Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1857-09-10
From Harper's Weekly.
TO w E A R &.
AN EPISODE OF CITY LIFE.

AN EPISODE OF CITY LIFE.
Miss Flora M'Flimsey, of Madison Square,
Has made three separate journeys to Paris
AMI her father assures each time she was there
That she and her friend Mr.. Harris,
Not the Iady whose name is so famous in history
But plain Mrs Fl. without romance or mysterv,)
Spent six eonsec utive weeks without stopping,
Shopping alone, and shopping together,
At all hours of the day, and in all sorts of wealth
| er;
For all manner of things that woman can pat
! On the crown of her head or the sole of her foot
Or wrap round her shoulders or fit reund her waist
Or that can be sewed on, pinned on, or laced,
Or tied on with string, or stitched on with a bow
In front or behind, above or below,
For bonnets, mantillas, capes, collars and shawIs;
Dresses for breakfast, dinners and balls;
Dresses to sit in, to stand in, to walk in,
Dresses to dance in, to frt in, to talk in,
Dresses in which to do nothing at all,
Dresses for Winter, Spring, Summer, and FALL
All of them different in color and pattern,
Silk, muslin, and lace, Grape, velvet, fine satin,
Brocade and Broadcloth, and other material,
Quite as expensive, and much more ethereal;
In short, for all things that could ever be thought
of,
From ten thousand francs robes to twenty sous
frills;
Ia all quarters of Paris, and to every store,
While M'Flmsey in vain stormed, scolded and
TN IL tt, ba fnatQ oil he
The last trip, their goods shipped by the Steamer
Arago,
Formed, M'FIinsey declares, the bulk of her car
Not to mention a quantity kept from the rest,
Sufficient to fill the largest sized chest,
Which did not appear on the ships manifest,
But for which the ladies themselves manifested
Such particular interest, that they invested
Their own proper persons III layers and rows
OF musns, embroidercs, worked under clothes,
Gloves, IIandkcrcefSy scaris and such trifcs as
those,
Then wrapped in great shawls, like Ciycs'=-ish
beauties,
Gave good Jyto the ship, and 60 by to the duties
Her relations at home all mary velled, no doubt,
Miss Flora had grown 50 enormously stout,
For an actual belle and possible bride.
But the Miracle ceased when she turned inside cut,
And the truth came TO light, and the dry goods
beside,
Which, in spits of Collector and Custom House
sentry,
Had entered the port without any entry.
And vet though scarce three months have passed
since the day,
This merchandise went, on twelve carts, up Broad
way,
This same Miss M'Flmsey, of Madison Square,
The last time we met, was in utter despair,
Because she had nothing whatever to wear.
Nothing to wear Now this is true ditty,
l do not assert-this, you know, is between us
That she's in state of absolute nudity,
Like Powers Greek Slave the Medici Venus;
But do mean to say, have heard her declare,
When at the same moment, she had on dress,
Which cost five hundred dollars and not cent
less,
Andiewelry worth ten times more, should guess
That she had not thing in the wide world to wear
should mention just here, that out of Miss FlOras
Two hundred and fifty or sixty adorers,
had just been selected as he who should throw all
The rest in the shade, by the gracious bestowal
On myself, after twenty or thirty rejections,
OF those fossil remains which she called ''her az
fections;''
And that rather decaye I'd bu. well-known work of
art,
Which Miss Flora persisted in styling 'her heart.
So We are engaged. Our truth had been plighted
Notify moonbeam or starbeam, by fountain or grove
But in front parlor, most brilliantly lighted,
Beneath the gas fixtures we whispered our love,
Without any romance, or raptures or sighs,
Without any tears in Miss Florls blue eyes,
Or bushes or transports, such silly actions,
twas one of the quietest business transactions,
With very small sprinkling of sentiment, if any,
And very large diamond imported by Tiffany,
On her virginia. lips while printed kiss,
She exclaimed, as sort of Parenthesis,
And by way of putting quite at my ease,
"You know I'm to Polka as much as please,
And firt when like-now stop, don't you speak
And you must not come here more than twice in
the week,
Or talk to me either at party or ball,
But always be ready to come when call;
SO do not prose to me about duty and stuff,
If we don't break this fl there will be time enough
For that sort of thing, but the bargain must be,
That, as long as choose, am perfectly free,
For this is sort of engagement you see,
Which is binding on you, but not binding on me-"
Well having thus wooed Miss M'Fimsey and gain
ed her,
With the silks, crnolines and hoops that contained
her,
had, as thought, contingent remainder.
AT least in the property and the best right
To appear as its escort by day and by night;
And it being the week Oft the Stuckups grand ball
Their cards had been out for fortnight so,
An set all the Avenue on the tip toe,
considered it only my duty to call,
And see if Miss Flora intended to 60.