Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-12

balcony, and her eyes looked down
into mine. The opera glass was hers
So instead Of breaking my head, Il
simply broke my heart.
Tho lady drew back at once, aud
another person peered oycr-a highly
finished young man with coral studs
and a white neck-tie-a fop, sir. 1.-THE
old gentleman at once showed great
anger and intolerance Why wasn't
| made, l wonder, with a face shaped
like an almond, and not much color in
it and why wasn't | taught to wear
a mustache with a curl on the tip end
of it like the loose oDd of a banjo
string2 As | hadn't these charms,
and the young man in the balcony
had. / knew, of course, that there was
no chance for me. But n thing !
Immediately resolved upon. When |
started to go out of the door after the
play | naturally found the young jack
anapcs waiting for me. But instead
of tke Opera-glass, | handed him my
card, saying, You'll learn my stand
ing from that, sir; but | cant consent
to part from this article. | will re-
place it with a new one. When a man
has saved himself from hurt, as | have,
without troubling any one, he ought
to have a reward and | claim this as
mine put in that touch of humor,
but tho young man din't take i hu.
morously at all. He threatened to call
a policeman and arrest me if didn't
give up the triae.
do" said |, "and have 4 ridiculous
item in the papers tomorrow, with
Miss Ms name mentioned Some
of the dispensing audience began to
notice us. and my hint quoted him.
He merely said, This is uniusti6ablc.
You will hear further from me- and
went of. When you think of it. it
was extraordinary but | stuck to my
point and have always kept the souve-
mir, though there was talk of a suit
and even of a duel with the young fell
low, Hefiebower.'
"Hefiebower ~ | exclaimed.
"Pshaw yes. i oughtn't to have
told you the name. But never mind.
Cad my blood was up. That was my
time for romance. then or never, and !
didn't even wink at the thought Of
lighting"
But what became of the young
lady?'
The whimsical gentleman suddenly
got up from the table (haying eaten
all of his oysters and emptied his sec
ond glass of punchl. II must go
home" he said gloomily. Miss NJ,
of course, married Heflebower.'
But | thought you spoke of being
married. too2'' | reminded him.
Look once more in the glass the
way | told you, he proposed, ignoring
my remark.
| took it up impulsiyely and did so.
Was my new acquaintance a magician?
Or was | deceived by some subtle in
huence in the punch, or oyer-excited
by his story? Certainly, on peering
into the Opera-glass | d%iseerned some
where between the large and the small
end what looked like the interior of
the place of entertainment we had
left, and among the reflected faces that
ola beautiful young woman especially
prominent. Behind her, at one side.
was sure l could make out my friend
Heflebower.
You see, | have it all there OK
claimed the owner of the glass with
triumph. No one can take away
these memories or associations, and
they have the unusual advantage Of
being visible | glanced a second
time into the lenses, but the figures !
had seer we're now gone Before ]
could demand an explanation, my SIN
gular companion had said good night
and disappeared, taking his visionary
tubes with him.
| made no further attempt to clear
up this mystery, and will make none
now. But | spent some time in the
restaurant-bo box, Illuminating on the
queer abiding places of the romantic.
The old mans case seemed to show
bow the poetic part of some lives
stands in about the same relation to
the prOsaic as if seer through the
wrong end of an opera-glass.
| afterward learned that this eccen
trio gentleman was Sheale, the bank
director, who, after his disappoint
ment, married his housekeeper, and
was never seen at the theater except
when TIE Lady of Lyons was playing