Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-04-26

Nc snaii De obliged to pay for the entertain
Lnent IL must be powerful nerves that can
.ueet ana Dear all this, and when added comes
the battery of eyes, and the Overwhelming
Whispers, the leveling of glasses, ard the fur.
ave pointing of thumbs, the dining-room of
the Ch1ckabiddy House becomes the trial
scene through-which if man or woman pass
unscathed, they thall be declared worthy the
highest pinnacle Of hardened assurance
An! what sight was the dining room of the
Chickabiddy on a full day. Then were the
permanents in their glory, and the transients
all amazed. 1t was worth, as Mrs. Mumble-
top openly declared, a days travel which, to
a person pretty well advanced in life, (Mrs.
Mumo,etop was seventy-six,) was something,
TO see MIR. Thos. Benton Snorem walk through
mat dinlng-room, bowling to the right, touch
ing his fingers to his lips in salutatlon to the
lett, looking anxious and haggard at a stran.
ger who was eating up all the early asparagus,
refusing to surrender the dish to the most skill.
ful snatching waiter of the house, gazing va.
cantly at party who were becoming blue in
tne lace from non-success in securing the at.
tendance necessary for sustenance His salts
ned business-llke air, while consulting the
steward, looking as though he were charging
tnat functlonary to expire in the traces, rather
tnan let one unsatisfed appetite 60 out of the
onlckaoiddy dining rooms, while in fact he
was SIMPLY announcing that he had been en-
abied to get In a new lot of butter that day at
a fail OF one and half cents; and then bowing
himself out as only Mr.. Thomas Benton Sno.
rem could, leaving all satisfied that his look
through had set the machine entirely to right.
and for all the future time the Chick abiddv
must go on to the unfeigned admiration of eli
the civilized world; all this was worth con-
templating. Mr.. Snorem was the unmarried
JUNIOR partner OF the ''gentlemanly proprie.
tors" be whose particular province was with
the ladies, and ably must he have carried his
olpiomacy, since the most single Of the perma-
nent ladies never once seemed to think of set
ting her cap at Mr.. Thomas Benton Snorem.
though Mrs. MumbletOp had been heard to
sly, not once, but several times that had she q
dozen daughters, she would give them all
freely to Mr. Thomas Benton Snorem. Wheth.
er Mrs. Mumoletop meant singly, or collec-
lively, or successfully, remains still unknown.
In this admiration of the man Mrs Mumble
TOP was joined by every married lady of the
Chlckablddy set almost with the consent of
lnelr husbands. 10 whom could these victims
OF coDjugal neglect appeal with so much GER
t,sinty OF having their appeal an swered, as to
this gentleman Who would respond to the
call tor new set of curtains for 27? Or lust
rockIng-chair for 40 or the hundred other
trlfies that found their way ultimately out of
the pockets of their lords and masters in the
form of extras on hotel bill Who stood at
the dining room door always ready to escort a
lone female to her seat, put her into proper
position; bow, smile, say some really pretty
thing, and leave the fair one with an I'M
proved digestion, and a look of unfeipned
happiness MIR. Thomas Benton Snorem
30 many were the bright spots on the Chicka.
1iaay tAst ,r the aaFk u if
ingness. 1t was a certificate of respecta-
bility to live at the Chickabiddy; a matter to
be mentioned aloud that your acquaintance
extends familIarly to its sanctums, and pri.
vilege of high order the reception of a nod or
bow from Messrs. Whipp, Snapp Snorem.
CHAPTER ii.
MISS JULIA LIVINGSTON DOLRUM
There were strange histories hanging like
sundry words Of Damocles over the heads of
various members of orr set OF the Chickabiddy
House. Histories possibly told and retOld
without ever reaching the ears of the heroes or
heroines. But of all these strange histories,
none equalled that of Miss Julia Livingston
Dolrum. Miss Julia, as all will remember who
have been familiar in Smushray society for the
last twenty years, was the only child, and the
inheritor of wealth, of Jason DOdrum, for
merly in the hide and leather line, a man
whose paper never went to protest, and who
lived and died in the odor of the sanctity of
business, leaving to a distressed widow and
Miss Julia, the only child, equally divided, the
very comfortable reward of couple of hundred
thousand The widow being only Miss Julia's
stepmother, and not affectionately inclined,
and Miss Julia considering herself, on her
fathers death, arrived at years of discretion
lat that period exactly thirty removed from
the mansion OF her fOrefathers, POLITICALLY
speaking, and took apartments 20 and Il at
the Chickabiddy House, Miss Julia herself de-
claring in response to the inquiries of her
friends that she preferred hotel life, simply
because she was inclined to melancholy, and
the life and hustle diverted her mind That
a full appreciation may be had Of Miss Julia's
of nd ho mi
site to enjoy her society, and study, not only
her mental, but her physical peculiarities
Miss Julia had been an inmate of the Chicka-
biddy just three years; she was, therefore,
thirty three, and owning openly to twenty
In figure she was not as tall as she might have
been, but what her figure lacked in height,
was fully made up in breadth, so that in the
matter of weight Miss Julia lacked nothing.
She had one great trouble, trouble that cost
her many a sleepleSs hour and many bitter
sigh, a trouble that, however small to the un-
thinking world, was to Miss Julia Doldrum,
all, everything For what is trouble but com
parative! The boy who loses his ball suffers
all the agony of mind he will afterward suffer
at the loss of a ship containing half his
worldly wealth. The girl as much when
she finds the baby has sucked all the paint
of the head Of her doll, as in after time she
will at the loss Of a beau, almost transformed
into husband. He who has not known
/
purpose, and if he cannot mourn by the
bedside Of dying brother, parent or child
the misft of a coat, the loss of debt, or the
jilt of cOquette, will answer as well. Thus
it was with Miss Julia, with only one excep-
tion; what this exception was, we shall pres
emily tell: the great trouble of her life was her
complexion. 1t was undeniably high, or as
some ILL., natured friends had declared, her face
was "as red as n beet" To this Miss Julia
was painfully alive, and money would have
been no object to alter the great fact Lily
White, Meen Fun, Prepared Chalk, and the
hundred cosmetics did little in toning down
Miss Julis's face and color. A high color and
melancholy cannot, without great stretch of
the imagination, 60 hand in hand; therefore
Miss Julia lacked one great aid to sentimen-
tality. In all other things Miss Julia Living
ston Doldrum would have made model hero
ine, the material for a story to be continued.
She had nice brown hair, curling very prettily
in drop ringlets, cunning little hazel eyes, that
when she laughed-which she tried not to do,
and yet did do all the tme-sank away back
In her head, almost hidden under the fat little
red cheeks and eyelids; she had pretty teeth,
had Miss Julia, and some who were not dis
posed to look charitably on all things, said
cho sho L, II