The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-04-14

| aru SetIneu 10 ner so superior TO the
young men of her rustic neighborhood.
The chance acquaintance grew into
an intimacy; and Davis began to
fancy that the city beau was winning
favor with the forest belle.
will lay stick in his way" he
said to himself; the upstart to come
here and eclipse us all. So he took an
opportunity to give Leonard to under
stand that Rosalie was his betrothed.
81 shall have the singing bird Gagged"
said he, before the snow falls"
Leonard was thunderstruck.
Who," he said to himself, /" would
have expected to find coquette here +?
And then she seems SO innocent, so
truthful. How sincere she seemed.
and how her voice trembled when she
replied to me, 81 have never encour-
aged the address of any, man." But
an assumed simplicity in the height of
a coquette's art. However, | will
match her if the boy god favor me-"
Now, what dolt this Leonard was,
to believe the lying words of one whom
he might have suspected of Jealous
rivalry, rather than the fair truth of
an unsophisticated heart. But so it is.
People will sometimes shut their ewes
when the book is open before them
and listen believingly to some lying
expositor. So Leonard in his wonder
ful consistency, resolved to show his
adherence of coquetry by playing the
part of male coquette to perfection.
So the farce went on, he seeking by
every artifice to win her favor, and she
evidently pleased with his attentions.
In truth, she felt all the interest in him
that pure young girl can permit her.
self to feel in one who has made no
positive declaration. a
AT length it was time for Leonard to
return to the city. Now he would
strike the blow. The coquette's heart
would quiver under his cool contempt.
So he called at Mr.. Persa's, and with
all his panoply of manly dignity, in
quircd for Rosalie.
"Oh, she is in great trouble to-day"
said Mrs. Persia. edward Davis
dog has chased her fawn into the woods
and though it will probably return to-
night, she is so much distressed and
alarmed that / told her one might fam
cy she lost her best friend; and she
went out weeping into the garden. No.
doubt she is in her bower"
He found her there, sure enough.
Child that she was, she had wept her.
self to sleep, with the tears still on her
long eye lashes, and some drops tremb-
ling like gems amongst the forget-me-
nots on her bosom.
"She is very beautiful" he said,
" and sorrowfnl. But how came Davis
dog here to chase the fawn? Well, I
will have kiss, any how" But his
breath no sooner touched her check,
than she started wildly up, in all the
loveliness of blushing confusion.
81 am sorry to have to disturb Miss
Persa," he said .coldly. 81 called to
bid you goodbye. l leave tomorrow
for the haunts of civilized life. / am
heartily weary of climbing logs, wad-
ing brooks, and tearing through brushes
and brambles; and worse than all,
herding with your country pumpkins"
Rosalie stared at him in surprise. He
had come out in new character. en-
tirely. Still she did not dream of
final farewell. She took the forget.me-
nots from her bosom, gemmed as they
were with tears, and offered them to
him with sad smile and trembling
hand. He took them, hesitatingly, and
STOPPING, plucked broad golden dam
delion, and offered it in return.
" l shall not accept that" she said,
with forced playfulness. "I do not
deserve il"
I" Indeed, Miss Persa, / think you
do" he said, snperciliously.. "And
here permit me to remark, that held
the character which this flower repre-
sents, as the most despicable of all
creatures"
/" | do not understand you," she re-
piled; "but if, indeed, coquette be
contemplate, what should be said of
male flirt? A girl certainly coqnetts
with none but those who choose to
kneel at her shrine. A man may rove
the world over, kneel at every altar,
win hundred hearts, merely to cast
them from him and rail against the
heartless coquctte."
"You, at least, have no heart" he
replied. "Did you not tell me you
never saw man whom you could
love?"
Rosalie had uttered these words in
the early part Of their acquaintance,
though only with reference to the past.
He looked upon her. She was white
as the muslin of her dress, and shook !
like lily, as the storm is tearing it
from its stem. -
He seemed to enjoy her agony, took
her hand, kissed it .carelessly, and |
turned away. She did not raise her |
eyes, but stood as if comprehending
nothing until she heard the garden
gate close after the departing villain
and then with wild shrek she sank
upon the ground. But RosaIie had
been too well trained to suffer herself
to repine over the disappointment. She
saw that Leonard was unworthy, and
would not waste tears over his memory.
She had esteemed him. He had taken
advantage of her inexperience, to
wound and to insult her. She thought
OF him at once with regret and abhor-
renee. Tgs, ssii .,r
EJr.o,J Dor:n .o,~I4