The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1858-09-22
N a L n i e Ora Y.
ek n IT u y :,
"l'll never speak to you again. Howard r

and such flash OF her brilliant eyes as might
have sent a less susceptible man than myself
down on his knees before her.
s'Why e-e-e. Mamie Graz, you don't meant
That little, chattering tongue of yours couldn t
keep still half an hour if it tried"
Another flash of the bewildering fine eyes,
SO quick and brightit almost dazzled me. That
was all the response she deigned. A few min
utes persevering silence followed
Mamie
No answer.
mamie Gray
A naughty toss of the cloud OF golden curls.
and firm shutting together of the crimson
lips. That was all.
''I say, Mamie
I had my labor for my pains, A stagnant
ffogpond, with all the frogs tainted away
couldn't have been stiller than She The facts
of the case were simply these. was in love
with the little, saucy, bright eyed, deliciously
charming inexpressioly bewitching. torment
ingly coguettsh Mamie Gray. In love, bewi!
deringiy, irrevocably, madly, no help for it-at
all ll-ably, in love, heart, mind, soul and sense,
head and ears. Being passably good-looking,
weIl-lnsoEmed young gentleman, of agreeable
manners, easy nature, generous disposition,
good character, fair name, ,unqestenable habits
well father, brilliant prospects, and all
the other little etceteras which a modest man
like myself would dislike to mention; having
arrived at that respectable stage OF single
blessedness when man begins to feel like q
half pair Of shears, and commences to look
about tor some one to love, cherish, and obey
him, and darn his stockings; moreover, being
entirely satisfied that the aforesaid Mamie Gray
was abundantly qualified to make me the hap
piest of men, and little extra bliss to boot;
and, thinking withal, that she, Mamie, being an
orphan and alone in the world, needed just such
a nice husband as / should make, indulgent,
even tempered, handsome, ETC., etc., to protect
her, had arrived at the unavoidable determi-
nation to offer her my heart, hand, fortune, and
the name OF Ross. ...
[ had the audacity to believe that she was not
altogether insensible to my attractions that the
mercury of her affections stood about the same
number Of degrees above zero that mine did
There was this difference, however. Whereas.
L made no secret of my affection for her, but
told her Of it every chance | could get, the
arrant little coquette had a way, peculiarly her
own, Of making me uncomfortable. In the
midst of my most eloquent love declarations,
she would ask me if ever wore a scarlet Jacket
and travelled as an accompaniment to a hand
organ. If pressed her hand she would laugh
II | kissed her she would be excused long
enough to wash her face
One day caught her looking very intently
at the inside of gold locket, said locket being
about her white throat like little pulsations Of
sunshine. She gave litte pretty, theatrical
start of surprise upon being discovered looking
at it, clasped it quickly, and had it in her bo-
som. l whistled. | always whistle when
don't know what else to do.) For the first time
in my life l was jealous. Very unconcernedy.
Mamie took up her sewing. Knowing it wouldn t
do to let her notice my discontinue, grasped
the. morning paper, and held it before my face.
Couldn't see anything but little gold Iockets all
over it. Heard suppressed laugh, and knew
Mamie saw through my uneasiness at once.
Whis!led again. and glanced over the top OF
the paper at Mamie. She caught me at it,
and laughed outright.
"Wouldn't YOU read with less difficulty, if
you held the paper differently, Mr.. Ross?"
Mr. Ross! | looked down. Zounds, reader
[ had the paper wrong end upward. sprang
from my chair as though dozen grown up
thunderbolts had exploded in my boots. Mamie
was sewing again, grave and digni6ed as a
queen. Iseized my hat and left. When about
half way down the road, thought heard a
laugh. Looked about. Mamie sat by the
window, locket in hand, her sewing tossed idly
across the window-sill. Igrated my teeth, and
walked along. For two or three successive
days, the locket tormented me. She always
managed to be hiding it, when came along.
At least, she became less shy, and looked at it
continually in my presence. One morning l
sat watching her. How sweetly she smiled at
the despisable, little yellow affair." Icould have
shaken her with good will. Then she sighed,
bent her face down suspicously low A smile.
a smack, a triumphant uplifting of her saucy
eyes-gracious, she had kissed it! Human
nature could endure no more. Curiosity tam
talizing. Jealous curosity-overcame every con-
sidera,ion Of politeness. Forgetting the rude
ness of the action, I sprang forward and
snatched the ocket from her hand. She gave
faint cry of alarm, and struggled to rescue
it from me; but caught both her eager hands
in mine, and held them fast, while turned to
look at the miniature. | set my features in a
glare of defiance intended for the especial
benefit of the masculine visage I expected to
see there. O, jealousy, thou green-eyed mon
ster, avaunt! O, confusion, thrice confounded!
the locket was an empty one! | relinquished
my hold of it, and glanced at Mamie. Cheek,
forehead, and ivory white throat were deluged
with crimson, while two tears of mingled in
dignation and chagrin struggled through the
misty fringe of her lashes. reached out my
hand:
Il was rude; forgive me, Mamie"
Such stamp of her slender foot upon the
carpet! Such a queenly Strengthening of her
fairy figure! such a blazing of her glorious
eyes! | stood back aghast. ..
'1'llnever speak to you again, Howard Ross,
as long as | live-never!'
That was what she said. l have already
recorded my unsuccessful attempts to change
her resolution
And yet had gone to her, intending to
place my happiness in her hands-intending
to say to her what no other women had ever
won from my lips Of course I relinquished
the idea then. An army of hungry bears
would have been less formidable than Mamie
Gray in such pet. I went home laboring
under the conviction that either was BRUTE
and Mamie an angel, OF Mamie was little
vixen, and myself an abused, uncomfortable