New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-12-26


| ever, lie resigned her, without apparent desir,
| to monop0lize her time, to other aspirants. ans
slowly, and with many graceful bows and words
high bred courtesy, separated bimself from th'
| thick clustering groups of dancers.
As fingered on the outskirts of the room saw
him pause as if struck, when his eyes fell upon
young girl who, clad with austere plainness, seem
ed solitary among the crowd.
What was IL that made me feel like could plan
l dagger at his heart with willing hand, when tht
look of pleased surprise deepened into warmes
admiration, and the full red lips wreathed into {
| smile where treachery mingled with Its winning
| ness2
After moments hesitation he turned away
with the apparent intention of seeking some one
| and as nv glance then wandered to the person wht
had fixed his attention, felt her power TO win th'
| hearts Of men, though she was but an humble New
England sewing girl, the daughter of Widowed
mother, who with pious aspirations for her future
| had bestowed upon her at the baptismal font the
sweet but alas as it proved misapplied name O
| Christiana. She was apart, unsought and uncare6
| for and yet did not seem conscious Of any neglect
but with proud head erect and beautiful face aglow
with appreciation of the element Of the beautiful il
the scene before her, she stood marvel Of perfec
ton, all palpitating with life-the life and fierce
spiendor of the half-tamed leopardess.
At this moment the young hostess, followed by
the stranger guest emerged from the crowd and
Joined her
The costly robe of the fair heress gttered with
Jewels wherewith parental love delighted to adorr
her, and that Of her companion was guiltless Of
aught to mar its white simplicity, yet the one might
L vbn
| masauerading, and the other supposed Cleopatra
who had but laid aside the regal diadem.
few whispered words between the two girls,
and the gentleman was presented.
Christiana turned to greet him with the air of
naughty Indifference which characterized her gem
eral manner, dover, as it seemed, from nature,
but as she met the deferential salutation and
caught the fixed, expressive gaze, her large, di-
ating eyes sank beneath their Ids and she fell into
a tremor of timid confusion - she who was so
daringly self possessed, or cody reserved.
Dance with meY' Mr.. Conyngsby asked, as
Miss Hall turned away with some laughing remark,
and in his tone there came the soft wooing inlec-
ton, which made the simple request prayer.
81 have never danced at party in my life y was
the frank reply.
sYou can, though, and well. Your soul beats
rythm to the music. Come7n
Without waiting for words of consent, he took
her finely moulded hand in his, examined it for an
instant with critical eye, and placed his arm.
At his touch spasm of indignant defiance
passed over her face and words of refusal rose to
her lips, but an involuntary glance upward caught
the willful mastery of his eyes, and with billowy
swell of hitherto unknown emotions she yielded to
their spell. z Il WA
Familiar as were all present with the beauty of
her face and form, murmur of scarcely sup
pressed admiration rose among the dancers when
she glided in her midst.
Fierceness and GOODNESS both were gone.
sense of being appreciated, new light of
happiness, seftened vet rradiated the magnificent
creature, and she was the impersonation of wo-
manly beauty.
Each time that she wandered back from the fig
ure of the set her companion drew her to his side
with something in touch, and glance, and low
breathed word, which, though imperceptible to
others, conveyed to her unmistakahly a message
of new born devotion, and prideful satisfaction in
having her near him.
1t was the first incense offered at the shrine of
her beauty, and it came with dangerous and intoxi
eating effect, not as outwardly manifested, but to
Iva
all a-thrill with rosy delight and waking in them
perceptions which had never dawned to them be-
FORE
1t was fairy evening, and the stranger who had
strayed within the circle of her life yielded the
enchanter's wand.
No thought wandered TO the past or went out to
the future, but the sum of existence seemed con-
centrated in the present-that present which had
let in the first sunfash of light, whose radiance it
seemed could never dim, whose overwhelming
glory come to her as foretaste of the blissful
light of the celestial home where there is no night,
and the brightness fades not away.
No PRESENCE of shadow to come-alas and alas!
As occurs so often in the midst of crowd, this
heartchange, which revolutionized an entire being,
was unnoted by those around, and SO nnobservans
were they, that the unanimous decision, when the
merry y-makers separated, would have been that the
burden of Richard Conyngsby's devotions had,
during the entire evening been laid at the feet of
the guiieless Abbie-she herself perhaps being the
blindest among the blind.