,
Fierce odcs to famine and to slaughter
And autographs %! Prince Taboo,
And recipes of elder water.
And she was naiter'd, worship'd bored,
Her steps were wa,chd, her dress was noted,
Her poodle dog was quite adored;
Her sayings were extremely quoted.
Che !augh'd and every heart was glad,
AS il the taxes were nboIish'd;
She frownd aud every look was sad,
As if the opera were demolished.
She smiled on many just for fun
knew that there was nothing in it;
was The first, tho only one
Her heart had thought OF Tor a minute;
! knew il, for she told ne so,
In phrase which was divinely moulded;
She wrote n charming baud, aud OH
How sweetIy all her notes were folded!
Our lovc was like most other loves
A little glow, a little SILVER;
y rosebud and pair ofgcyes,
And Fly Not Yet, upon the river;
Some jealousy Of some ones hair,
Some hopes Of dying brokcn-hearied.
a miniature, a lock of hair,
The usual VOWS, and then we parted.
We ported-mon'hs and years roll'd by;
We met again four summers after;
Our parting was all sod and sigh
Oar meeting was all mirih and laughter;
For in my hearts mos, secret cell,
There had been many other dodgers;
And she was not the ballroom belle,
But only Observation-Disclosures. PRArp.