The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1856-06-26
I I S GEL u q I1AW us
From the N. Y Spirit cfMe Times.
A HAND.ARoUND PARTY IN ALABAMA.

calculated to disturb good humor, and up
set equanimity, and radically take the con-
ceit out Of Il man, than to find himself
placed in a situation, i'll drawing room or
ut an evening party, where prompt decision
Is Indispensable, aud neither guide or prece-
dent is ut hand to Indicate the course TO be
pursued. There petty annoyance are some
times magn;fied by circumstances into posi-
tive distresscs. These arc things more
comforting in life, there arc situations more
to be envied, than that of the man cropping
IN the terra incoynitu' of fashionable So
ciey, compelled to act without previous ac-
quaintance with its usages, and painfully
conscious that the slightest gnoranc. or in
adver,encc will lie duly hcra!led as the best
joke Of the season.
And little sympathy or disposition to re-
licve from embarrassment is felt or man
tested hv the generality Of man or woman
Kind towards Il 81 :, ring victim There is
only one instance on the record Of courtesy
and true lo!iteness where 81 gentleman, a,
Ills dIIlng table, drank Oh unlcsi,allunlv
the finger bowl of tcpid water. in order to
Keep in countenancc an unfortunate guest,
whose obiiviousnrss Of that institution"
had led him to despatch at 4 gulp similar
bowl to appease his thirst. Tllis exception.
confirming the general rule, adds this gen
cr;'l truth us another argument in supper,
at the theory Of innate cruelty. And
hence, many an unhappy soul is allowed to
founder about in all the mazcs OF gauchc-
re, enduring agony the most ptiable, until
lie is slowly and tenlrrly drawn ashore by
some !icmd:sh Chesterfield, who, in his mis-
sion Of mercy, takes good care that every
body present shall have Il fair view Of all
the points Of the animal" or, until the
poor devil, discrcnmhcrc of all remaining
sense, with Il desperation Of resolution ;,d.-
quate to the most forlorn l.op, cuts the
Gor,ian knot, anl relieves himself from his
dilemma ly incontlncntly taking to his
hecIs-u"mosing. The latter WIS the in
glorious cxpc,licnt adopted hy Bill Brisson
ut the memorable "tca flight that came,
OFT at Gen. Jones on the first uf MAY, -1n-
40 Domiui 1884,. But we NUT Permit
Bill 10 relate his huir-brcad;h 'scape" in
his own language, as he narrated il last
winter TO an :lmiring crowd assembled in
the social hall Of Warrior river steam
boat.
"Speaking of asgful fixes, gentlemen,
was i'll once; but as long as my heads hot,
I'll never he SO caught again-nevcr. You
are all acquainted with Miss Angelina
Joncs-General Jones second daughter
about fifteen years ago, yoa know, she WAS
beauty, and no mistake
The most peerless piece Of carth, think,
That c'er the sun shonc bright on"
Il was jist sixteen years oid-Angy, as
1 endearingly called her in my heart Of
hearts, was twen.y-eight; still, Byron-like,
l loved her, and with devotedness ,la,
had no parallel outside Of fashionable nov
els. l feel queer " hen think of her now.
The spell this paragon had over me was
wondr"us; an accidental look transfixcd
me, and set Il watery vapor floating before
my eyes; word Set hundred icwsharps
u playing in my ears; her touch gave me
absolutely hrck ague. In short, l was
heels overhead many fnlhoms deep in love
-encountering, i'll imagination, multitude
nous perils for her sake; had saved her, in
my walking dreams, at the lowest calcu-
la;ion, from the sinking wrecks of thirteen
steamboats,, three hundred runaway scrapcs
in carriages and on horseback. fought and
Alled twenty-sevcn 'mcn in buckra,n,' in
dneIs, on her account, took to rhyme and
melancholy and whisky, and to cap the
climax, l engraved her initials, "A. j. on
evcrysbcechen tree within a circuit of five
miics-an operation by which was fast
acquiring n"toriety, in a political way, some
wag having made people believe that "a.
j. stood for the hero Of the Hermitage, until
mn cvil-disposed person, much to my det-
siment, interpreted them to signify A
j.
-. About fifteen years ago, was invited,
by The latest imported method, to take tea
at Gen. Jones'. That was an epoch in my
life; it was the first public acknowledg-
fnent Of my sixteen'year-old manhood, and
ITresolyed to 60. Now, one word abou,
,nyraisng, and the position Of the Joncs
family in society. My parents, you know,
belong TO the plain, substantial, respectable,
'ssehs anhit italat;ng class, and regulated their
household economy accordingly; and when
wesslspt we slept in beds, and when We ate
!oatsfteals We sat down to table on which
stbs satables were placed, with a aservvaut be-
sisdsassto ;adn,inisssr to our twspts :zbu.
ssiss Jones being descended from The 1first
fssiiies OF 7soutl, Carolina, which is q kick
sbote the F. =. N.'s, connected things on
fy.