The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-04-20

es. staring full IN my. face. with grave,
malignant intensity, as she said:
You know l warned you. The
features may be little irregular, no
doubt, but then there is the grace of
expression, a very lovely thing, YOU say.
Indeed, you prefer it to positive beauty,
do YOU not2 And the intellect-vou
worship intellect; you know that at
least remains unchanged. VIII you
not give me your arm, senior? Let US
proceed to supper"
g Pardon me, serranita," I stam-
mered. II had forgotten a very
particular engagement will ex-
cuse me-" But the words choked
me. 1 felt in the last throes of
strangulation, and would have dropped
down, l think, dead on the spot, if, hap
PLY, the ose-bulwarked serrana, no
doubt accustomed to her own deformity,
had not laughed outright at my miser-
able confusion.
This gave me courage to rise, and
with profound salute and frigid ." a
los pies de atsted," l fled from the terri
bic shadow of that stupendous nasal or
gan.
Horror winged my feet, anger blinded
me; l stumbled over chairs and tables
and people. Earth did not seem wide
enough to separate me from that terri
bic headland, whence all my hopes had
gone 10 ruin. The shadow of it still
seemed to darken the ground around
me, and / would have rushed to my
hotel, regardless of cloak or carriage,
if another evil had not assaulted me.
1 was faint from exhaustion and
hunger. The nose seemed to have
distracted all my vitality, and the
strongest impulse of my nature at that
moment was a savage vOracity.
flew to the supper-room, took pos
session of a table, quaffed a goblet of
champagne, and ordered plate after
plate with the wild eagerness of appe-
tite and rage.
was at my fifth, when, triste de mi!
there, just fronting me. stood the SER
ranita-I should rather say the nose,
more lurid, more gigantic than ever, now
that beheld it in the full glare of the
supper-roOm.
A masked gypsy was holding her
hand at the moment, to read her for
tune, and l heard him say, Queen Of
beauty to-day, Queen of an empire to-
morrow"
Queen of beautyi' repeated scorn-
fully, and again | meditated flight. But
the nose petrified me by saying, with a
dolcezza infcrn0le, ''Win not the gra-
cious senior conduct me to supper? 1
have been lingering for your return.
Why did you leave me?''
trembled like an aspen, and the nose
laughed; but the grave and naughty
caballerO, with the royal orders on his
breast, did not laugh. This was doubly
irritating. 1 would have given worlds
for a pretext to run him through the
body.
"Senorar' 1 gasped forth.
go Senorr' she exclaimed quickly,
"perhaps particular engagement; or
has intellect lost its charm for you? But
pray do not take any trouble; merely a
glass of pOnche q la Romano, nothing
more
And the nose seemed to twist and curl
with indignant contempt.
This cool audacity piqued me; and,
with a malignant emphasis, I replied:
"Senorita, I present you the bev-
erage with pleasure; but will not
your nose be rather in the way of
your enjoying the draught? IN
less you can abridge that very majestic
feature, do not see how -
g Gracias. senorr' she said, interrupt
ing me- You are most considerate.
But l do not drink with my nose. How
ever, it would be more convenient if
abridged. Shall / try?''
"HowP What? Can it beP" I STAN
mered.
40. pray do not be alarmed, senor,''
she said, laughingly; az the process is
very SIMPLEX and, raising a small white
hand to her face, she slowly and daint-
lily drew away the obnoxious, fiery bea-
con, and her own fair, delicate, Grecian
nose, perfect as the rest of her beauti-
full features, appeared beneath,
Cielo giatsto it was of cardboard. A
mere carnival trick. And [ had been
deceived, maddened, done to death
nearly, by thing like that-a nose, a
painted nose! - o, if the earth could
only open and swallow me upr' / in
wardly calculated; for had I not insult
ed, yes, horribly insulted, the most
beautiful woman at the Court of Mad
rid?
True, o true! For it was, indeed the
| lovely, distinguished, and celebrated
Countess t that now stood before me,
with hooking smile playing over her
exquisite mouth.
I could have thrown myself at her
feet, could have killed myself for rage
and despair and shame? but my remOrse
and abiect terror only seemed to
beighten her amusement; and, taking the
arm of her naughty cavalier with the
royal orders, the superb beauty saluted
me with a profound reverence and q
smiling " BeSo a uStcd Ia naano,' and
swept on in the glitter of her raiment
and her Jewels and her loneliness to Join
the dancers.
Not hunger, but despair. now winged
my feet; as l fed along the corridor and
down the grand staircase, and nearly
overthrow Prince Carlos as I passed
him in the whirlwind of my flight.
''Whither so fast, my friend?' he ex-
claimed. ''Why, you are the envy of
| the whole room! You have been talk
! ing to the loveliest woman in Spain for
/ the last half hour. And do YOU know
! the news? The Queen herself has Just
! told me. 1t is all settled the lovely
Countess is to wear royal crown; and
right well she viii grace a throne. But
| do not speak of it. 1t is a State secret
as vet; though, of course, we all
! guessed the truth. Heavens! is she not
/ beautiful? / am to be the new ambas-
sadOr, and you shall have high post in
the embassy, l promise you. But
what is the matter? You are pale as
death"
"Peacer" 1 exclaimed, in a voice
stifled with rage, dashing away his
hand that rested on my arm. peace.
/ / must away-suicide- death-oblivioni
! FarewellI'
And l sprang into my carriage, and
reached home with set teeth and
clenched hands, and fixed resolve t.
start the following morning for Cuba,
or the interior of Africa, or the North
| Polar Expedition; anywhere that would
/ place IA whole continent between me
and the bitter memory of the Carnival
i Ball and the shadow of the Carnival