The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-23
CHAPTER II.
MY "REMINISCENCES.

am young man still, but l was several
years younger when made my first and only
offer. first loved my love at small tea
party at Highgate. She was an angel of the
name of Simmons, and fioated about on white
muslin which was pervaded by soft faint
radiance of pink. AT that period Of my life
love was a daily necessity of my existence.
was forever meeting with peerless maidens,
each one of whom always eclipsed every one
who had been seen before her; and was gene
rally true to the last-found divinity as long as
was in her company, or until met with an
other still more divine. My last love, Clara,
was not at the party in question; and as my
affection had somewhat cooled towards her of
late, on account of q cold in her head which
had filed her Dyes with water instead of fire,
and had made her nose red and unromantic
of course looked around the room to decide as
to who should be the object of my undying
affection for the evening. Miss Simmons was
there, and Miss Simmons was selected without
hesitation or delay. But for her, indeed be-
lieve | must have fallen in love with Miss
Corker of the spiral ringlets who, as racing
man would say, ran bad second; but Miss
Simmons being peerless among the company,
! fell so desperately in love with her that
Clara was at once utterly and entirely ban
ished from her throne as queen Of nay soul,
and Miss Simmons reigned in her stead.
AT this tea-party there were but two nice
young men present, reckoning myself as one.
/ do not mean to say of the other that he was
at all nice in my estimation, but that he was
the only person present beside myself from
whom could be expected the various polite
attentions which form the duties OF young men
at small tea-parties. Indeed, there were but
four men present altogether on this occasion,
two of them being old fogies who dropped in
after tea in precisely the same costume which
they had worn at business throughout the
day-a free and easy style of going into society
which made me think almost with shame of
the hour of misery had endured in donning
my cold clean shirt, adjusting my white neck
tie, and squeezing my thinly -stockinged feet,
cOrns and ALL into those too finely fitting
patent. leather boots. One OF the fogies, fat
solemn man of meditative disposition, soon
withdrew to smoke pipe with our host, who
never appeared in society; and the other, who
at first seemed to be of joking, jovial turn,
was shortly afterwards quenched in a ruboer
of whist with three old ladies'. Mr.. Tinker
and myself alone remained; and little did |
think, when we were LETT the only representa-
tives OF mankind among 30 many girls, and |
chung to him as my sole rock of support amidst
waves OF muslin-little did imagine then how
intensely should hate him before that even
ing drew to close.
Let 1t not be supposed that because was
ready to fall in love on the slightest provooa-
tion, was equally prompt in declaring the
passion which consumed me to its object for
the time being. No: to the Clara before mem
toned had made no nearer approach TO an
avowal Of my love than by sending her very
tender pOetical eHusiOn (nOt Originally, cum