The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1859-03-02
THE JILrEp.
Beware how you IoIter in vain
Among nymphs of a higher degree"

| son OF a respectable butcher. Even IN child
hood, young Snubbs was remarkable for an
ambition, which scared beyond the narrow
! sphere to which his birth threathened to con-
| fine him. He disdained to associate with the
young butchers OF the neighborhood and at
tached himself to the genteeler society of attor-
neys' clerks and grocers' apprentices cir
cumstance which excited the indignation of his
father, who threatened to disinherit him, on
/ pretehee of his being too fine gentleman to
do credh to an honorable calling, But fortu-
! nately the young mans maternal uncle, calico
dealer in the place. viewed his character in a
| more favorable light; he admired his nephew's
spirit, and, resolving to encourage it, obtained
| for him the place-of shop-boy with an emf,
nent dry goods merchant. In this situation
young Snubbs neglected no opportunity of cul-
tivating the graces; and as he, at the same time
had tolerate parts, a modest assurance, and a
ready tongue, he rose 50 rapidly in his masters
favor, that he was appointed to travel for the
house This appointment had long been the
aim of our hero's exertiohs, and the object of
his ambitious wishes: and Alexander of Mace
don felt not greater pride when he had first
tanned the ferceness Of Bucephalus, than did
Snubbs, when he found himself master Of a
stout hackney, trotting on the highway to hap
piness-the piney woods. 1t was here that he
met, for the first time, the accomplished Miss
Geraldine Snooks, the daughter and heiress of
a rich attorney He had the honor of dancing
with her at social ball. he afterwards met her
at a tea-party, and took the liberty of offering
to accompany her next evening to a concert.
His attentions now became more particular he
visited her at her fathers house-Stole her fan
wrote verses on her French poode-and, in
Short had made strong impression upon her
affections when he was discovered, one morn
ing, kissing his mistresss hand, and trying to
prevail with her to accompany him upon his
northern excursion, as his wife and partner, by
old Snooks, who kicked him down stairs and
! forbade him his house for ever. This was a
severe blow to his hopes; and Snubbs, in the
height Of his indignation, medtating claiming
satisfaction from the attorney, either by the
! duello or an action for an assault Upon far
I ther reflection, however, he adopted the more
prudent and christian resolution of overlooking
the affront, in consideration of his love for the
fair Giraldine He Immediately quilted c.,
where he had lost his heart, and, we are sorry
to add, his book of patterns; the latter loss,
however, was scarcely felt before it was relieved
by the restoration of the article, with hastily
written and inditferently spelt note from Miss
Snooks, expressing sympathy for his sUfferings,
and swearing unalterabe attachment to his
person and fortunes. The truth is, the patterns
had slipped from the pocket of Mark Anthony S
inexpressibles, during his somewhat precipitous
retreat before the enraged Octavius Shocks.
! The constancy of his mistress greatly consoled
our hero under the indignity he had just ex-
perenced, and he comforted himself with the
thought, that ''the course of true love never
/ did run smooth''-a truth which was farther
confirmed in his own experience, by his horse
stumbling on piece of new-laid road, and de-
posting the unhappy lover in a dry ditch
Snubbs did not allow this accident to rufhe his
lately recovered equanimity; on the contrary
as he discovered that his nag had lost a shoe
he led him, with much tenderness, to neigh
boring smithy: and while the grim master O
the forge was performing his office, our lover
availed himself of the unavoidable delay to per
a few stanzas to his Mistress in imitation o
( Shenstone's "Pastoral Ballad" In this piece
he paints the pangs of absence threatens tc
/ break his pipe and crook, and pathetically re,
commends his sheep and his goats to the care
of his brother swains, as he is entirely occu-
pied with his passion for the divine Snooks
After dispatchng this efusion by a ragged
/ little Cyclops, whom he bribed with picayune
and glass of whiskey, he resumed his jour
ney, aud arrived safe in G., where he, for 6
time, forgot his love in transacting the business
I of his employers. But short excursion which
he had occasion to take into the country effect
uaIly recalled his attention to love and the
muses.. During his passage by steam, he com
posed long elegy of which the following
stanzas are fragrant
/ 'eWhile hapless exile, on distant shore,
wander far from joy and Giraldine
Still mild the torrents rush the tempests roar,
Angelic Snoolls! my heart is ever thine.
Ali should my bark, when winds too rudely blow,
Be doom'd to perish in the boundless sea,
4 Wilt thou my Snooks-I know thou wilt-bestow
tear for him who died for love Of thee?"
1t does not clearly appear that Mr. Snubb:
was entitled to consider himself as dying fo
=. love of Miss Snooks even in the event of Tx
catastrophe which he here contemplates. But
poetical license must be allowed TO a striker anc
a lover. On bis return from this excursion
Mark Anthony had short but satisfactory in
! terview with his mistress, who gave him loci
of her hair which we may here mention wa
of that shade of red which is commonly callet
sandy-color In return, Mr. Stubs presented
her with an elegant tweezer-case; vows of th'
most lasting attachment were mutually pledget
between the lover, and day fixed for thei
elopement In the meanwhile Mr. Snubbs con
sidered himself bound in honor, to return with
out delay, and give his employers an accoun
of his journey. This account was found to b
i highly satisfactory; and the manager of tn
commercial house to which he was attached
vas so pleased with his diligence and success
that he promoted him, from trotting galIowa
and ninety dollars per quarter to higher salary
5 Greatly eIated with his promotion, our travele
lost no time in writing to his inamorato an ac
count Of his frightened prospects; nor was b
! long in receiving an answer, as warm as il
l could have wished, and earnestly pressing hir
; to return Immediately to c., where his anxiou
: Giraldne was expected him with open arms
f But the gifts of fortune are not only fallaciou
o in their own nature-they are also very apt
exert mischievous influence on the characte
and feelings of individuals. We cannot sa
; that Mr.. Snubb's love was now less favored b
: the capricious goddess; but finding himse
) more flush of ready money than usual, he rt
!, solved to make the mostof his bachelor libert