Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-10-08

there till six IN the AFTERNOON, Win some
sandwiches in q pocket-handkerchief and
some wine in phial, and fainting, after
| all, with the heat and fatigue before the
play began in which situation he was
lifted out Of the pit into one Of the dress
boxes, sir, by five of the finest women Of the
day, sir who compassionated his situation
and administered restoratives, and sent
black servant, six feet high, in blue and
silver livery, next morning, with their COM
pliments, and to know how he found him.
self sir--by G-l Between the acts Mr.
Dounce, and Mr.. Harris, and Mr.. jennings
used to stand up, and look round the house,
and Jones-knowing fellow, that Jones'
knew every -body-pointed out the fashion
able and celebrated lady So-and-So in the
boxes, at the mention of whose name Mr.
Dounce, after brushing up his hair and ad-
justing bis neckerchief would inspect the
aforesaid lady So-and-So through an inn
mense glass, and remark either that she
was "fine woman-very fine woman, in
deed" or that 4" there might be little moro
of her-eh, Jones ?" just as the case might
happen to be. When the dancing began,
John Dounce and the other old boys were
particularly anxious to see what was going
forward on the stage and Jones-wicRed
dog, that Jones-whispered little critical
remarks into the ears Of John Dounce, which
John Dounce retailed to Mr.. Harris, and Mr..
Harris to Mr.. Jennings, and then they all
four laughed till the tears ran down out of
their eyes.
When the curtain fell they walked back
together two and two, TO the steaks and
oysters and when they came to the second
glass of brandy and water, Jones-hoaXing
t1oN cnl 10 hn
had observed lady in white feathers in
one of the pit-boxes gazing intently on Mr..
Dounce all the evening, and how he had
caught Mr.. Dounce whenever he thought
no one was looking at him, bestowing
ardent looks of intense devotion on the
lady in return; on which Mr.. Harris and
Mr.. Jennings used to laugh very heartily
and John Dounce more heartily than either
of them, acknowledging, however, that the
time had been when he might have done
such things upon which Mr.. Jones used to
poke him in the ribs and tell him he had
been a sad dog in his time, which John
Dounce, in chuckles, confessed And after
Mr. Harris and Mr.. Jennings preferred their
claims to the character of having been sad
dogs, too, they separated harmoniously, and
trotted home.
| The DEGREES Of Fate and the means by
| which they are brought about, are mystic
rious and inscrutable. John DounCe had led
this life for twenty years and upward,
without wish for change, or care for variety,
when his whole social system was suddenly
upset, and turned completely topsy-turvy-
not by an earthquake, or some other dread
full convulsion of nature, as the reader
would be inclined to suppose, but by the
simple agency Of an oyster; and thus 1t
happened:
Mr.. John Dounce was returning one night
from the Sir Somebody's Head, to his resi-
dence in Cursitor-street-not tipsy, but
rather excited, for it was Mr.. Jennings
birthday, and they had had a brace Of part
ridges for supper, and brace of extra
glasses afterward, and Jones had been more
than ordinarily amusing-when his eyes
rested on a newly-opened oyster-shop, on a
magnificent scale, with natives laid one
deep in circular marble basins in the win
| dows, together with little round barrels of
| oysters directed to lords and baronets, col
onels and captains, in every part of the
habitable globe
Behind the natives were the barrels, and
behind the barrels was young lady of
about fve-and-twenty, all in blue, and all
ulOue-SlltIulu CT6dIuTe, CHdrluluB ltce
and lovely figure 1t is difficult to say
whether Mr.. John Dounces red couute-
nance, illuminated as it was by dickering
gas-light in the window before which he
| paused, excited the lady's risibility, or
| whether natural exuberance of animal
| spirits proved too much for that staidness Of
! demeanor which the forms of society rather
dictatorially prescribe. But certain it is,
! hit lo 1o1v i1nI har Gpn
| upon her lip, with n striking recollection of
what was due to herself and finally re-
| tired, in oyster-like bashfulness 70 the very
| back Of the counter. The sad-dog sort Of
| feeling came strongly upon John Dounce
he lingered-the lady in blue made no
! sign. lie coughed-still she came not. He
entered the shop.
" Can you open me an oyster, my dear ~
said Mr.. John Dounce.
"Dare say / can, sir, replied the lady in
! blue, with enchanting playfulness And
| Mr.. Dounce ate one oyster, and then looked
at the young lady, and then ate another
and then squeezed the young lady's hand
as she was opening the third, and so forth
until he had devoured dozen of those a.
eightpence in less than no time.
Can you open me halfa dozen more
my dear?' inquired Mr., John Dounce.
"Ill see what can do for you" sir replied
the lady in blue, even more bewitchingly
than before and Mr.. John Dounce eat hall
dozen more of those at eghtpence, and his
! gallantry increased.
" You couldn't manage to get me a glass
of brandy and water, my dear, suppose ??
! said Mr.. John Dounce, when he had fin
ished the oysters, in tone that clearly inn
piled his suppostion that she could.
"Ill see, sir" said the young lady; and
away she ran out of the shop, and down the
| street, her long auburn ringlets shaking in
| the wind in the most enchanting manner
and back she came again, tripping over the
coal-cellar lids like whipping top, with a
glass of brandy and water, which Mr.. John
| bounce insisted on her taking q share of,
as it was regular ladies' grog-hot, strong,
sweet, and plenty Of it.
So the young lady sat down with Mr.
John Dounce in little red box with q green
curtain, and took small sip of the brandy
| and water, and small look at Mr.. John
bounce, and then turned her head away
and went through various other serio-pan.
tomimic fascinations, which forcibly re-
minded Mr.. John Dounce Of the first time
he courted his first wife, and which made
him feel more affectionate than ever; in
pursuance of which affection, and actuateC
by which feeling, Mr.. John Dounce sounded
the young lady on matrimonial engage
ments, when the young lady denied having
made any engagements at all-she cOuldn'