The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-03-31

THE FATAL BOUQUET.

uu'y Oh appearing irrC Sistiblc 7 cannot
Sdy Dut me only one ever had anythinc
10 90 with cost me dear, as will be seen
never on, my friends make rash prOm
oI' II YOU do, don't keep them and
In alter days, it will be a comfort to vo,1 TO
reflect that yeu were not 50 rood aS yonr
Word. 1T was many years ago that i was
>"Dhged TO be present mt no less rnelan-
a,h> by Il ceremony than a wedding and il
ilaS o',st cloud over all my subsequent
lie. III was Il lovely afternoon in sum-
imer; zephyr and Aurora had been ioined
together III hoy matrimony the cake had
.heen cut; TIC champagne had flowed: the
chariot had carried OF the infatuated
palr; INC slipper had been thrown; the
tears las' been shed; and everybody was
as dull as dish-water. | sat and talked
with Arabella, who had been one Of the
bridemaids. Whether "A bridemaid nova
days carries her bouquet as Arabella's was
then carried, cannot tell (for now live
vesy much "out of the world ~
but hers was carried by means
at ring at the end of 2 sort
ot cornucop,a, in which were stuck the
sweetest OF flowers. What we said | tn
net fortunately IecOllect; but the viz
lately performed had undoubtedI . o>'a,' 'o,e
cIsed singular influence, so thst So
were more THAI usually eloc .uenf. y,o;ceS
were more than usually soft and iov ami
conversation was more than rsuallv CO...
Inn t,i1eh,ai, I.c.i anu' l am P-haif, absurd. At
49, 49, NV ,iV II v" so.nehow brought to
p'51 p'n 'n%' nav Anaoea Id said, playfuly, VERY
VII men, on or e s>onditionn
,.,r,i, y 'i,' : II | asked earcrlv.
IL, @ n"' Jpu carry it eNactly as | do. and
fha, y"n tax e il Will. you ,vhSr1,.r w, ,',,
to day" Jou Wherever you go
Inese are Very easy terms re-
tbem , ana am only too glad to accept
~ that followed I cannot remember !:
A my ears, when think of the scene.
axe once more filed with sound as of a
cow but pleasant, laughing chorus, or
tatder duet; and my lips, when think of
ms scene, ieel once more the touch of n
something softer than velvet. And that
sohething had four fingers and thumb.
o0ch pretty thumbl 1t was as much
pre'tler than ordinary thumbs as dimple
IS prettier than a knuckle.
wen, took the bouquet, and l hung it
'"T aug On my llttle flnger; and, all at
once, began 10 feel uucoromonlv like =
fool. | BOD said that I accent,.d he ON
di'lons gladly; now ! knew that | had
SPOKEN In my hastr, and that most men
"Hp speak III tT.cir haste are liars So
80 hlourHiU. leave OF Arabella, who, as
ueparted called out. "Min1, | shall see
!oU 'o-p .orrow, and shall require full,
..'e : s AID particular account of all that be-
s'i'' my bouquet"
L replied-gayly, as some people say :;
that Is incJhercntly, and with hysterical
gicslc
Ny trials began as soon as was outside
tle door, Tor sympathetic cabman, at once
discerning my beflovered condition. whip
sfcd ms horse into gallOp and proilered
tle safe refuge in his hanson. But | had
mot t.Tee hundred yards to go, and it
'scened ridiculous for poor and ecOnOmi-
al man to ride that short distance. How
ever, II you are un Ter the impression that
III Tree country, such as we have the
happiness to "mOve on" in, man, who
not only has on wedding garment (Which
IS OF Itself a dangerous thing to wear in
the streets), but also carries bOunuet
hanging by ring from his little finger,
can walk three hundred yards on the
queens highway with impunity you had
ns'ter Try IL. All L know is, couldn't.
ne cabman, unable to comprehend my
refusal under the circumstances, drove
close against the curbstOnc, keeping pace
with me a, Went, touching his hat at in
tervals, circulating compassionatcly,
hcD, SIR, you'd better 'ev a keb-yOu did
ihdeed, and so exposing me TO "a thou
h,ild times as much notice as / should
"therwlse have attracted. Little boys,
iithng their attention especially aroused
~ the cabman, considered the occasion
favorable for demonstration, which
threatened to take the form of shying all
manner OF dirt; and older persons who
encountered me, either appearel to con-
s'der that | had mistaken bright day in
June for the 9th of November, and laughed
ipricIVp'v nr rpOarflod mo uyith c,,cb innkc
as the priest and the Levite must have
bestowed upon the poor wounded man
who had FALLEN amongst thieves, and evi-
sicn'ly set me down as a thing to be avoid
Cd ike the plague Only a few girls and
mitrons, who snifled wedding from afar,
and consequently felt pleasant Utilization
after their kind, smiled tacit approval.
At last / reached my lodgings, and
breathed freely. l placed my precious
bouquet IN water and sat down, and gazed
ut 1t, and mctiitatcd. And, as meditatcd
1t occurred to me that Arabella, who had
not parted with her bouquet without some
lev minutes reflection, had ultimately
given il to me with a design She had
sighed little sigh, and had given me a
very peculiar glance after she had CONS
nItted her flowers to my keeping; and
now, as [ sat and pOndercd, the meaning
of the sigh and the glance was, flattcred
myself, Ineligible. Arabella was not indif
ferent to me had tried To- elicit whether
she were or not, but could not get any
thing definite from her; but now [ could
interpret what was in her heart. " You
bachelors" she had doubtless thought, "gO
and Danish the thoughts awakened by the
event of this morning by means of your
billiards aud your smoking, and your sell
fish dissipation, whilst we maidens have to
sit at home, and NOPE and gnaw our
hearts, and feed on tender recOllectiOns,
and nourish scarcely acknowledged hopes :;
but | have discovered way Of keeping
one bachelor in order; he dares not go
among those who would scofI at my gift ;
and by the fate that befalls my bouquet
shall know how he estimates the giver"
And now shiver came over me as | re-
nenbercd that L was engaged to- dine out !;
and ] must take that bouquet with me-
Arabella could not surely have intended
that | should carry her flowers with me
into the drawing room, and then into the
dining room, and afterwards at dinner ;
why, should never have got out of the
house alive Her words were, 4" Wherever
you 60" and my promise would be salts
factoriIv fulfilled III / carried the bouquet
into the house with me, and left it in safe
custody.
To the man who took my Overcoat,
therefore, | committed the flowers, with
the strictest injunctions to take particular
care of them and he answered feryently
that he would, but gave Lee lecr which