Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-06-08
THE DAILY TIMES
THOSE OLD LUNES.-OR WHICH is
THE MADMAN?


paled their not Intellectual fires, only in the day
light; and while Dan Phoebus was yet rising
| 'Jocund on the misty mountains top" was bu
| sy In adjusting my foot in the stirrup and mount
ing my good steed 'Priam,' to find my way BY
a close cut, and through narrow Indian trails, te
my lodgings in the little town of c., on the We
ry borders of Mississippi. There were dozei
OF us, all merry larks, half mad with wine ant
| laughter, and the ride of seven miles proved q
short one. In less than two hours, was snug
ly snoozing in my own sheets, and dreaming o
the twin daughters of old Hansford Owens.
| Well might one dream of such precious dam
sels Verify, they seemed, all of sudden, t.
have become part of my existence. They filled
my thoughts, excited my imagination, and, --ifi
be not an impertnence to say any thing of The
heart of rowing lad of eighteen-then were they
at the very bottom of mine.-Both of them, lei
me say,-for they were twins, and were endowed
with equal rights by nature. 1 was not yet pre-
pared to say what was the difference, if any, be-
tween their claims. OGe was fair, the other
brown; one pensive, the other merry as the crick-
ct OF Venus; Susannah was meek as became an FL
der's daughter; Emmeline so mischievous, that
she might well have worried the meekest of the
SAINTS IN the calendar from his propriety and po-
sition. l confess, though thought const antly
OF Susannah, always looked after Emmelne the
first. She was the brunette-one of your flashing,
sparkling, efervescing beauties. -perpetually
running over with exultation-brimfull of pas
sIonate fancies that tripped, tiptoe, half wing
ed. through her thoughts. She was creature
to make your blood bound in your bosom.-to
take you entirely off your feet, and fancy, for the
moment, that your heels are quite as much emit
tied to dominion as your head. Lovely too,--
brilliant, if not absolutely perfect in features-she
Kept you always in sort of sunlight. She sung
well, talked well, danced well-was always in
air--seemed never herself to lack repose, and, it
must be confessed, seldom suffered it to any body
else. Her dancing was the browning grace and
glory. She was no Taglioni-not an Ellsler-I
do not pretend that. But she was born artaste
Every motion was study. Every look was life.
Her form subsidized into the sweetest luxurance
of attitude, and rose into motion with some such
exquisite buoyancy, as would become Venus is
suing from the foam. Her very Alterations were
50 naturally worn, that you at length looked for
them as essential to her charms. confess--but
no! Why should do any thing SO foolish?
Susannah was very different creature. She
was fair girl rather pale, perhaps, when her
features were in repose. She had rich soft flaxen
hair, and dark blue eyes. She looked rather
than spoke. Her words were few, her gances
many. She was not necessarily silent in silence.
On the contrary, her very silence had frequently
q significance, taken with her looks, that needed
no help from speech. She seemed to look through
you at glance, yet there was liquid sweetness
IN her gaze, that disarmed it of all annoyance. If
Emmeline was the glory of the sunlight-Susan-
nah was the sovereign of the shade. If the song
Of the one filled you with exultation, that of the
other awakened all your tenderness. IF Emme-
line was the creature for the dance, -Susannah
was the wooing, beguiling Egeria, who could
snatch you from yourself in the moments of re-
spite and repose For my part, felt that could
spend all my mornings with the former, and all
my evenings with the latter. Susannah with her
large, blue, fearful eyes, and few, murmuring and
always gentle accents, shone out upon me at
nighfal. as that last star that watches in
the vault of night for the coming Of the sapphire
dawn.
So much for the damsels. And all these fan
cIes, not to say feelings the fruit of but three
short days acquaintance with their objects, But
these were days when thoughts travel mer-
rily and fast-when all that concerns the fan
cies and the affections, are caught up in mo-
ment as If the mind were nothing but congo
ries of instincts, and the sensibilies, with thou
sand delicate antenn@, were ever on the grasp
for prey. .5ai.
Squire Owens was planter of tolerable condi.
ton. He was widower, with these two lovely
and lovable daughters-no more. But, bless
you! Mine was no calculating heart. Very far
from it. Neither the wealth Of the father, nor
the beauty of the girls, had yet prompted me to
think of marriage. Life was pleasant enough as
it was. Why burden it2 Let we'll enough alone,
say |. l had no wish to be happier. wife
never entered my thoughts. What might have
come of being often with such damsels, there's no
telling; but just then, it quite enough to dance
with Emmeline, and muse with Susannah, and
viUe la bagateAe! H.
need say nothing of my dreams, since the
reader sufficiently knows the subject. l slept
late that day, and only rose in time for dinner,
which IN that almost primitive region, took place
at IL o'clock, M. had no appetite. herring
and soda water might have sufficed, but these
were matters foreign to the manor I endured
the day and headache together as we'll as could,
slept soundly that night. with now the most raw
ishing fancies of Emmeline, and now the plea
santest dreams of Susannah, one or other of whom
still usurped the place Of bright particular star
in my most capacious fancy The truth is, in
those heydey days, my innocent heart never saw
any terror in polygamy. l rose new man,
refreshed and very eager for start. I barely
swallowed breakfast when Priam was at the door.
While was about to mount, with thoughts fill
ed with the meek beauties of Susannah,-I was
arrested by the apr zach of no less than Ephraim
Strong, the village blacksmith.
"Youre guine to ride, l see."
Eyes"
'.To Squire Owens, u reckon"
'Right."
'Well, keep sharp look out on the road, for
there's news come down that the famous Archy
Dargan has broke Hamilton gaol.'
.'And who's Archy Dargan ?''
"What don't know Archy? Why, he's the
mailman that's been shut up there, its now guine
on two years."
GA mailman, eh 90
Eyes, and mighty savagerous one at that
He's the cunningest white man going. Talks
like book, and knows how to get out Of scrape,
is jest as sensible as any man for a time, but,
qudA hn takec a cfa vi lilo u chuin hcre nd
before you knows where you are, his heels are in
your jaw. Once he blazes out, its knife or gun,
Ratchet or hickory-any thing he can lay hands
on. He's killed two men already, and cut ano-
theirs throat almost to killing. He's an ug-
ly chap to meet on the road, so look out right and