The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-01-20

sr KATE HARRINGTON.
VI. Lionel Lishtfoot, dsshing young beau,
Had been only three months 10 the city,
And BY thoes an told, who have reason to know,
That never till then, what PITY
Had the clear, sparkling goblet been nlled to the
brim,
Or the nectarins poison slipped lightly by him;
For though friends and companions had booted
and i-ered,
Laughed, scoted, aud insisted, then mockingly
sneered
Though in club or at bar Oft psrsuaded to treat,
lie MAYER treated nor could be entreated TO trest
But now it is New Yesr-s happy New Year.
And he surely we're guilty OF treason
Ii he failed to the fair ones in person TO pay
Ills duss With the dues Of the season;
So calling on Fsirfaee, an exquisite dandy,
An ardent believer in spiris-of brandy
He found him per,urbed. in barbarous passion ];
His mou,ta,be had b@en trimmed quite too close
for the fashion,
His beard, too, Q, shocking to add to the list,
Too hair. on the left the Msrsssar had missed;
But Lishtfoot restored hlm--the former. he said,
Looked 90 foreign, dis,ingue. % beautiful red
He fain would have addei, bat paused lest
the ire
| or his comrads might set his adornnent on hrej,
Then waiting till Psirtace made smooth - . die,
| For the ffte,h time his miraculous tie,
And enauirsd il his collar just touched bis gostee,
Without varying in distance the slightest degree,
With cane grasped by gloves just a. tight ~
would squeeze on,
They called on Miss Mabel, the belle of the season,
And listening, the while to her lively variations
or her numerous calls and her morning iibations,
share
The wine aud refreshments spread temptingly
there
Aud, while rarface sceedes, and ecmplAcently
4 alps
The Juice that reflects the soft blush Of her lips,
l"Your health. cries ma-bells Returns Lightfoot,
| "s1cuse me,
me,
Our custom demands it, besides, soft and Low
1 "champagpe 10 so perfectly harmless. you know =
Alb, woman fair temp,ress, thou knew'st not the
while
| The doom that was sealed BY that innocent smile
Or how fatal the spell in that voice that vas
given
70 lure man from vice and direct him to heaven
Thou sawst not the demons that cHtshod at thu
bowl,
Or the .erpenu that fastened their fangs in biz
| soul;
Thou heard's, not the clamp Of the chains tha,
were wound
by tends tina, KEEP, mockins the spirit they
bound.
| Thus Lightfeot tempted, and yielded, at last
Bsguiled by mis- siren OF beauty,
And quitting her presence he carried along
Her smiles Of approval as booty.
\ dangerous trophy, these smiles Of the fair,
They melted his good resolutions to air,
For though he had reasoned, 'I'1l only partake
This once Of the 9ise, for the fair charmer'i
sake,"
lie was sadly mistaken--the breach had been
|
The noble resolves that had guarded the tower,
Where Faitl he'd her torch in temptations dari
hour,
The purpose. high that had stamped on his brow
The glory OF manhood, o where we're they nov
But whv follow on with the twain as they fit
From bower u bower partaking,
Or tell how the feeble resolves Of the one
Were sci,ed with an sgue OF shaking.
How, long before nghtfall, be fanced bis brain
| Was dancing reel on circular plain;
| How houses inverted, in wsrlike array
| Wheeled backward and forth in an cudless ehassse
We pass these sad pictures, nor linger to tell
How step after step from true mar hood he fell;
How at first he took nAught but the choicest o!
vine,
Or ancient Madeira. rum superfne,
low be drank but with gentlemen, such Is would
| deign
TO touch no cheap brandy or third-rste cham
Behold him. AZ length. in some vice crowded den
Where skula the crouched forms of what oncs
ranked men;
Where the ,,es;ilent fumes from each whi,ky
score',~i throat,
The pure aii d heaven with plague spots have
smot,
Where Mali. Pollution and Wretchednes TEEN
And guilt s'aiAs among them to mock and blas
| phems;
There see hi.a. The victim Of wornan's soft smile
| Iinh h..I ii l.d
| Again il is new Year, each SOFT silken lash
ON Miss Ms sells flushed cheek is rcposing;
Her beau,ifai lips. ere they part with emile,
| Look like resehu,s before the unclosing,
Or like shells. whose ripe beauties half bidder
must be.
Till their crimson lips open 10 moan Of the sea;
| She is languid. ye; woos calm slumber in vain,
For the sleep that should soothe her, but ,orture
her brain.
she dreams It's OF Lightfoo,-she tempts him i
drink
lie quads At her bidding, then ceases to shrink
From frequent indulgence Of evils the worst,
His hopes are all blasted, his life is accurssd;
She sees him descending from honor-renown-
And sinking to ruin, down, hopelessly down;
There. battling with rum fends, In fury be raves
Like soul ref of reason on lfe's maddenin
wave.
Half palsiel with fright mid the demons b
stands
And wards OF their blows with his skeleton hand
His eyes star; With horror and fcarfully gioat
On blaie,, newly whetted that point At his throa
lie shudders and crnges from scrpents that hiss
| And dart their forxed tongues from their slim
, abyss,
And resling from terror, he howls 10 his chains,
Az desils iHcarnate, stand, welding his chains,
, While one, pale i,ap, the grim valet Of death,
With fago.s Of sulphur Is firing his breath,
o, horror it blaxes it seethes to his brain
His heart-strings have cracked-the blood boi
in each vsin,
A shuader-a sAsp-a wild Tort TO speak
= And Miss Mabel awakes with hideous shriek.
blades dear ladies, when next round the wine
Your delicate fingers caressngly Irvine,
When, like a soft blessing, the breath Of 70
lips
> F'oAts over, and haliows the juice ere hs sips,
- 'ast call the sroaehsd form Of poor Lighsfoes
view