The Republican journal., 1876-12-07
The Belle of the Ball.

81 v. 4. rRALD.
lcars-years ago-ere yet my dreams
Had been of being wise and witty,
Ere had done with writing themes,
Or vawnd Ger this Internal Chtty;
Years, Years ago, while all my joys
Were i'll my iowling piece and tilly;
in short, whio | was vet boy,
tcll III love with Laura Lilly.
saw her at 4 country ball;
There when the sound of flute and fiddle
Gave signal sweet in that old hall,
OF hands across and down the middle,
Hers was the subtlest spell by far
OF all that sets young hearts romancing:
She was our queen, our rose, our star
And when she danced-ol, heaven, her dancing
Dark was her hair, her hand was white;
Her VOICE was eAqujSitoly tender.
Her eyes were full OF liquid light;
never a waist so slender;
Her every look, her every smile,
Shot right and left a score of arrows;
/ Thought twas Venus from her isle,
wondered where she'd left her sparroW-.
She takd Of politics prayers;
vi Southey's prose, or " ordsworTh's sonnets
Gl daggers or OF dancing bears
OF battles, or the last new bonnets;
BY candle-li ght, at twelve O'Clock,
10 me II matter'd not title,
II those bright lips had quoted Locke,
/ might have thought they murmurtd Little
Through sunny May, through sutry June,
| loved her with love eternal
l spoke her praises to the moon,
| wrote them Tor the Sunday journal
My mother laughed; | soon found ont
That ancient ladies have no feeling;
Ny father tiownd, but how should gout
Find any happiness in kneeling?
She was the daughter OF dean,
Rich, fat ana rather apoplectic,
she had one brorher just thirteen
hose color was extremely hectic;
Her grandmother, for many a year,
Had fed the parish with her bounty,
her second cousin was a peer,
And lOrd-lieutenant OF the county.
But titles and the three per cents,
And mortgages, and great relations,
And India bonds, and tithel and rents,
On what are they TO loves sensations
Black eyes, fair forehead, clustering locks,
such wealth, such honors, CupS, chooses;
lie cares as little Ton the stocks,
As Baron R0thschild for the muses..
She skctcl'd; he vale, the wood. b. Leach.
Grew lJyelier from her pencils shading.
She bOtanzcd; Isenvied each
oung blossom in her b0ud0lr fading
She warbled Handel; it was grand
Ste made the Catalina jealous;
She touchd the organ, | cOuld stand
For hours aud hours and blow the bellows
She kept AN album too, at home,
Well tll'd with all an albums gl0rIes
Paintings OF butterflies ana Rome,
Patterns for trimming, Persian stories;
soft songs of ,Iula's cockato0,
Fierce odes to famine ANA to slaughter;
And autographs OF Prince Lab0O,
And recipes of elder water.
And she was ilatterd, worSlippd, bored,
Her steps were watch'd, her dres- was noted
Her poodle dog was quite adored
her sayings were extremely quoted
She laugiId and every heart was GLAD
As if The taxes were ABOLISHED.
She trown'd, and every look was sad,
As il the opera Were demollshi
~he smid on many just for fun
knew that there was nothing i'll ii
was tht first, the only one
Her heart mad thought Of for a inmate
knew il, for she told me 50,
In phrase which was divineiy moulded:
Size wrote charming hand, and oil!
How sWeetly all her notes were folded
our love was like most OF her love>
= little glow, little shivrr,
A rosebud and pair OF gloves,
And ely Not Yet, upon the river;
some jealousy OF some ones heir,
some hopes OF dying broken hearted,
A miniature, !; lock OF nair
Tie usual VOWS and then We parted
We paTted-months and wears roll'd bv
W. met again four summers after:
our parting was all sob and Sigh
Dnr meeting was all mirth and laughter
For m my hearts most secret cell,
lArrr had been many other dodgers:
And She WAS not the ball room belle,
But only .-Something-Rogers.