, 1870-03-20
THE EATAL BOUQUET.

N#f-' -
TIE EATAL BOUQUET: ..
np. caau,er.' Js,r,al :. !,
boasaet ;. : b9idssa.ia een:,slly e,51ies 70 ~
pearing irresistible, cannot say ;.bnt The
only me I ever had anything to do with cost
me dear, ~ viii b eoeu. Mover, 0 my friends,
nake zash nfunisce; Of, II you DO, don't keen
them : md IN after days 1t Will b comfort t.
yOnt word Il was many years ago thai was
melancholy 3 ceremony .thsn wedding
and lit has cast cloud oyar
~ my ::Eubeequsnt life It WIS . lovely
o&n lesa snss = samnsE 2eHhr sad Auros. h.d
eako bad been cut tho champagne had
doxed the chariot had carried on the infa.u-
atod par the slipper had been thrown; tho
teass had bean ahed; and everybody waa "a
dnn - dzh-watez. I ant and talked with Ara
81 beua' 1ho had hcen ons OF the bzideroaida-
Whether b1idamaid nowadays carries her
bouquet as Aabellas Was then ca11ied, l can
not I'll (for I now 1--we much sout Of the
world but hers was carried by tnoapa OF =
ring 1t the ond Of = sort OF ootnncopaa, In which
were stuck the sweetest Of foWe1A WhAt
We eaid, do not (fostunstely) recollect;
but the Eite lately performed hid undoubtedly
wete more than usually eloquent, voices werc
moro thAn usually soft and Low, md coaveraa-
ton 91s more than USUALLY sentimental. and,
an afraid, absurd At lsst, however, 1t Was
somehow brought to pass that A1abellA mid.
tWhat is it ?" I hsked, eagerly.
THAT you cany it exactly az do, and that
sou take 1t With you wherever you 60 to-dsy."
"1hese are very easy te1ma,"I rojoined,
"and I'm only too glad to accept thon-"
AL that followed I cannot remember; but
my carr, when think Of the eeenc, arc once
more hlled with sound as Of / low, but
pleasant, laughing ehorus, or rather duet; and
my lips, when think Of the scenb feel once
more, the touch Of a something softer than
rafTet- And that something had four hnXers
and thumb. Such pretty thumb! HwAs
y much wetder than ordinary thumbs As I
dimple n ptcttaE thkh a hunkle- 80.
We'll, ! took thu bouquet, and hang Il by
ths ring on-tny little finger: ssd, N It once,
began to fec1 mooMnon1y like fool had
said that aecepted the conditions glAdly now
knew TINT had spoken in my haste, and that
most men who speak in thedF haste aso linn
So took mourn{ul leave OF Arabella, who, a.
l departed called cut, Mind, I shall sec
you to o-morrow, md shAll requiro full, tua
and particular account Of all that befal}s my
bouquet"
ie, fneoharcntly, md With : hIsseHeA siggla
Nv triala began a aeon Hs Nzs outslde tho
door, 1or sympathetic cabman at once dis-
eetumg my behowere1 condition, whipped his
horse into galtop and pronered the ssfs Fe-
dqss m E. qa
poor AID economical man to ride that short
distance. However, II you zro under the In
preston thst in = free country, such az We
have the happiness to "mose On" in, man,
rrho not only h.s on wedding garment (Which
is Of itsoli . dangerous thing 70 wesf IN the
b. ing from his little finger, osn walk three
hundred yards On the Quesn's highway with
inIn1nity, You had better dy It. All know
il, + couldn't. Tho cabmnn, unable to
comprehend my refusal unaet the circum-
stances, drove close against the cwbstone.
keeping paca with me as + went, touching his
kat ut 1ntervnls, ejaculatng conpsssion1tely,
Keh, air, you'd better 'ev keb-you did ID
deed" md 80 expcttng me to = thousand
ttnaes ~ much notice as I ehou1d otherwise
have attracted. Little boys, having their at
eidered the occasion favorable for demonstsa-
tiun, which threatened to take the form Of shy
in6 III manner Of dit md older persons who
encountered me, either appeared to consider
that had mistaken bright day IN juno for
the 5th Of November, and laughed derislyefy,
or regarded me with such looks as the priest
and The Levits must have bestowed upon tho
poor wounded man who had fallen amongst
thieves, and evidently set me down IA
= tding to be avoided like the plAgue.
Only few girls and mttrons, who shifted
wedding fron afar, and consequently felt a
p1eaant Utilization after their kind, smiled n
Atlast reached my lodgings, and breaehed
freely Iplaced my precious bouquet in water
and sat down, and gazcd at it, and ueditated.
And, as meditated, It occurred to mo that
A1ebells, who had not parted with her bouquet
without some few rninntes' reflection, had ul-
timately given it to me With deeign- She had
| sighed = httle sigh, and had given mo very
peculiar glance after she had committed heI
tiowesB 70 my keeping and now, as sat and
| pondered, the meaning Of the sigh snd the
Arabel1a waa not indine1enttome: I had tnet
to elicit whether Ehe we're or not, but could MOI
get anything definite from her; butnowI cou1t
interpret what Was in her heart you bach
e1ors," ahe lad doubtless thought, Ego anf
haniah the thoughts awakened by the oyent o
this morning by meAns Of your billiards ant
your smoking, and your selfish dissipation
whilst We maidens have to cit It home, AM
mope and Rnaw our hearts, aud feed on tende
recolections, and nouzish ecarrely acknoWl
edged hopes but have discovered = way o
keeping one bachelor in order; he dare
gift; and b. the fate that befalls my bou
9uet, I shAu know how he estimates tn
I ever" And now shivef caIne uycr md os &c
membeted TINT Ezs engaged to dine out; an
n,hu take that bouquet with me. Ar1bel1
could not eurely have intended that ahoul'
caE1y her dowe1B with me- Into the drawing
| room, and then into the dining-roon, and a1
terwlrds ut dinner; why, should never har
got ont OF the house alive Her words we're
'WhereYcr you So" and my promise would b
Satisfactorily fulfilled II carried the buu4ue
into the house With me- and left 1t in safe Gus
tody.
TO the msn who took my overcoat, there
| fore, / committed the flowers, with th
sricteat injunc dous to take particular car
Of them; and he answered felrenly thas h
justified breach Of tho ponce. And co11dn'
help thinking, during dinner, that the wrote
hsd mAda confdsnts OF his fel1ov-se1FAnts, fo
saw three Of them, examining ne eloseN
md With tHink1ing eyes, from the oppoAt
side Of the tthlc- Could the hoat 20. hAS
they belonged, and impaired the infornatio
ho Esined 70 his wife7 II not, why should al
have told nc in particular thAt oe5taip aher'
WAS ''a,noroso?" And why should rhe hAN
commended me IN paIticular 1oF choosi1
people nhowed the sAma preference.
i msy have been accidental But eonscieu!
, makes MI Of us suspicious. About
. o'clock took my departure; reassuued II
I bouquet about q joyfully as Christian rea
! found myself IN cahless thoronghfare 4
. far rom Kings RoAd, Chelsea. 1t was qui
i three miles to my lodgings, but in tho King
Road should be sure to find cab In which
= might hide myself and my bouquet. But 81
. denly well known voice cried, - Don't II
( away, Brown"
d turned, and there Was my very best frien
It Jones, who, once upon time when had be-
4 very roughly handled in public journal, to1
o ! tie trouble 10 cut out the whole article \
T. send It to me, In case, II he said, shou
!; Ike to see It" hsd never fo1gottan th
al ua hn
a not to read tho papers generally, and uey
il saw several articles OF An opposite character
e and therefore aceosted him with extreme Ct
+ dialitr-
IS "What is tho 1natter1" he asked; ~
70 eeem cut Of sorts."
II II hAye had ra.he. a trying day." answa
It cd; - wedding this morning. and u dirnt
8, party this evening."
|; No wonder you are low" said he 6ynI
n thetically; 'you want cigar and cheet1
= SCENE But Whist ia The msste1 With your L
u dne DO bouquet, which + id held Il d; cones e
ia meut behind my hack.
ar 'Iou csl thas nothing, do you7n q
p Jones, severely; ~, ca1l It say ssss.
&c thing, indeed Bat don't look 50 miserab
- take this cigar, and come with no; but 4
he throw that thing over the 1ailings OF
10 square,"
X "Fur your cigar, th.nkn; for your last
v. rice I Twill See sou-I mean wouldn't do It
=, thousand pounds.
ly 40, I ssa- We'll, We can lesvs It with
Of man 1t the gates,"
is "Wh2t gates7"
A "Come and see- lam a fav pege too
d, 1nyself; ard befors I 60 homo moan 70
at tho effect Of some lively music and h7
sy | spectacle"
Is We I'D been walking along pras.y briak,y
a. l r5rrf1 n nfyt1,a fy1tek which RpDAxrpd to Ii