The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-07-01

ing with the gay occasion. 1t was our poor
Blackwoods as he sat gloomy and taciturn,
beside his elder companion. His eye glanced
i furtively towards MIR Collins's sleigh; he
saw Jenny's face, bright and fresh as rose );
he heard her gaiIy laugh atsome Wltlcism OF
her cOmpanlons he saw that companions
glance Of admiration, and he grew ten times
more taciturn than before. | am afraid
poor Miss Moody found him very dull, and
that the ride was as intolerable to her as it
was to him. .e
4 1t was over at last, however; and now,
! having assembled in the large, cheerful, old
country house, and having partaken of the
good, warm, bountliul country supper. laid
in room where glowed bright, hospitable
/ fire, arrangements Were being made for the
promised and eagerly expected dance.
On repairing to the dancing room, where
most of the company were assembled, Mr..
Blackwood's eve glanced in search Of Jenny's:
she was not there, and conjecturing that
some adjustment of her dress detained her
up stairs, he sauntered up and down the
hall nervously waiting for her.
The fact is, he had determined TO make his
peace with her by the presentation of d pro-
pitiatory boquet. He had procured very
rare and beautiful one in the city, and had.
by taking infinite pains to protect it from
the frost. succeeded in bringing it thither
unharmed.
Jenny soon came tripping gaily down the
stairs. BlackWood in his heart thought her
the sweetest and loveliest creature III the
world and that he would give his right hand
to win one of her old smiles. With a tmid-
ity quite new to him, he presented his flow
ers and begged the honor Of her hand for the
first dance
Jenny carelessly thanked him
. She Was engaged to Mr.. Collins
Might he hope for the next. then p
No; she was engaged to MIR. Summers. /"
% Or the next?'
"She had promised Mr. Howell"
Young Blacllwood bit his lip. and his old
ill-humor returned he went into the dan
cling room, and sat sulenly in a corner
chewing the cud of his bitter fancy and
meditating on what he thought his fagrant
wrongs.
He watched Jenny, gay and brilliant, dan
cling with first one gentleman, then another;
laughing and chatting merrilv all the time. /
In truth, the gentlemen, pleased to see her
once released from thraldom crowded round
her, and paid her so much attention, that
she was really the belle of the evening
Blackwoods jealous eye saw everything: he /
saw his own boquet thrown aside, while an
other, presented by he knew not whom, Mr.. /
Collins, perhaps, was carried constantly in |
her hand and carefully cherished he noticed
every glance OF admiration directed to her,
he observed every smile she bestowed.
" BY George he muttered at last. between
his clenched teeth, $ there's not man in |
the room who is not in love with her and
she, the coquette-the flirt-the-the-the .
little jilt--I do believe she returns their
affection"
This absurd generalization of his jealousy. /
might have opened the eve of a cooler man,
but Blackwood was almost beside himself
with apprehension, lest the treasure which
he had by some strange menial process, come
to consider his own, should be stolen from
him. He felt the instability Of his claims
upon her, he was alarmed beyond reason by
her change of manner Ha. y
If, be thought, she had at last grown tired
of him. Che felt sure she had loved him
once,) if she were thinking of some one
else, what remained for him, but to throw
himself into the river or go crazy, for life
had lost every charm for him.
The thought of her riding home with Mr..
Collins was wormwood to him. He dwelt
upon it till the idea became insupportable /:
he must do something to prevent it, Accord
ingIy ne went to the gentleman who had