Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-09-02

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you are changed. have with bitter effort con-
quered the sefshness of this Lifetime ambition
/ am devoted to you, as have been from the mo-
ment first saw you-life and fortune. These are
still yours-but without the pnce at which you
might spurn them. My person is plain and unat-
tractive. You have seen me and shown me no
preference. There are others whom you receive
with favor And with your glorious beauty, and
sweet admirably sweet, qualities of character, it
would be outrage to nature that you should
not choose freely, and be mated with something
of your kind. OF those who now surround you
see one worthy of you-but he may come
Jealousy shall not blind me to his merits The hrst
mark of your favor-and shall be aware of it,
will turn upon him my closest, yet most candid
scrutiny. He must love you well-for shall
measure his love by my own. He must have man
ly beauty, and delcacy and honor-he must be
worthy of you, in short-but he need not be rich
He who steps between me alvd you, takes the for
tune had amassed for you, l tell you this that
you may have no limit to your choice-tor the
worthiest of woman's lovers is oftenest barred
from her by poverty.
"Of course, l have made no VOW against seek
ing your favor. On the contrary, shall loose no
opportunity in making myself agreeable to you.-
1t is against my nature to abandon hope, thought
am painfully conscious Of my inferority to other
men in the qualities which please woman All
have done is to deprive my pursuit OF It's selfish
ness-to make it subservient to your happiness
purely-as it still would be were the object of
your preference. You will hear from me at any
crisis in your feelings. Pardon my being spy
upon you. l know you well enough that this let
ter will be n Secret-snce wish ii, Adleu!'
Mabel laid her cheek in the hollow OF her hand,
and mused long on this singular communication.
1t stirred her romance, hut it awakened still more
her curiosity. Who was he! She had 'seen HIM
and shown him 10 preference" Which could it
be of the hundred of her chance made acquaintan-
ces? She conjectured at some disadvantage, for
she had s'come out' within the past year only and
her mother having long bee Il dead, the visitors TO
the house were all but recently made known TO
her. She could set aside two-thirds OF them as
sons of families well KNOWN but there were at
least score of others, any one of whom, might,
twelve years before, have heen as obscure us her
anonymous lover. Whoever he might be, Mabel
thought he could hardly come into her presence a
gain, without discovering himself, and, with
pleased smile at the thought, she again locked up
the letter.
Those were days Ito be regretted or not, as YOU
please, dear readerD when the notable society of
New York revolved in one elf-complacent and
clearly defined circle. Call it wheel, and say
that the centre belle, and the radii were
beaux-the periphery of course composed OF those
who could tsdown with the dust" And on the
fifteenth of July, regularly and mperativey, the
fashionable wheel rolled off to Saratoga.
"Mabel, my daughter" said old Wynne, as he
babe her good night the evening before Starting for
the Springs it is useless to be blind to the fact
| that among your many admirers you have several
very pressing loyers-suitors for your hand, may
safely say. Now do not wish to put any unneces-
sary restraint upon your choice but as you are go
| ing to very gay place, where you are likely TO
decide the matter in your own mind, wish to ex-
press an opinion. l do not like Mr.. Belaure, for,
besides my prejudice against the man, we know
nothing of his previous life and he may be swind-
Ter or anything else. ! do like Mr. Blythe, for
| have known him many years; he comes of most
| respectable family, and he is wealthy and worthy.
These two seem to me the most in earnest, and you
apparently give the most of your time. If the de-
cision is to be between them, you have my choice.
Good aight, my love-"
Some people think it is owing to the Saratoga
water. | venture to differ from them. The water
is an alternative" it is true; ; but think people
| do not so much altar as develop at Saratoga The
fact is clear enough, that at the Springs change
our opinion of almost every body; but, though it
seems bold supposltion at first glance, am IN
clined to believe it is because we see so much more
| of them. Knowing people in the city, and know
ing them at the Springs, is very much in the same
line of proof as tasting wine and drinking bottle.
Why, what is weeks history of city acquaint-
ance? mornng call thrice week, diurnal
bow in Broadway, and perhaps quadrille or two
in the party hat chance is that to rattle
a temper or try weakness? AT the Springs now,
dear lady, wear man all day like shoe. Down
| at the platforms with him to drink the waters be-
fore breakfast-strolls on the porico with him till
teu-drives with him to Barkydts till dinner
Lounges in the drawing room with him till tea
dancing and promenading with him till midnight
very little short altogethar OF absolute matrmony.
|
Your "best fellow is to be found out, and SO
is your plausible fellow, your egotist, and your
"spoon."
| Mr.. Beverly Bellallure had cultivated the male
| attractions with marked success. At times, he
proLabl, thought himself plain man, and an artist
who should paint what could be measured with a
rule, would have made plain portrait of Mr. Bell
allure. But the atmosphere OF the man! TheIe
is physiognomy in movement-there is aspect in
the harmonious link between mood and posture
there is expression in the face of which the fea-
lures are as much portrait as bagpipe is the
copy Of Scotch song. Beauty, my dear artist,
cannot always be translated by canvass and oils.
You must paint the tsmagnetlc iuid' to get por-
trait of some men, Sir Thomas Lawrence seldom
painted anything else-as you may see by his pic
ture of Lady BlesSington, which is like her; with
out having copied single feature of her face
Yet an artist would be very much surprised if you
should offer to sit to him for your magnetic atmos-
phcre-though it expresses-does it not ?-exactly
what you want when you order picture! You
wish to be painted you appear to those who love
you-a picture altogether unacceptable by those
who love you not.
Mr., Belialure, then, was magnetically handsome
positively plain. He dressed with an art beyond
detection; he spent his money as if he could dip ii
at will out of Pectalus. He was intimate with
nobody and nobody knew his history; but he wrote
himself on the register of Congress Hall as "fronl
New York; and he threw all his forces into one
unmistakable demonstration-the pursuit of Miss
Mabel Wynne.
\ But Mr.. Bellalure had very formidable nyali
Mr.. Blythe was as much IN earnest as he, though
he played his game with touch and-g freedom
as if he was prepared to lose.it And Mr.. Blythe
had very much surprised those people at Saratoga
who did not know that between very plain and
a verv elegant man, there is often but the adding
of rose leaf to the brimming jar. He was perhaps
little gayer than in New York, certainly little
more prominent in conversation; but without an,
difference that you could swear to, Mr.. Blythe the
plain and reliable business man whom every body
esteemed without particularly adInirng, had be-
come Mr.. Blythe the model of elegance and ease,
the gentleman and conversationalistb by excellence
lain so long unsuspecteds i'll the marble.
The race for Miss Wynne's hand and fortune
was general sweepstakes, ard there were hun
dred men at the springs ready to take advantage O
any falling back on the part of the two on the lead