The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1867-05-16
My Only Lover.


reader; l am wor-e than that-a decided
ly plain looking old maid | tell you this
frankly, at the beginning, so that if you
are expecting to hear succession of ro-
mantle adventures, all about the loves aad
sorrows of "one Of the fairest flowers on
EARTH" you can make up your mind to be
disappointed.
Neither have a certain ease and grace,
a facility in conversation by which one
might be led to forget the plain exterior.
have neither "sweetne.s" no." brilliancy"
of manner. My poor, plain face is quite
passive and expressionless. / have always
lived very retired, and have been accus-
toned for want of society to solace myself
with books and castle building.
When was just verging on young la
dyhood, confess to having read such a
quantity of novels as passionately to desire
beauty and heroic lover But the beau
ty which fondly dreamed that sweet six
teen" or lovely seventeen came not. l did
not grow fairer, my hair did not gradually
become soft aud wavy, and my eyes were
no more of an azure than iormerly-in
short, / was pretty much the same ever
only more Of me Therefore, instead OF
the moonlight walks, the sorees, the at
tentive admirers of my maidenly dreams,
[, plain, pale-faced, peaked-nosed Susan
Smith, remained quietly al home all the
long evenings, just because nobody ever
asked me to do otherwise And so just
gave up all the romantic notions had ever
INDUCED, and resolved, without one agon-
izing death struggle, calmly, firmly resolv-
ed to submit to a life of single blessed
ness
Thus situated, betook myself moro than
ever to reading. My uncle's scanty libra
ry was lcng ago exhausted; so l made
dcpredations on neighbcring ones. devour.
ing everything which came in my way. !
had just become nicely settled in this, with
a feeling of great contentment as to my
lot and had given up all ideas of ever hav,
ing lover, and being like other girls, and
then there came-but l am anticipating.
One day, when 7 was sitting with my
aunt in the parlor, hcmming some hand
kerchiefs. and not dreaming that anything
remarkable was going to happen to me. an
invitation came for me to attend a soiree
at Mrs. Burton's. Now this same Mrs
Burton was fashionable lady, who, tho
usually conforming to the round Of con
vcntonal society, displaced, occasionally
some strange sparks of eccentricity. 1t
happened that she had an extensive libra
ry, to which, through the acquaintance oi
my aunt, she had allowed me free access
Perceivlng my fondness for books, anc
perhaps something Of my habitual reserve
she strangely conceived the idea that /
Susan SMITH, the plain, awkward, un
interesting, unnoticeable little nobody of;
Susan Smith, was-'' literary" And Sc
she invited nc.
When finally found myself in the spa
cious saloons of Mrs. Burton's, surrounded
by beauties and witching graces, | admit
feeling somewhat of 4 pang. l gave my
selfup to the dreaming that would com,
amid the soft vague ripple of beauty tha
surrounded me.
Gradually my philosophlo spiti& gained
the ascendency over the imaginative. The
vague clouds of ribbons, muslins, anC
pretty faces, together with the darker ant
taller forms in the background, became
more tangible became conscious tina
| was sourrounded by human beings; tha
| had an excellent opportunity for my ia
votite pursuit-the study of human nature
soon became edited and amused il
watching the course Of divers little firta
tions and maneuvres, on the part of par
ties of both sexes. Yonder was tall
dark-eyed, fne-looking young gentleman
who l soon perceived was quite a lior
among the fair ones. All the artillery o
dimplcs, bushes and pink ribbons wa
skillfully employed by the respective pro
prietors thereof, to storm the fortress
And he-he was smiling, affab'c, gallant
aud by no means deficient in the use o
weapons of his own. Yes, he was decided
ly the centre-pieces Of the picture-th,
reiGning beau of the season. As for bellies
there were two or three struggling for tn
ascendency, and whether the ons or tn
other triumpcd was ascertained by the at
, tentions of the superb Captain Sunderland
The blue eyes of the fair Miss ELL
French cleaned more tenderly, or tn
sparkling black ones of her rival Aashe,
more brilliantly from beneath the long
dark lashes, as Captain Sunderland's loy
tones were addressed to the first or the last
Indeed, the divers feats of dIplomac
among both the brighter consultations 0
the evening and tho lesser lights, wer
not unlike those of tha nol;t;r,i voyld