Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-07-12

turning round and round your pipe.
That pipe Heavens and earth what a
frightful amount of trouble that pipe cost
me. l once made an estimate of the ex-
pense. l don't remember now what it.
was, but l know ran in debt and wore
old gloves to a dozen parties, lwas so
| hard up. What possessed the girl to give
1t to me l never could see. However, she
did, and thereby hangs the tale. sfSeI
You see had gone to the. " Beach" Il
can't tell you, of course, where the Beach
| is, but Philadelphia people always go
there) with Charlie Denvers, and Charlie
presented me to his sister. and bis sister
waltZed with me and walked and talked
with me, and we got to be great friends.
One night, as we were walkipg-Iremem-
Der we had just turned corner of the
piazza, AMI come into the full moonlight
she suddenly laid her hand-deuced
pretty hand it was too, with a pearly
glove on it-on mine (the one, you know.
that fellow has to hold up in beastly
uncomfortable position when he has lady
on his arm) and said-(hang me if l can
ever forgive that girl her behavior to mel
-"Oh! do want you to promise me
| something so much. / know you will
think it odd Of me TO talk so unreservedly
to you, but then you know I've
heard of you so often from, Char
lie, and from other people, that
feel as though you were an old friend.
And oh! am 50 anxious about it, and If
| could only persuade you to promise u,
What could do? knew was going to
be sold. but couldn't well see how to
help it. So said something about g be-
ing only too happy to be intrnsted with
her confidence" and wouldn't she rely
inc ho1 h hrp hxr n
uncle" or any member of that unfortu-
nate class of men over which women think
they have natural right to tvrannize,
and in fact made an ass of myself general-
ly. And then she said " Yes, she would
trust me, for she knew was noble and
true" (she read it in my face. she said,) }
sand would be kind and oblige her in
what she. wished" and then she looked
up in my face with such lovely, earnest
look that | vowed would do anything
she desired. % wretched fool that L was
My dear boy, nepcr walk in the moor
| light with young and attractive female
unless you know she's engaged or imsg-
| ines you to be very poor. And even then
do it cautiously. Well, she went on to
say that she had some friends-an old gen
| tleman, an old lady, and young lady,
niece of the old one-coming to stay with
her party that week, and that she wished
me to be polite and kind to the young lady
and not to flirt with her" because" she
added, she is very young and inexperi-
enced. You are flirt' (of course I pro-
| tested)-' yes, cruel, wicked fiirt, and
| want to save her if 1 can; and / know if
you will promise me not to fiirt with hel
one bit you will keep your word" Aud
| then she looked so sweet that went off In
| long speech, in which / avowed myself
to be the despiser and contemner Of firts;
that looked upon the man who would
| seek to win the heart of woman with
out having previously surrendered to her
his, as vile wretch. and that while 1 held
myself incapable of flirting under any
possible combination of provocative cir
cumstances, yet in the case of friend of
hers the mere idea was peculiarly revolt
ing to my sense of honor, and that / felt
deeply hurt that she could fancy me SO
base. In fact worked myself into such
a state Of excitement that l should I'M
doubtedly have offered myself had not
in my violent gesticulations managed to
break my pet pipe. which happened to
have in my hand. Now it CHANGED that |
thought great deal of that pipe.0 itwas
a perfect thing in its way-a tiny violet
Of meerschaum springing from a stem OF
Il l.
rather ruefully about 1t, for she laughed
little at tie flight of my enthusiasm. and
finally said she would give me another
ince she had been the cause of my break
ing that, if at the close of the season she
found had Kept my promise.
| And that was the first scene of the 70.
nance. ~ y -. ~ f&JN
| That night I drank four cobblers and
smoked half dozen cigars. | refused tC
play billiards and took long and lonely
walk. - IT sTiHriAN
felt a presentiment that this very
lovely, very young and inexperienced
creature was to have a marked effec
upon my life. 1 imagined the way il
which should talk with her. The mex
day committed to memory large por
tons of Mr.. Tennyson's poems, and com
posed several moral and brilliant essay
upon divers subjects calculated to i'm
, prove the juvenile female mind Chsrli
thought had gone crazy; and am no
sure. looking at it in the light of expert
, ence, that he was altogether incorrect. %
They arrived on Saturday. We saw
. their names In the list--Mr. and Mrs
Maynard and Miss Maynard. Nigh
!, say here, en- passant, that 1 consider my
self one of the best dressed men eve
e knew. But this night l dressed wit
great doubt and perplexity. / determine
to sacrifice gloves and cravat of the mos
& exquisite shade. which /. had relied o.
for some final effect. Butt deemed it,wis
to adopt for the nonce the Napoleonic tao
i tics and venture MY uttermost strength
e When I got to their cottage ! found ChaI
lie out, but Miss Denyers received me an
o presented me to Mr., Mrs., and Miss May
4 nard. Mr.. Maynard was pOrtly gentle
man, rather young-looking for his wlft
whose appearance was quite ancient am
: rather unpleasant; and I was sorry to OF
d serve that he didn't seem as attentive 9
one likes to see middle-aged gentlemen
: their wives, and to my already jealou
/. mind he seemed little desirous Of flrt'
ton with the young lady. But oh, ths
young lady She was blonde-net
pale, washed-out, white-hued blonde; br
passion and fire incarnate. Her hair ws
golden II swear to the heavens 1t was M
Q red, not in the least), and great masses
i. sunlight seemed hidden In Il, so that whe
|, II rinnled ahOrt her tinv earl the ii oht WIS