The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-01-20
wooIsG A KENTUCKY GIRL.


There lived OIL - street, in an
unpretending establishment, sur-
rounded by trees and flowers, a
young lady who was celebrated for
her beauty and accomplishments. She
was blonde, with blue eyes, white
teeth, and heavenly smile; had the
orettiest hand and foot that ever were
seen; and was tall, 1.-THE, and elegant
Her wit was delicate, pointed, and
sparkling, and her mind as superior
as her person was lovely. The town
was at her feet, and her suitors were
as importnnate, il not as many, as
Penelope's, like whom she was cor
tinually wooed and yet never won.
In the midst of her successes came
the war, the end of which found her
family impoverished, and herself re-
duced to want for the necessaries of
life.
But she was still the same proud,
imperioIs mistress of hearts as before,
and she refused in quick succession the
many offers of marriage that were now
made to her. She had not thought of
matrimOny as recourse, but had
other and different prospects in view.
She proposed, in fact, 10 teach Il
school,.
A fellow townsman, gentlenan OF
wealth and position, and a bachelor,
had long been silent worshipper at
her shrine. He had houses and lands
estates in the country and lots in
Tho c,t,- efocl-c snfaract- aud ;nvoct
ments wherever they would pay and
his private establishment OH -
street was simply palatial. Seeing
how the case stood with her whom he
loved with his whole soul, he resolved,
after many self-communings and
much reflection, to ask her TO be his
wife.
"Sir," said she in answer TO his pro-
posal, Il do not love you, and cant
not marry you.'
"Think the matter over, my dear,
said he, "and in one week from to-day
give ME your answer
Upon his return, on the day set, she
said to him:
"Sir, you have wealth, and | am
poor; you live i'm a palace, and |, as
you see, i'm cottage; you are dcsir-
Gus of having my hand, and I would
like very much to be rich. | will
make you a proposition. Twill throw
the dice with you my hand against
hundred thousand dollars. Is it a
bargain ?"
at is" said he. And lhereupon
they pledged each other their words to
bide the hazard.
1t was arranged that but three per
sons should be let into the secret !;
that each should select a friend, and
that the two selected friends were TO
choose the third. Miss - named
the Hon. Mr.. -, q prominent mem-
bcr of the bar, as her friend; Mr. -
chose the Rev. Mr.. -, pastor of the
fashionable church - street. as his !;
and these two made choice of Dr. -,
an eminent professor i'm the medical
college, as the friend of both parties.
BY these gentlemen the preliminaries
were arranged, and the programme
was this:
The doctor was to give party at
his house on certain specified Fri
day evening. at which were TO be
present all the best people in Louis
vile the Hon. Mr.. - was to have
a license in blank, ready to be filled
at a moments warning, and was to
hold Mr.. IS check for 100000; :;
and the Rev. Mr.. was to be in
waiting to perform the marriage cere-
mony, if called on to do so. The dice
were to be thrown in the Hon. Mr..
IS study, whence the quintette
were to proceed 10 the party, where,
if Miss - lost, tfey were to cele-
brate the wedding, and if she won
they were to mingle with the guests
without remark.
At precisely nine O'Clock on the
eVentful evening, the players and their
friends met i'm the Hon. Mr.. IS
study. BY agreement of the parties
themselves, they were tc throw poker
dice, and to cut cards for the first
throw. The gentleman cut queen
and the lady jack, aud now came the
tug of war. lie was cool, calm, and
pale; she was statuesqe, imperious,
and collected. His lips were COM
pressed; hers were formed into an
extended arc, spanning the whole
mouth and completing the bow. The
twain sat Oh opposite sides of small
table, and the umpires stood over
looking.
The dice box being set before him
Mr.. - placed his fingers over the
top, aud with the thumb clasping the
side, he gavo it shake, and threw
two fours and two deuces. Putting
aside the fOurs, he threw again, and
threw another four. Then throwing
the two remaining dice, he threw two
iives. lie threw, therefore, full
three fours and two iives.
And now came Miss IS turn.
ltwas a thrilling moment, and the
rustic of her silk dress i'm the stiffness
of that room sounded like the tree
tops in the wind. She began by draw
ing of her right glove, exposing a
hand of exquisite beauty and delicacy,
OH the forcfnser of which sparkled
diamond. Then, taking up the box
quickly, sue gave it 4 long shake in
the air, and turning i; down upon the
table she tlirew-nothing. y cloud
thereUpon passed over her face, and
the arc of her lips assumed a fillmore
bow-like curvature. -l
But, nothing daunted, she at once
retook tie box and threw asain-this
time turning up four 1euces, and the
fifth dice cooked. Terrible mis-
chance. Miserable luck. Again she
threw, and threw three dcuccs and
two trays. Putting all the dice back
into the box, she had left but one
other and last throw, upon which
rested her only chance. For tho first
time since she sat down she spoke,
asking for glass of water Having
drank tumblerfull, she sat for mo-
ment pressing together her eyebrows
between her thumb and forcfinger,
and then, all of a sudden, she snatched
up the dice box and shook it vche-
mently, and threw--thrcc fOurs and
two skies, and won. And did she
take the money! you ask me. 1 an
swer most cmphatically-shc did
Louisville Chronicle.
NEGLECT OF CHURCH.-This increas-
ing tendency of the macses TO keep
aloff from our churches is regarded, as
it should be, with great anxiety by all
thoughtful men. The number of reg
ular church-going people in propor-
ton to the whole population of our
country is believed TO be diminishing.
In England, according to the best es-
Inmates, not more than one tenth of