The Shasta courier., 1861-02-09


had risen like rocket, went down fuliginous
like the stick.
"Mr. Plovins, will say that you are very
inconstant to be absent all day thus"
Miss Tarlingford, it is not tinconstancy-iti Is
billiards"
"Billiards |"
Billiards, adore them. You know nothing
of billiards. Women never do. They are my
joy. Pordon me, with sudden uprising Of the
monal sense,) l have an engagement at the bill
lard room, and should be there"
"Dear me, should like to do billiards"
Heaven forbidp -
"Why SO, sir ?"
"No-I do not mean that-but ladies never
play billiards"
al suppose there is no reason why they may
not"
IA thousand"
| "Why, what harm ?"
"My dear Miss Tarlingford. if your name
were not tArabella-alas, alas there would be
none"
"Nonsense Now, sir, you are laughing at
me. Come, you shall teach me-"
at cannot be, Miss Tarlingford." Low ira
gic tones.)
"Why not?"
Because your name is Arabella"
every well, sir-ifyou do not like the name,
you need not repeat it..
al adore tit is not that. Forgive me-"
"Then l will get my hat" And her light
| footsteps tapped upon the stairs.
Here was q state of things. Where were my
hrmness and resolution now? Where the Pyth-
ian probity for which, according to my expect
ations, Lullivan was to have poured with Da-
moniac gravity upon me2 Was ], or was not,
rapidly degeDerating into villainy7 l felt that
| | was, and blushed for my family. If her name
had been anything bat Arabella-anything the
initial of which has not A.-then could have
| justified myself; but now-and was about to
| teach her billiards. To what depth of infamy
| had | come at last.
! She rejoined me, beaming with anticipation,
and radiant with the exercise of running down
stairs. Together we entered the billiard room.
Now, this l declare; the ballroom, with its
flashing lights, intoxicating perfumes, starry
| host of cleaning eyes, refulgent robes, mirrors
duplicating countless splendors and ceaseess
whrl of vanity, may add tenfod luster to the
charm of beauty, and know it does; the opera
box embellishments of blazing gas, and glitter
ing gems, and flowers, fresh from native beds of
millinery, all odorous with divinest scents of
Lubin, harmoniously dulci6ed, have their value,
| which is great and glorious, no doubt, and re-
gally doth woman expand, glow, among them,
in numberless accessories, do feminine graces
| nimbly and sweetly recommend themselves unto
our pleasant senses but this | will forever and
ever say-that nowhere, neither gorgeous bali
room, nor gilded opera box, nor in any other
place, nor under Under any other circumstances
may such bewildering and insidious power of
maideny enchantmcnt be exercised rs at the
billiard table; especially when the enchantress
is utterly ignorant of the duties required of her,
and conidingy seeks manly courage and guild
ance. Controlled by the hand of beauty the
one becomes magic wand, and the balls are no
longer bits of nanmate ivory, but, poked rest
lessly hither and thither, circulating messengers
of fascination.
know, for | have been there.
Had Miss Tarlingford turned her thoughts to-
wards the bowling alley, might, without diff
Guilty, have retained my self-possesson; for her
sex are not charming at ten pins. They stride
rampant, and hurl danger around them aiming
anywhere at random; or they make small skips
and screams, and perform ridiculous filings in the
air, injurious to the alleys and to their game;
or they drop balls with unaffected anguor, and
develop, at an early stage of the proceedings, a
tendency to cutters, above which they never rise
| throughout, and all this is annoying, and fit
only for bloomers.
But billiards ! what statuesque postures, what
freedom of gesture, what swaying grace and
| viyacious energy this game involves And then
the attendant distractions, the pinching together
of the hand, TO form the needed notch, the per-
feet art of which, like frst-clenching, is attain
| able by woman, and substitutes some queerness
of her own, the fierce grasping and propulsion
of the cue, the loving retenson upon the table
when the long shots are coming in, the dainty
foot uprising to preserve the owners balance,
but, as it CLEANS, suspended, destroying the
observers-all combine, as they did this time,
to scatter stern promptings of duty beyond re-
calling.
First, Arabella's hand must be moulded into
bridge, and, being slow to plant itself cor
rectly, though plant a politicians consci-
ence, the operation of folding it together had to
be many times repeated Next shots must be
made for her, she retaining her hold of the cue,
to get into the way of it. Then all went on
smoothly with her, turbulently with me, until,
enthusiastically excited, she must be lifted on
to the tables ege, "just to try one lovely shot"
which escaped her reach from the ground.
Ny game was up.
We were done. Arabella perched upon the
table, jubiant at having achieved a pocket,
dismal and blue beside her.
"There, take me down." she said.
looked around through each window, in
clined my ears to the doors, swept an arm around
her waist and forgot to proceed.
"Oh, Arabella, Arabella wherefore art thou
Arabella ?"
"Do you wish were somebody else 2" she
asked, slyly.
"No, no ; but what of Frank Lullivan?"
Frank-do you know him?" with lumi-
nous face.)
"And he told me-yes."
"What?n
| "of his relations with Miss Tarlingford."
With Anna-yes."
"What Anna2 Who is Anna?n
| "Dear mel Ny sister Anna. Don't be ab
surdt"
4 / In
| "No, you know nothing of her, the worse for
you'll You avoided her-rm sure / don't see
why-she is retiring"
Retiring the very word"
"What word You vex me you puzzle me;
| take me down.
"Forgive me, dear Arabella. I'm too de-
| lighted to explain. | thought it was you on
| whom Franks affections were fxedn
"Dear, no. Frank is sensible; he knows bet
ter; he has Judgment" and she laughed quiet
laugh, and made as if she would jump down.
As she descended two heads came together
with click. 1t was the irresistible influence of
the billiard atmosphere, | suppose. No one
contemplated it.
That evening, when Frank Lulliyan arrived,
met him at the door.