The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-02-28
The widower

the last hall houf 10 speak TO that pretty Miss
Hoffman, but she had been so engrossed by
you that there has been no chance for me-
The other smiled, and the expression of
gratfed vanity that crossed his countenance
as he said something about s'woman's pity and
quick sympathes,o little accorded with the
sentiment he uttered.
"Miss Hoffman is very handsome he con
tinued, "and not very young, I should imag-
ne,' he added, in a tone of equal satisfaction.
"She can't be more than three or four and
twenty" replied the other with some surprise.
"No, suppose not, but she must be full
that, y rejoined Mr.. Hughes, decidedly, and, as
he said it, the words "a suitable aee' crossed
his mind.
'Suitable age!'' Heaven help the man! He
has made rapid progress in his estimation of
himself and claims since he was embarrassed
by the thought Of Susan Lees youth.
A change had, indeed, ''come Ger the spirit
of his dream,' during the last three months of
his existence. Once again in gay and fashiona-
bic life. he was received with an attention and
| playful fattery by the beautiful and young he
had been stranger to even in his more youth
ful days. AS mddle-aged, married man,
he had rarely frequented scenes of the kind ,and
then endured them rather as penance than a
| pleasure, not to be soon incurred again.
| The year following his wdowhood had de-
barred him, as we have seen, from even the
ordinary pleasures that general society may
confer. What wonder, then, that it burst upon
him now in all the brilliancy of it's novelty and
freshness of its fattery, with charm that daz-
zled and delighted him.
A man of talents and distinction with a first
hIIc md fol
upon as one Of the best matches in the CITY.
Behold the secret that threw such anew pleas
ure over scenes thathe had once found SO dull.
Beauties were flattered by his admiration, and
bellies wed with each other in endeavorng to
win his attentions, but the most Intoxicating
drop in the whole cup of fattery was the sensa-
ton Of youth it inspired. Talk of 'sthe first
freshness of spring!" 1t was nothing to the
second, atleast so he found it, The first he had
taken, like the air of heaven, as thing of
course, but the second turned his BRAIN He
was now free to choose, to s'bless contending
beauties" and he entered society with zest
and relish that rarely falls to the lot of forty
FIVE. At first he had liked to talk of his ''litte
girl" and enlist the interests of his fair listen
ers for his 'motherless child" but gradually
he ceased to talk Of his daughter, and answered
hastily when she was spoken Of, and was seri-
ously annoyed when questioned as to her age.
He now no longer hesitated at the youth of any
Of the bellies he most admired, and thought any
age sssuitable' that was not over twenty
Fanny said Mrs. Hathaway to her beauti-
full young daughter, ''why did you leave me last
evening Immediately after introduced Mr.
Hughes TO you?''
II was going to waltz with Frank Constant,
mamma
Il wish, my dear, you would not waltz so
much with Frank Constant. Mr.. Hughes was
very much struck with your appearance, and
asked so eagerly to be introduced to you that
was sorry you turned off so quickly. If you
meet him this evening don't do it again.
s'Why mamma? Why should I talk to that
frisky old widower for? l wanted to waltz"
*Old! my dear, I don't know what you call
old. To be sure he is no longer boy, and
does not waltz, but he is as youthful in his feel
ings as
Yes" said the lovely beauty, nterrupting
her mother, "and it's just that which makes
him so absurd. He feels so young and he looks
SO old that the contrast is most amusing
"He converses most agreeably," continued
her mother.
continued with more animation, chow charm
ingly Frank Constant does waltz
''How does he talk?'' inquired her mother
''Oh, he talks well enough" she answered
hastily, asif that was '.neither here nor there"
'but he does keep step most beautifully" and
she clasped her little hands with delight as she
spoke. Chow I do love dancing" she added
Il wish, my dear" continued her mother.
'that you would attend to what l say. Don't
dance so much will, Constant again, and don't
let him talk to you while you are dancing with
Others"
'sWhy not, mamma? He is very pleasant"
E'He is an idle young man." replied her
mother, "bas no property, and beside, if you
allow yourself to be engrossed by trihers in this
way, men Of sense will not wish to approach
you"
Fanny was on the point of saying that she
did not desire they should, for, by "men of.
sense she saw her mother meant Mr.. Hughes,
when Mrs. Hathaway continued to say:
"Mr. Hughes was quite attentive to Helen
French last evening""
'Was he?'' said her daughter, with more
interest, for Helen French was her particular
friend and rival.
eyes, and she seemed very anxious to attract
his admiration. When he asked who you were
she affected to mistake him and did not answer, I
and lsaw she was quite annoyed when he
turned to me and asked to be introduced to
YOU
''Was she?" cried Fanny, with great glee.
'Then won't dance once with Frank Constant !
tonight, and she shall not talk a bit to Mr..
Hughes
Enchanted at the thought Of teasing Helen
French, even at the expense of her own amuse-
ment for the evening, the young beauty antci
pated the coming ball with even more than
ordinary impatence.
Once, however, in the brilliant throng min
Cling with the dancers, Fanny had well nigh
forgotten her resolution of the morning. when
CHANGING to glance across the room, she saw
Helen French talking with great animation to
Mr. Hughes. Mrs. Hathaway was standing
near them Fanny Immediately crossed, and,
coming up to her mother, said, with the pretti-
est and most child like air of Inconsistencies:
Mamma, won't you hold my bouquet9" and
as she spoke she bowed slightly and smiled