Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1875-01-14
CORA'S DELUSION.

Cora Depeyster pined for Prince
Not common Prince like the snuffy
old Russian we used to see on Broad
way, wearing a greasy fur collar and
long overcoat, eating garlic and drink
ing brandy three times diurnally, and
growing at everything American in
the most detestable English. Nothing
of the kind.
She pined for Prince such as we
read about in the fine old sentimental
novels that amused our fathers and
mothers in the flower of their youth
a Thaddeus of Warsaw, all talent and
pallor, and tenderness, and musical
voice, and fine, rolling eyes, and ped
! igree, and that sort ef thing.
For my part don't believe in such
princes. The Prince of Wales ISM t
one of that species, and I'm afraid
the breed has gone out with the fine
old sentimental novels. Nothing else,
however, would suit Miss Cora De
peyster. Being not totally unlike 9th
er fair damsels of 90 or thereabouts,
she desired to experiment upon the
state of matrimony, and had plenty of
opportunities, but common clay would
not do. A prince she must have or
single she would remain.
Now, a real good writer of senti-
mental stories could create such a be
ing especially for the emergency, and
after the customary amount of tantal-
ization, through the medium of obsti-
nate parents or what not, marry of
Miss Cora and her prince in the most
satisfactory style. Bat I never was
good at sentimental creation. I must
write about people know and see. !
am sorry for the Coras. I've seen lots
of them; but what sort of princes did
they marry? One now pours tea foG
sharp nosed, red haired life-insur-
ance agent. Another is the spouse OF
a strapping farmer, who sits with his
hat on and eats in his shirt sleeves
Another welded a subdued German
who plays second claronet in cheap
orchestra, and has to move monthly
because he can't pay his rent. Still
another--but the catalogue grows
melancholy. Thus with all the Coras.
They go on pining for princes that
never come marry all sorts of people
instead; and dying, give way to a
fresh race of Coras, who follow in
their mammals footsteps with disre-
gard of experience that savors of the
sublime.
One of the sweetest of watering
places is Happy Valley. 1t is roman
tic and comfortable at once. There
is delightful bathing, rowing, sailing
and fishing in the lake itself, and the
groves that line it's shore are cool and
green and mysterious, and suggestive
of dryads and nymphs and FAIRIES and
things. That is, if you happen to be
of poetic turn of mind If not
they only suggest firtations
1 will not further expatiate upon
the delights of Happy Valley, lest il
should be fancied that I have lots fo1
sale in that vicinity, whereas--no"
even burial lot; and that, [ believe
is the common lot of all. Neither die
Cora Depeyster have any real estate
to dispose of; but she thought just as
do, and passed much of the time
every summer in The fair demesnes
that lie smilingly adjacent to the Hap
py Valley Pavilion.
Notwithstanding the round o.
pleasures in which she every summer
took prominent part, she could no
stife an inward and continuous yearn-
ing for the music of princely voice
the glance of devotion from princely
eyes, the touch of princely hand il
the dance, and the sweet envy of al
maidens who had to go princeles.
through life. She sighed a great deal
: and began to think the great world
cold, hard, unromantic sort of ar
rangement.
, Of course, you and I know better,
never wrote a romance yet half 81
wonderful as the simplest life woult
5 make, were it truly told. 1t seem
easy, but you try it once!
Though there was no prince anon!
the Pavilion boarders, there was
poet. Arthur Bayne was there It i
barely possible that Cora might hav
fallen in love with him there is some
thing very fine and hifalutin--pardor
the expressiOn--in a young LADY,
idea of poet. But then Arthu
Bayne was altogether different from
her ideal. He knew the world too
well to believe in its hollowness H.
l had found it in fact very rough, ,hart
: and stubborn sort of thing. I motto
! that men who have really been shaker
up bit in the merry go round we cal
life, are not apt to preserve the out
side show of sentimentalism to am
extent. We all start off,.some time o
other, with our long hair, our turn
down collars, our stable suits, ou
brigand hats, and our little hiddel
sorrows; but when we have cut ou1
eyeteeth, and learned something
{ about other folks trouble, we alway
+ come back to reason, to plain necties
= to stovepipe hats, and the barber.
e Arthur was too much matter of
fact for Cora, and she too sentimenta
for him, from any hymenial point o
view, and yet they somehow becam
very excellent and intimate friends
One evening they sat on the shore O
the little lake together. Cora was ga
: zing at the moon, of course. She wa
: one of that kind. She had been tell
ing Arthur what kind of hero sh
i had imagined for her heart history
; and described the prince with hi
: : melting eyes and musical voice, hi
t generous nature and magnificent all
his mild, mechanically md inevhausti ri