Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1857-03-04
CHAPTER Ill

WHO Mr.. ROLLINS FELL IN LOVE WITH.
But delightful was the relation subsisting
between them and their Anticipated beau, it
was temporarily destined to a very singular
kind of an interruption. All at once, as one
of the wonders of the world, new light
sprang up in Rollins mind, and this light
was none other than reflection from the
torch of Cupid How it came to pass that
the heart of adament which during the fer
vor and passion of youth had resisted the
well directed volleys from female eyes of ey-
cry color had at last succombed, must for
ever remain o mystery.
But MIR. Rollins love was as droll as it was
untimely. Worse than the poor ass of the
school-man, hesitating between two bundles
of hay, Mr.. Rollins had fallen in love with all
four of the female companions at the same
time At first, this bachelor love developed
itself in periodical fits Of partially forone or
the other of the ladies, just as it happened;
yasciating as it were from day to day
Thus, for while, Miss Amelia Pettigfew
would be the queen of his affection. He
would call to his mind some roguish dimple
of her girlhood, and what a splendid set of
teeth one Of her regular, ringing laughs would
disclose in those days of remote antiquity
When Miss Amelia was thus boosted ON the
topmost round of Mr.. Rollins ladder of
weathercock admiration, she would suddenly
be precipitated to the the ground by dim
shadowy recollection on the part of that gen
tleman of the bewitching manner in which
Miss Anna Maria Atterbury used to dance a
quarter of q century ago. Then the tender
memories of his early partiality for Miss Har-
riet Anodyne would so stir up poor Rollins
vagrant sensibilities that he almost made up
to pop the question to her He probably
would have done so on certain afternoon,
had he not stopped in at Pettigrew's on his
way to DR.. Anodyre's 1t happened on this
occasion that Miss Rachel was at home alone
and her tender solicitude in the matter of a
cold which Mr.. Rollins had taken, affected
him with such an all overish sort Of sensa-
ton, that for q period Of some forty-eight
hours, the lady'in question was the mistress
of his heart. Most certainly, his exclusive
prediction in favor of Miss Rachel lasted no
longer than the time have specified. and he
came at last to entertain compound kind of
love for his four charmers collectively His
condition of mind was truly pitiable, for be-
side the nervousness attendant on so anoma-
lous and whimsical a state of the affections,
Mr. Rollins knowledge of the female heart
led him to the well-grounded conviction that
even should he make proposals to one of the
four he would incur the risk of losing the
frindship of the remaining three. Now this
was contingency too painful to think of, and
the poor enamored gentleman spent whole
year in devising ways and means whereby it
might be avoided AS yet neither Of the Ia
dies in question had the remotest suspicion
of the whirlwind of eccentric passion which
was tearing away the very foundation of Mr..
Rollinss moral being; for if at any time he
happened to make some extraordinary dem
onstration, it was credited to the account of
sudden and unexpected twinge of rheua-
tsm with which he was occasionally afflict-