The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-09-08
would not be likely to give herself
much concern for poor devil like

much concern for a poor devil ik'
him. -
The French waiting-maid and tn,
colofed man both were seen fitting
about the saloon, and from this state
room to that, during the evening. Col
} 0nel Sharpe privately "interviewed
them both, and came back to his tel
low-passengers triumphant with hi,
/ news. The tall young lady was tn,
heirees; she was immensely beautiful
and awfully rich. The shorter cir
] was only Q travelling companion, {
1 school friend Of the heiress's conven
days, now taken with her out of kind
ness and charity. The father was {
quiet old gentleman, who didn'l
amount to much anyhow. The daugh'
ter ruled the Party. AS Colonel Sharpe
expressed it, she "bossed the whole
lot.n III ,.ss
The morning rose beautiful and
brigl,tover the yellow waters and the
rich green shores. The heiress and hei
\ party had emerged from their state
rooms, and were graciously mingline
with the general company. The heir.
ess was really Q very handsome girl
tall, pale, quiet, with q transparent
complexion, long, straight nose, and
magnificent fair hair. The other girl
was 0 bright, pleasant little thing,
without much pretensioD, or any pre-
tension to beauty, but with q pretty
and compact little figure Just the per-
son to he very trim and agreeable
teacher or mistress in a well-kept
school, apparently. The father was .
rather handsome, very gentlemanly,
1 gray.haired man, who talked willingly
and agreeably enough, but had, every
now aud then, an odd, uncomfortable
way Of looking uneasily about him, as
II he had something on his mind, or
| were I'm fear of some manner Of detec-
ton. Our trio Of travelling companions
observed these facts at first from q dis
tance, at breakfast. 1t was de rigtteur
on the boat that gentlemen travelling
without the escort of wife, daughter,
or sister must not sit at the tables
| whereladies ate their meals. On ndeck,
however, all was liberty and equality
and it was not long before each of the
three gentlemen had made the ac-
quaintanre of the heiress and her IA
ther. .si. -.. , a.,-r.i. Jr.-...
| Captain Decides made his way to the
lady through the papa, to whom he
offered cigar as q prOpitiatory sacri-
flee. Colonel Sharpe disdained such
timorous and roundabout ways. He
boldly approached the young lady
with two green volumes of Mrs. South
worth and the latest number of Co
deys Lady's Book in his hand (the
Colonel was not great on literature),
and, taking off his hat with splendid
flourish, and looking wonderful things
out of his beautiful dark eyes, he bland
ly offered her those masterpieces ofthe
modern school, and presently he was
seen to offer her his arm, and, to use
an expression adopted by himself,
"tOtep Der up and down the deck.
He came back, however, to his COM
panions after while, and though he
proclaimed the young lady too splen-
did for anything" and intimated that
he had made wonderful progress in the
work of captivation, there was an un-
derlook Of dissatisfaction, or, at least,
of doubt, perceptible upon his face, and
he drank two sherry -cobblers in quick
succession.
Phil Pembroke, now piqued iuto try
ing his fortune, easily found way OF
initiating an acquaintancesh.p with
the hei-evs. Her name, by-tt;c-way,
he had heard to be Miss Rosetta Alex
ander. Now Mr.. Phil was fond of
pretty names for women, and the 'sRo-
settah prepossessed him. Rosetta's
face was certainly very handsome, and
she received his advances-evidently
those of q gentleman-with ready
courtesy and apparent good -bumor.
She had bland, sweet smile, which
she turned freely upon the young man
as they talked c0Iamonplaces togetb-
er; and Phil began to think she was
charming girl, and that he was very
likely indeed to fall in love with her.
That sweet, gentle smile! How VIM
ningly it turned to him! How it
frightened and transfigured O COM
m0nplace as mOonbeam does pud-
die!
Still the young man began to find
that they were only talking common
places. That was waste of power.
That white forehead, those eyes, that
smile, must have fine intellect be-
hind them. Fh,10 neojOra--he soon
began to try higher themes. He talk
ed of the scene, Of lovely scenes in
general; of nature, the ocean, the des-
ert, the Alps; of places he had seen,
and places he l0nged to see. Miss Ro-
setta turned her sweet smile on him,
and blandly assented to all he said.
"What a glorious sunset !n the half |
enamOred youth exclaimed; and he
gaZed at the burning west.
beautiful" replied Miss Alexander,
with her sweet smile; and she glanced
first to tho east, and then to the steam
er's deck. -.r
Phil felt a little disappointed, but he |
tried another tack. He turned to
books. 3. a. - 81. ..
"This,n he said, apropos of some
thing, any thing, reminds me of
part Of THE Earthly Paradise.'n
:, Il" Yes" replied the sweet smiles;
ain 'The Land East of the Sum-
Do you know it2p
.tNO" with the sweet smile); 81
never was there"
"Oh, mean the poem' Have you
not read it ?"
"No. Is it nicem ~ '..E !
Charming, l think. Have you not
heard of it?
"No.n The same delicious smile.
"But you are fond of poetry?''
"Ob ves." The winning smile
anew.
"And you read poetry, know~
"Oh no; indeed DON'T" smile re-
peated.
"Who, then, are your favorite au-
thors ?'' @ -. ..- -
"My favorite-?" Smile equally
sweet, but interrogatory this time.
"AuthOrs." Phil little disheart-
ened.
"I don't like any Of them. They
are all SD dull; and when one tries to
read them they give one such head
ache" The smile was now as sweet
and placid as if it were worn by an
Egeria pouring cut the finest treasures
of her serene intellect upon some rapt
admirer. .......
Phil soon politely bowed himself
away. "I can't fall in love with a
smile and fortune" he said to him
self. "My British friend may try his
chance and welcome, if he will. She
ought to marry Lord Dundreary." d
In Withdrawing henearly stumbled
over lady, and he stopped to make
an apology. 1t was the companion of
Miss Alexander. She was a plain
little girl enough, but she had good
eyes, and very expressive mouth
too expressive, Pembroke thought
just then, for she seemed rs if she
were laughing at him. "She has seen
my discontinue" he thought, "and
| it amuses her." x
Pembroke's apology led to an inter-