The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-01-31
HOW I MET NV MtFE.
CONCLUDED.


II had absented myself on the plea
of q sudden memory of business ne
elected, and faithfully promised Net
tie and Carrie that the next day
should see me down again at Hyatt's,
to stay ont the month that May Ste
vens, the wonderful, was about to
pass with them.
sThe racking of the brain that day,
to create grand ensemble of costume
something beyond all criticism,
that should at the first glance strike
the beholder silent with admiration
was indeed terrible. The labor of
writing Paradise Lost was nothing
to it. 1t was early in the day when
I arrived at my city rooms, and, for
six hours, I dressed and undressed,
compared, rejected and selected; ;and,
at the end of that time, 1 had laid
out those portions Of my wearable
goods in which I had decided to
make my first appearance before
May Stevens. It wanted still several
hours to sunset; and having got
safely through the great object of
my visit, I thought it would not be
o bad idea for me to take the last
train and return the same night to
Hyatt's, instead of waiting over till
morning. No sooner said than done.
I packed my habiliments, and away
I went. Whizzing and putting over
an uninteresting road is provocative
OF sleep; 30 1 found it when the
shades of evening fell; for, to the
best of my recollection, L was in the
very midst of q dream, in which May
Stevens, attired in book muslin anu
pale blue satin, sat on a purple cloud,
and admiringly inquired who my
tailor was. just as I was about to
inform her, there came q crash, and
for o moment I was not entirely
certain whether it was the cloud that
had exploded, or myself had torn
some portion Of my apparel that was
over-strained. 1t required but mo-
ment to awaken me to the fact that
both presumptions were wro"g. It
was our train-the 6.26-tLat had
run off the track, smashing things
generally, and spilling the contents
of several baggage cars along the
road, to say nothing of frightening
half hundred passengers into con-
dition bordering on lunacy. This
was O pretty state of things, and to
make it still worse. I was exactly
eight miles from my destination,
though, as it afterwards proved, not
mile from the next village, where,
as 1 heard it canvassed, q tavern,
supper and beds could be had. I
was disposed to make myself agreea-
bic, and, accordingly, rendered all
the assistance in my power to the
unprotected females, for which got
my reward on arriving at the haven
of refuge-the promised tayern-by
being informed that such thing as
bed for the night was On impossi-
BILE idea, and that I, with some twenty
more of the male gender, must be
content with chairs, while the beds
were appropriated to the gentle sex.
Slightly disgusted, 1 swallowed my
supper, and looked ont upon the
night. It was beautiful moonlight,
and vors:rg Oh 20 10 O'Clock. b.
Jove, would walk over to Hyatt's.
No sooner said than done. Giving
my carpet-bag into the hands of the
landlord, with the most emphatic
charges for its safety and pune
tual delivery ut Hyatt's, next morn
ing, at any expense, set forth.
Eight miles is q trife; and just ns my
watch marked the quarter after mid
night, 1 marched up. the lane that led
to the house. They were early folks
at the farm-enrly to bed and early
up. I walked round tho House, try
ing each door and window for on
entrance, but each and every one