Smyrna times., 1869-12-15
MiSceIIU n e 0WS.
My First tLove-Letter.
BY GRACE GREENWOOD.

Have ever told you, Nell, of my first love-
letter? presume not. 1t is a story | have
not been very fond of telling. But years bring
to me, if not philosophy, comfortable sense
of the comical in regard to all early illusions
and dis illusions.
first love-letter is athrilllng, august point of
time, in which all the spring tides of passion
ate young life seem in swift, dizzying whirl
of emotion If from the right msn, what tri-
umphant joy if from a suitor one can not
smile on, what sweet pain But you know all |
about it, DEAR
was very young when I received my first
love-letter-indeed, not permanently out of |
| short trocks and the bread-and-butter age
Having lived the greater portion of my life |
IN the country, the companion of my brothers, |
L was desperate romp and gipsey, delghting
to roam the fields and the woods, preferring the
fishing rod to the needle, and even the stable
to the parlor. As yet, fine horse was the
rival OF all mankind in my young affections.
Still, had read Scott, Edgeworth, Hemans,
and i. E. L., with an occasional stealthy dip
into Byron, and bad my own foolish little ro-
mantle dreams of my hero, my fairy prince,
who was to come in Loves good time.
/ used to dream OF him, as | sat like little
Ellie, among the alders, with my feet in the
brook, or as l rode alone in the woods. I
thought little Of his pedigree, but l resolved
that he must have patrician Greek profile,
dark blue eyes, and black, curling hair, coming
down on his lofty brow in Byron peak. I
made no account of houses or lands in Loves
: Arcadia but my hero must possess fine horse.
; The " steed OF steeds" was a sine qua non.
Our removal from country to town was an
: absolute sorrow to me, with my nature loving
heart and wild, free habits. hated the busy
mOnotony, the thronged loneliness, the dull
], whirl, of city life. could only console myself
by occasional flights back into my old rural
haunts. From the longest, toughest tramps
|, returned refreshed, prepared to endure what l
could not cure.
q came out" prematurely and temporari-
ly when l was scarcely fifteen, on the occasion
II of large wedding-party. | wore long dress
and white kid gloves for the first time My
: ! hair was curled. Oh, the torture of night
d and the hideousness of a day in curl rl-pspers |
o l wore natural flowers, and carried huge
Z awkward, early in the evening retired to a
deep window seat, where | remained watching
- the merry groupe of wedding guests, and lis
y tening to their easy chatter, with childish won
r. der and delight.
Ill Among the gayest of the gay was a certair
It's fair young lady, whom had known of for some
le' time as my double. Not that she was in thC
ns n like me. She was blonde--very much blonde
nd while was very brown brunette. She wa
st distinguished for sumptuousness of attire; ant
lie dress was not then, any more than it is now
he my besetting sin, or peculiar virtue whicheve
M -. you incline to esteem it. But oddly enough
n, this fair lady bore my name precisely, surnam
'ar and baptismal. used to think the circumstanc
his annoyed her, almost as though | had sto
he EN- the fashion of her Partisan bonnet, or tn
pattern of her costly embroidered shawl Asid
~ ~ from the name, there was little in common be
be tween u.s. certainly no love. At this party sh
va quite Outshone the bride. l found it curious
al watch her. 49,.
Her ghtness and brightness did shine splendo
r 1 which was all very proper, she being rich ia
vs.. low chsndler's daughter.
my But not long did | watch my double, for, m
sty dear, at this very party | first saw HMM
Sss sss ideal hero-my fairy prince From all thu
'n' goOdly company l singled him out at glanc
nh There were the dark blue eyes, there was tn
tn. Greek profile, the black curly hair, the ByrC
aiss peak and ALL
hall Imagine the emotions Of your friend when
rEe her secluded windOw-seat this very young ge
0.: tleman was brought by her hostess and presen
a. ed as Mr.. John Trevalyan." If it WASH
now just Trevslyan, it was quite as respectable
and name. The John I'll stand by.
Well, he stood by me and talked to me for
bright, wondrous halt hour, precisely as thoul
| had been full-grown belle and l, under Il
ssoO spell of his pleasant hattery, fell in with q
ons little make-believe, and chatted away, quite
!. 20 my ease and said some things that were real
,s to not so bad. Yet, when l spoke, it seemed
IAnd me it was some one else talking seco
tand double. My very voice had an unfamili
one sound.
Mr. Trevalyan talked of poetry, art, mus
Y and flowers, In low, sweet beguiling particul
way, after the manner Of his kind. He sal
r,.a of all the fine arts, his enthusiasm was decide
our y for sculpture, so cold, 50 pure, so exalted
icul- and he begged TO know if l shared his esth
for ic preference. suppose, If had been pro
'une erIy trained, or a year or two older, mig
ne Of have answered: " | am enraptured with mu
Beethoven, Mozart Henry Russell, and
> Seguins; / dearly love art-Titian, Michi
book Angelo, and Benjamin West; but adore
an SO etrt-Milton, Byron, and N. p. Will.
NJ be As it was, with desperately honest impul
replied: 81 admire art and music, poet
and all such things, but ! don't know mu
90 about them yet. To tell the plain truth, I
: ~ particular enthusiasm is--just horses? l 81
eoo, pose it's perverse and improper, and all thu
but do know something about horses, anC
ALLY like them"
!. ? My hero smiled, in beaming, indulgent VI
.,... and declared that he participated IN my
oD.hs thusasm--that his love for horses amounted
quite passion, aud that he fattered hims
he owned the fastest trotter IN all that regI
Half Ahi at that moment, to quote from d.
Miss Bremen, our souls met.
s1sSS iss1IsS Mysterious sympathy OF passionate you
hearts, ".."
0l~- His eyes, upon a nearer view, were gr
but their EXPIRE ssion was full OF poetic SCI
itlOp bility. They beamed with that tender del
enca. half wistful, half wicked, hardest Of
Cloth looks for even little womah' 70 resist. s
sn,.. meet the fellow kaew it. They all do
There was, now and then, mysterious sh'
.urs of sadness over his brow AN interesting La
s.iDe like flown, that came and went in that fest
y.sur hour. OWNED that, young as he was, he
ee has had gvaaf thouOhts and ambitions, great
ration - "A ans or meant IN have them. VIII
,ns~, ,nsss. was all the same. -, a.a,
surie Of geranium, which he placed in his