Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1857-11-28

his pleasing address was hidden : sor-
did, selfish nature, and that his spark
ling wit could too easily take the form
of malicious and ill natured satire and
wondered how / could ever have liked
him. He too remains single, and
wealth appears to be the only bride he
wants.
:" Louis Kimball followed suit, and
was such dear, delightful, pretty, fell
low; but I would no more marry uni
versally acknowledged pretty fellow
than I would plight my faith to a poo
die or canary. Luckily, however, there
is diversity of tastes in such matters,
and Mrs. Kimble evidently thinks she
has drawn first class prize in the mat
rimonial lottery, in marrying the ele-
giant Louis.
"Robert Stanley had for some time
been one Of our most frequent visitors,
but whether he was paying court to
mama or myself, could hardly have
told, until he confded to friend, that
he was charmed with Bella. He could
not help being pleased with her, but he
feared as much as he admired her, for
he was afraid she would have no scruples
about stealing a fellows soul, if she
could get it and make no return Of
course his con6dant lost no time in
communicating to me what he had learn
ed. You know young gentlemen never
betray each others confidence. It is
only the female part of creation who
are ever guilty Of such treachery. Poor
Robert! I thought he had need Of all
the soul with which nature had endow-
ed him, and that it would be an act of
meanness to deprive him Of the small
lest portion of it, and took care to keep
him at such a distance that I should be
in no danger of yielding to temptation
and picking his pockets of so valuable
an article. He followed me awhile Ion
ger, apparently much puzzled and dis
concerted at my GOODNESS, and then
suddenly married a pretty, lovable lit
tie girl, and became to all appearances
the happiest of Benedicts.
"Then too, Esquire Norton came
from his dingy counting room, to place
his heart and hand at my disposul.-
A heart that was never open to relieve
the wants Of suffering humanity and a
heart as dry and dusty as his ledger,
and hard as the gold he worshipped.-
Singular as it may seem, I declined
the honor Of the alliance and he woed
and won brilliant devotee of fashion,
who seems to find equipage, dress and
splendor good substitutes for happiness,
and presides over his elegant establish
ment with inimitable grace.
s'And stiff-rig Major Garland came
down from his pedestal Of pride, and
asked me to do him the distinguished
honor of sharing his name and fortune.
The name was we'll enough, the fortune
unexceptionable, but the incumbrance,
ugh!
"There were others, bu4 l am tired
Of enumerating them, and think that I
have already proved that though love
may be as potent passion as any that
sways the heart Of man, its effects are
seldom very disastrous.
"But, Mabel, DEAR" questioned AL
ice, "did you ever see Charley Field
ing again?"
30, yes he came back at last, and
for awhile kept haughtily at distance,
but at length ventured to approach me
in company, and then to call on me at
home, and continued to repeat the
experiment occasionally for several
months, but he was jealous of every
one who approached me, and I could
not conceive how he had acquired a
right to know how much or how little I
cared for any one but himself, and did
not take much pains to satisfy his Gu
riosity. And besides, he was evident
ly too proud to commit himself again,
without more encouragement than I
would condescend to give; and so the
distance between us grew wider every
time we met, until he absented himself
altogether, and finally left the place.
"Whcn ! last heard of him he had
attained a position, that highly as had
him, ] had never supposed
him competent to fill, and was still I'M
for our distinguished repre-
sentative as the newspapers call him, is
probably more fastidious than simple
Charley Fielding. He has probably
quite forgotten Mabel Keith, and I
have learned to wonder how I could
ever have been SO silly as to fancy that
loved him. 4. |
Hon. Charles Fielding was a cousin
Of Alice's husband, and she had long
him Of cherishing an unfor-
tunate, perhaps hopeless attachment for
somebody, she could never guess who
and now she fancied herself quite too
shrewd to be deceived by the declara-
ton that ssshe wondered how she could
ever have been so silly" with which
she thought Mabel was trying to cheat
herself. That young lady, however,
knew nothing Of the relationship, and
consequently when Mr.. Fielding again
sought her favor, could not suspect
that he had been influenced by any
from her friend |; and it was
not till she had been several months a
wife, and in fit Of her old perversity
assured her husband that she did not +
care half SO much for him as he i'm
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