Oroville daily Butte record., 1857-04-20
Osaullle Dailq Dutte &eturG.
THE SYLPH OF MY BOYHOOD.
BY LEOPOLD WRAY.

CHO SCCuiCh CIcdluIO Ddll ulNIIC,
an ethereal being. living on clouds and
feeding on the perfume of fowers-a
peri At boyish nineteen, rouge and
white paint appear roses and lilies, and
the footlights at the theatre throw
halo OF poetry over those nymphs with
gossamer wings, till you fancy they are
the Inhabitants of brighter spheres
come down to earth to enchant our
eyes. At least know | felt 80, when
| first saw the fascinating XephIrinc
floating across lake, through hazy
atmosphere Of white gauze meant to
represent a dream. | don't recollect
whether she personated VILE or u
nixy, still less bave | the least idea e
the name of the ballet in which he APP
peared, though | preserve indistinct
notions of Silesian prince or baron,
and some supernatural fair being whom
he wished to wed instead of his mortal
bride. and finally, did wed to his ruin.
All | really remember is the poetry of
notion and exquisite grace and beau
ty of this charming creature. She
was not enrolled in the corps de bullet
at the opera house, but SIMPLY belong
ed TO one of the minor theatres, which
was lucky for me, as it allowed me to
see her oftcner than my slender re-
sources would have permitted me in
those days, had she been attached to IA
more ambiti Gus establishment.
| fell in love with Zephirne, and
bought the print that represented Der
standing on the tip OF one toe. Not
that the face was much like hers, nor
did | think it half SO pretty as the
original, but the attitude and the dress
were happily caughl, and hung it up
in my bedroom, and placed sprlg If
laurel above it, like the bunch Of con-
sccr@tcd box you see hung above Il holy
PRINT i'll some counties, and gazed at
it, am sure, as fou1ly as ever devotec
gloated over a sanity relic. Nor was
/ content with this silent worship, but
when | ought to have been drawing
plan in the Office of the architect to
whom was articled, was skctching
arabrsques on the margin Of my sheet,
in which the figure of my sylph was
reproduced il an endless variety Of at
titude, now peeping out Of punches Of
flowers, now sklmming the air, or pols,
ed on the eliminating point Of some
fantastic scroll.
These symptoms soon betrayed my
secret to my comrades and through
them it got bruited abroad before |
was aware. The architect, ore fatal
day, discovered my marginal annota-
tons, and looked stern, and cut off
the narrow strip of paper containing
the nnarchittclural arabesques, and
sent to my father in the country, ac.
.companied, OF course, with his running
commentaries en- the same. Was tins
the way,to emulate the Wrens and the
Iniro Joneses of less frivolous peri
cd: Was it respectable fer young
man belonging to my social position to
run after ballet girls at a minor thea
ire : These and the like destinations,
filling a letter of three pages, hurled
into the midst of quiet country taml-
", WIS very much like hinging light
ed match among a heap Of tow. My
mother was Harmed and looked grave,
sister cried &c and my father GOT IN
to a passion and determined to 90 up
to London at once, and give the Young
scamp such Il lecture as he had never
had before.
The good folks at home, as is often
the case, under similar circumstances,
galop faster than their horse. My
parenls saw little imaglnations.
My sister pecped at the drawings
and thought them very shocking, Yet
Fanny determined to alter her muslin
dress, to make it like Zephrine'S, think
ing it must be more fashionable.
Unaware Of what was plotting against
my sylph and myself, | was meanwhile
applauding her in a new ballet, and car
ried up to the NTH heaven Of delight
in seeing her frsten pair of skates on
her fairy feet, aud executes al kinds
Of fourishcs on mimic ice in becom-
ING Polish costume, which served as
prelude to several would be national
dances, the rest Polish part of The con
corn beinr n pair Of r. morocco b lots.