St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1857-02-05

and more twisted the loop round TIN
button.
"Plcasc let me try" said the lad,
herself, as | bunglcd over the bust
ness she ungloved her hand-it was
a sweet white hand SO l looked he
in the face. Stars and gaiters bu
it was the very fair one, black hal
and dark eyes, | was in pursuit Of
AS she stopped over the entangled but
ton, slight flush tinted her check
Oh, it was delicious. hoped she ncv
er would undo the loop; and, indeed
she would not, for her fingers were
twitching nervously, and my heart was
beating audibIy. l tried to help her
our fingers met.
"Pleasc make way there" shouted
a gruff voice behind. We were block
ing up the passage was there ever
such an unlucky spot for lucky en-
tanglement
"Iou hinder the people from going
out, Amie," exclaimed one Of her com
panions with some aspcrity plague
on the tiresome loop, break it I" and
suiting the action to the word, the
speaker leaned forward, caught the
sleeve of her beautiful friends dress
in one hand, and my coat tail in the
other, and giving quick and decided
tug, severed us. The crowd behind
bore on, and we were separated not,
however, before l gave my "star" a
look which | intended to speak vol
umcs. l thought she did not seem un
conscious of my meaning-our eyes
met, | know, and this was the only
consolation left me, for Immediately
afterwards lost her and her party tc
view in the darkness outside.
Cruel fate That night l hardly
closed my eyes, thinking of my
bright particular STAR and what
means should employ to find her out
knew little of the town, which was
a large one, and to expect to know
the name of my fair one by mere
description was hopeless there must
doubtless be a great many with dark
eyes and black hair within the bills
of mortality" there, as elsewhere. Af-
ter breakfast next day | sailed forth
from my hotel, and walked the town
in hope of seeing her, but no trace of
the lovely one could | find, though ]
started off in pursuit of many a sin
gular figure in the streets, only to dis
cover, on my overtaking each object
of my pursuit, that she was not the
one longed to sec.
My love fit grew more and more vi
olcnt in the course of the day but
tired out at length with my search,
returned to the hotel, and took out my
dress-coat from my portmanteau to
feed my flame even with the contem.
plation of the inanimate button that
had detained the black-eyed divini.
ty" so long. 1t was with no little de.
light | now discovered what did not
before catch my eye--a fragment of
the silk loop of her dress still adhered
to the button, twisted round the
shank. pressed it to my lips &; it
was lilac in color-and | stopped to
discntangle it from the bit of brass as
gently as though it were a trcss of my
loved ones hair, when something
clinked in the skirt pocket. Isuppos-
ed had left some money there, for in
my perturbation and excitement |
omitted to search the coat on taking
it off the night before. | thrust my
hand into the pocket. Gracious me
What did l behold, what did take
out--a gold chain bracelet!
You could have Drained me with a
lady's fam" Isaw at glance how mat
ters stood-in the excitement and fur
ry of undoing the loop from my but
ton, the lady had undone the clasp of
her own bracelet, which had not unnat-
urally fell into the coat-skirt with
which she was engaged ; doubtless,
on missing it, instead of regarding in
a romantic light, she put it down that
| was one of the swell mob, and had
purposely entangled myself in her dress
to rob her of her ,jewelry.
Here was an anti-heroic position for
one s-self, when l wished myself to be
considered the most devoted of knights
to be remembered only as the most ex-
pert of pickpockets Was there ever
an honest lover in such plight, and
to make it worse, | could not see how
| was to escape from this inevitable
dilemma | must go down to the
grave in that dear ones mind only as
the nefarious purloiner OF her brace
let To find her out was impossible
but bright idea struck me, as my
eye lighted on newspaper lying OF
the coffee-room table. rang the bell
and inquired of the waiter when the
local paper was published. "To-mor
T row, sir" he answered. | sat dowr
and wrote an advertisement (; it was
in the following words
eff the lady, whose dress got en-
: tangled in gentleman's coat button
in leaving the concert last Wednes
day, will call at or send to the Arch''
Head Hotel, she will hear something
, to her advantage"
There, l thought, as | gave the ad
: vertisement to the waiter, and fiv'
shillings to pay for its insertion in tn
: Sentinel-there, if it will not give MI
a clue to escape from very unpleas
ant dilemma, and at the same time t
7 know who my enchanter is, the fate