The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-06-04
WHERE THE LEMONS GROW"

Charlie Horton leaned against q partl-
tiou in the supper-room. Prudence
perched upon one shoulder and said,
"Let her slone." Inclination got up
on the other, and whispered, sc But /
love her." Prudence said. "Don't be
a fool" Inclination replies, "She's
awfully sweet" Prudence insists,
cts her first season. Don't ruin her
prospects. If you marry her. you'll
both starve to DEATH" Inclination
suggests, eff you don't marry her,
some other fellow will. How'll you
like that ?" Prudence calls out, ''Dont
be selfish" Inclination whispered,
"But I think she loves YOU"
Here the soft throbbing notes OF
Strauss's last and most exquisite in
SEPARATION came pulsi1g through the
open doorway from the grand salon
where the dancers were. Inclination
fitted his song right into the rhythm OF
the music, three notes to a bar, "She
loves you, she loves you, she loves
you," up and down the scale, twisting
in and out, always the same refrain
following the low sweet notes. PrH-
dence kept at his side of the argument,
shrieking hoarsely, out of time and out
of tune, "Dont be fool, don't be q
fool, don't be a fool" Now loud, now
low, now wild, now sweet, came toe
soft passionate sound of the distant
music. Strauss had settled the ques-
ton Prudence was a nuisance
Charlie Horton knocked the top off OF
a bottle of Champagne, and drowned
him then, there, and forever. He ex-
pired without a struggle, and Inclina-
ton clapped her hands in triumph over
his defeat. Then she took possession
of Charlie, danced in his eyes, curled
his lips into smiles, and led him straight
into the ballroom.
Little Allie Rivers first ball. Oh,
what fairy-land The great Academy
is blaze of light from floor to ceiling.
The walls are bright with gliding and
glowing with color. Thousands of
yards of bunting are draped in fantas-
tic devices around the great abyss that
is usually the stage The musicians
are playing in grove of verdant love
illness where the spruce and the pine
trees Of the north grow side by side
with the leafy children of the tropics.
The air is heavy with the perfume of
flowers, and hot as the breath of sum-
mer. The floor is an ever changing
kaleidoscope of graceful, moving, vary
ing forms. All is light and warmth
and color. Little Allie Rivers is sitting
quietly in a box, watching the throng
of beautiful women and brave men as
they glide before her. The gas-1ight
glimmefs on silks and satins, gold and
Jewels, and Allie thinks there was never
such q delightful institution contrived
by men or angels as the Charity ball
"Isnt it glorious, mamma ?" says
little Allie.
Mamma smothers yawn, and wishes
she we're in bed. Some day. when the
histories,of all the martyrs are compiled,
let not the sufferings of chaperOns be
without their record. Still Allies NAM
ma is comparatively happy tonight.
Things appear to be moving in the right
direction. Allie is we'll dressed, lookin ?
particularly charming, and bids fair to
be a great success. Mamma has re-
ceived a great many compliments in
reference to her lovely daughter to-
night; and Solomon Yellowstone, of
Wall street renOwn. is at this moment
gazing across the house with such an
expression of admiration at little Allie
that mamma really cannot be blamed if
her prophetic mind does occupy itself
with the question whether, in case any
thing should happen, it wouJd be best
to have the wedding-cards printed in
script or old English.
Solomon Yellowstone is suspected of
having laid the foundation for his pres
ent fortune in corner grocery in the
Bowery; but we live under a republic.
Solomon can deck Allies fair shoulders
with a necklace as beautiful as that
which the khedive has presented to
Mrs. Fitch, and consequently when
mamma sees him dig his elbows into
the ribs of one of Americas greatest
statesmen and tread on the toes of a
poet, as he makes his way across the
auditorium to the box. she reflects that
politics and poetry do not pay, and
smiles sweet acquiescence when Solo
mon offers his arm to little Allie for a
promenade.
They join the throng, and mamma
gazes cOmplacently after them. She is
not nearly so anxious to go to bed now
as she was. She is contented to watch
Allies little figure as it glides across
the ballroom, and to fancy what the
feelings of her dearest friend in the next
box must be. Her neighbor is the
mother of four candidates for the holy
estate of matrimony, all in their sixth
season. All, well, would there be any
sweetness in success if there were no
one to envy us?
Allie is standing under a blaze of gas
jets, wrought into curious device. ard
spelling out the word charity. She is
smiling now, explaining to Solomon
that she thinks a great ball is such a
charming way of being benevolent. cit
gives the poor people such lots of
money, and makes everybody so hap
ply !" Then Allie smiles again. Solo
mon smiles, and mamma, from her dis
tant post of observation, smiles too.
II was just at this moment that the
promenade band subsidized into silence
with a flourish of trumpets, and low,
sweet, and soft hOated out from amidst
the green foliage grouped in a distant
part of the great hall that wonderful
waltz, "Where the Lemons Grow"
Tt was just at this moment that in
clination routed prudence, and brought
Charlie Horton out of the supper-room.
Very soon he deserted little figure
standing in the centre of the ballroom.
What sweet little fairy it was, stand
ing there with clouds of illusion soft as
moonlight clipging around it like a
white mist; with white lilies resting
on its bosom, clinging to its skirts, and
Nesting in its hair. Then Charlie
locked at Solomon, lean and shrunken,
yellow and blear-eyed.
"The beast !" muttered Charlie, to
an audience of soft silky brown mus
tache.
"The puppy r' growled Solomon, in
confidence, to his grizzled beard.
May ] have the pleasure ?" and
Charlie bent low before the little divin-
lily with the white lilies in her hair.
Then Solomon scowled, Charlie scowled
back again, and mamma, from her
watch-tower, scowled also.
Then Solomon thought TO himself,
" He's nobody; clerk down town some
where-a THOUSAND a year at the out
side. Girls no fool-mother amt if
she is; and Solomon's countenance
cleared off again. Allie put single
one of Jouvin's best seven buttoned
No. 6's into Charles two-bRttoned No.
8, and Charles brow resumed its usual
smoothness. Mamma thought to her
self, 81 have great confidence in
Charles / knew his mother, and be-