Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-04-01
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE FATAL BOUQUET.

THE FATAL BOUQUET.
,WhAFmas be the ordinary price of such
a bouquet as bridemaid generally car
ries to assist her in the sometimes difficult
dutyEof Hppearing Irresistible, I cannot
say ;abut the only one I ever had anything
TO do with cost me dear, as will be seen
Never, oh, my friends, make rash prom
ises or, if yeu do, don't keep them and.
In after days, it will be a comfOrteto.y Won to
rei1ect thai you were not SO good as your
word. 1t was many years ago that L was
Obliged to be present at no less melan.
choly ceremony than wedding and it
mas mas cast cloud over all my subsequent
hie. it was D. lovely afternoon in sum
mcf; Zephyr and Aurora haG been Joined
together in holy matrimony the cake had
been cut; the champagne had flowed; the
charlot had carried off the infatuated
pair; the slipper had been thrown; the
tears had been shed; and everybody was
as duh as dish-water. / sat and talked
with Arabella, who had been one Of the
bridemaids. Whether a bridemaid nova
days carries her bouquet as Arabellas was
then carried, cannot tell (for L now live
very much tout of the world ~
but hers was carried by means
of ring at the end of a sort
OF cornucopia,i in which were stuck the
sweetest of flowers. What we said l do
not fortunately recollect; but the rite
lately performed had undoubtedly exer-
cised q singular influence, so that eyes
We're more than usually eloquent, voices
were more than usually soft and low, and
conversation was more than usually SEN
tlmental, and, l am afraid, absurd. At
last, however, it was somehow brought to
pass that Arabella said playfully, "Very
well, then, on one condition" :.
What is it ?" asked eagerly.
THAT you carry it exactly as | do, and
that you take it with you wherever you go
to day." +. -, IS. =
These are very easy terms" 1 re.
Joined, "and am only too glad to accept
them" ap'J
All that followed I cannot remember !;
but my ears, when think of the scene,
are once more filled with sound as of a
low, but pleasant, laughing chorus, or
rather duet; and my lips, when think of
the scene, feel once more the touch of a
something softer than velvet. Aud that
something had four fingers and thumb.
Such pretty thumb 1t was as much
prettier than ordinary thumbs as dimple
is prettier than knuckle.
Well, | took the bouquet, and hung it
by the ring on. my little finger; and, all at
once, | began to feel uncommonly like
fool. had said that l accepted the con
ditlons gladly; now l knew that l had
spoken in my haste, and that most men
who speak in their haste are liars So l
took mournful leave of Arabella, who, as
l departed, ,ecslled out, SMiad, / shall see
you tomorrow, and shall require a full, q,
true and particular account of all that be-
falls my bouquet"
replied-gayly, as some people say |;
that is incoherently, and with ahysterical
giggle. .',.,a.,.-.,Y,U
My trials began as soon as I was outside
thea0obI fofsymph hathetic cabrhah, at once
discerning my beflowered condition, whip
ped his horse into gallop and proffered
the safe refuge in his hanson But had
not three hundred yards To go, and il
seemed ridiculous fora poor and ieconomi-
cal man to ride that short distance How
ever, II you are under the impression that
in free country, such as we have the
happiness to "move on" in, a man, who
not only has on a wedding garment (Which
is OF itself dangerous thing 10 wear in
the streets), but also carries u bouquet
hanging by ring from his little finger,
Queens highway with immunity, you had
better try It. ! All know is, I couldn't.
The cabman, unable to comprehend my
refusal under the circumstances, drove
close against the curbstore, keeping pace
with me as went, touching his hat at in
tervals, calculating compassionately,
"Keb, sir, you'd better 'ev keb-you did
indeed, and 80 exposing me to thou,
sand times as much notice as | should
otherwise have attracted. Little boys,
having their attention especially aroused
blythe 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 appeared to con-
slider that had mistaken bright day in
June for the 9th of November, and laughed
derlsively, or regarded me with such looks
as the priest and the Levite must have
bestowed upon the poor wounded man
who had fallen amongst thieves, and evil
dently set me down as a thing to be avoid
cd like the plague. Only few girls and
matrons, who shifted wedding from afar,
and consequently felt a pleasant Utilization
after their kind, smiled tacit approval.
At last reached my lodgings, and
breathed freely. l placed my precious
bouquetin water ana sat down, and gazed
at it, and meditated And, asI meditated,
it occurred tC me that Arabella, who had
not parted with her bouquet without some
few minutes reflection, had ultimately
given it to me with design. She had
sighed a little sigh, and had given me a
very peculiar glance after she had COM
mitted her flowers to my keeping and
now, as sat and pondered, the meaning
OF the sigh and the glance was, flattered
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 youl
billiards aud your smoking, and your sci
fislIJlissipatiOn, whilst we maidens havet &c
sit at home, and lnope and gnaw oui
hearts, and feed ON tender recollections
and nourish scarcely acknowledged hopes
but / haYe discovered way of keeping
ore bachelor in order; he dares not &c
among those who would seoff at my gift
and by the fate that befalls my bouquet,
shall know how he estimates the giYer.
And now a shiVer came over me as re
membered that was engaged iodine out
and | mast 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 thu
dinipg,r9om, and afterwards at dinner
why, should never have got out of tn,
house alive, Her words were," Whereye
you go, and my promise would be salts
factorily fulfilled il l carried the bouque
intotlfe house with me, and left it in saf
custody ---------..---
To the man who took my oyercoat
therefore, committed the flowers, witt
the strictest iniunctions TO take parlicula
nnrn of Ahem /, and he answered ferYentlN