The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-07-04

them both, and felt rather glad than 9TH
erwise, when the news reached Us that he
had been ordered TO the Mediterranean,
on three years. cruise. He took Made
leine 10 Savannah, where she was to re-
main during his absence. with the hope that.
in the more genial climate of the South,
her health might be entirely restored. The
letter to my wife tells the rest Of the story.
1t is from Madeleine, dated al Savannah
''MY DEAR, NEGLECTED FRIESD.-What a
wicked little wretch your Madeline has
been, never TO to have written to you this
long, long time! But this letter is to make
up, because it is to tell you-oh SO much
provided (there is always a provision in a
woman's brain, you know YOU don't let
your husband see it. Promise: Yes p
And then break il! Fly! That's just the
way do. l say to myself, Now, Made
leine, my dear, you mustn't breathe this to
living soul'-and the very first thing, Fred
knows it all Strange that we women are
SO treaeherous to ourselves.
81 couldn't write to y ou, dear, when Fred
went away, it was SO dreadful to have him
60; and then my health was bad. Ny spir-
its were bad, too, for | couldn'r help feeling
all the time that Twas keeping him from the
| estate In Surrey. Sometimes really want
ed to die, for his sake; and then wanted
TO live for my own, But We cannot choose.
YOU know, and it pleased Heaven to keep
me here, and to make me, oh, SO unspeaka-
ably happy. --.. -.s .s-e. 4
s.Fred made me promise to be cheerful
in his absence. At first, it was impossible,
but pretty soon, my natural disposition as
serted its supremacy, and l rode, and dan
ced. and dressed with the rest. All lit
tie dreamed what the dressing would cost
me!
81 mad been in Savannah about six
months, when Mrs. H., of New York, made
her appearance in hoops. As it was the
first dawn of the much -talked-of fashion,
all the ladies We're in tutter immediately,
and ere fortnight had passed, every dame
and damsel in the place was sufficiently
paffed out-in the petticoats-to pay court
to Queene Anne herself. had great diff
| Guilty with my hoops-being short, in spite
Of heels-and really suffered martyrdom al
most in vain attemps to cooper myself with
in the bounds Of propriety and dignity
One morning, when of rather larger circnm-
ference than usual, Lieutenant McB. was
| >
writing to Fred. and had Just made funny
sketch Of myself for his benefit, preparato-
ry to giving him my hoop-experience. |
rose quickly at hearing the name of my Wis
itor, upset a chair, tilted the poor, little,
surprised kitten heels over head, and, in
| short, committed so many archlrGrdnesses
that my self-possession quite deserted me.
TO add to my embarrassments. the unendu-
rable man was this morning more IntoIera-
bic than ever. He eyed me from head to
foot, with an expression of concealed amuse-
ment, and-can you believe it the wretch
absolutely asked if We had not some idea of
going to live in Surrey do think that
every drop Of blood in these veins rushed TO
my face. 1t was in vain tried TO converse,
and AT last was about to plead an engage
mcnt and beg to be excused, when he rose,
saying that his time was short, and there
fore his cal. must be the same; that he was
en- route for Norfolk, where he expected to
| join his ship and sail for the Mediterranean;
that he should probably see Fred in few
weeks, and-glanclng ut the secretary
would be happy to carry any message or
letter. Now, was really glad of the chance,
and so, quickly signing and sealing the half
written sheet, gave It to him, and badc him
good morning with great satisfaction. l
! thought no more of the man until TWO
months afterward. when there came pack
age from Fred, with few hasty lines nc
companying, to say that h. WAS u>t the hap
piest man in the world. He had seen Lieut..
MeB., and was charmed by his report of my
| appearance, as well as by my own sketch.
He child me for keeping him so long in ig-
norancc, and then implo:ed me, as valued
his love, to take every possible care of my
self, and spare no expense whatever; ad
ding, that it was quite likely he should see
me in a few months, as the commodore
wished to communicate with Secretary D.,
and had promised to make him bearer of
dispatches.
"Do you know, was so stupid that Fred's
meaning never reached my brain till open
ed the package? Then it was as plain AS
day. There were some exquisitely cmbroid
cred infants dresses and couple Of dar-
! ling little caps of real Valencicnnes You
can't imagine, ma chere, how | cried my
eyes out over them, for Fred's anticipations,
and then his bitter disappointment, stared
me full in the face.
81 wrote, but. Of course, it never reached
him. He came home three months after.
cannot tell you the rapture of that meeting,
nor my agony of soul when he whispered,
| Madeleine, darling. where's our chld?'
sobbed out the result upon his breast. and
! he, too, wept uncoutrollably. Dear Fred,
no one knows what noble heart he has.
'You may be sure | pitched the horrid
hoops far enough. But what will vou say
when tell you, that had to hunt them up
again to wear thcm and what ,riN you say,
| too when | add that we leave Savannah for
| Baltimore to-morrow-Fred and |, and
and some one else-you shall never know
never! He's just the perfection of beauty.
! DO You remember little angel in the Dres-
! den Madonna that leans on his elbow in
the lower part of the picture: His por-
| trait--without the wings. Heare,t keep
a,rag The wh'gs.
! .'You must be in Baltimore two weeks
/ from Sunday. There's to be christening;
and Mr.. III. and You are to be the godpa-
rents. So don't fail.
'.After that, we sail for England, in the
Baltic. Fred has resigned his commission,
and will leave Us no more. See that beau
tlfui little word. .R,' Isn't it charming :
! But then to think of taking the name and
arms of that Old Englishman-preposteI-
( Gus shall never jump any more fences
oh dear nor climb after wild roses !!
/ But | ,ciA twist my own ringlets and nurse
! nv own--somebody Fred says may
/ How wish that Surrey were side by side
with La Rnehe Tney Il never make great
lady of your little happy MADELEINE.
! ''P. S.--t'eoarey. That's to be the name
another of the conditions it hog-
rible? How wish YOU could see what |
see now--ever So many of the pinkest toes
in the world Feeping out from under "a
! blanket!''
! La Ruche, March 2S. 1857.
Plain Talk for Ladies'.
/ The western editors are certainly very free
spoken, and their rhetoric, ike the bowie
knives of some of them, is sharp and to the
point. une of them, speaking Of low-neck-
ed dresses and short sleeves, says: ''The
prevailing fashion among the ladies. which
tTansposes an angel into mode artist, is
universally detested By every gentleman
whose good opinion a lady should desire.
II blunts the finer feelings of both sexes, and
! Is a disady anragt. to the one by destroying ali