Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-21
BILLEFs-DoUx.

Rousseau gives a rule for their compost.
tion, which would make it appear matter
OF the utmost ease. Begin without know
ing what you are going to say" advises he,
land end without knowing what you have
said. That may be all very well, and
there are some who, no doubt, have been
able to do it. The theological John Knox
probably acted on the first part of the
maxim. His first love letter was compo.
sltion that it is difficult to imagine any
man could have deliberately premeditated
lt was enormously long, reads for the most
part like very dull sermon, and its first
sentence-addressed to his "Deiriibeloylt
sister when afterwards printed made
eighteen lines OF close type. Falstaff's let
ter, duplicate copies of which served for
the two merry wives of Windsor, may DOS
sibly have been an extempore effusion, such
as Rousseau recommends. It is Just what
the witty old scapegrace might be imagined
to sit down and scribble offhand, feeling
quite sure that almost anything in the
shape of letter would answer his purpose.
" You are not young, no more am l 90 to,
then, there's sympathy. You are merry.
so am | ha, ha then there's more SYM
pathy. You love sack, so do /; would
you desire better sympathy ?"
The ordinary billet doux, however, is a
far more serious affair than anything Fal.
staff was capable of writing, and whether
ponderously spun out in long. winded
periods like Knox's or concentrated and
condensed like Steele's, the love letter has
probably always been the occasion of a
vast amount of brain cudgelling. "Dear
Mistress Scurlock," wrote Steele, al am
= t-aI nf 4,
fore, say day when you will take that of,
madame, your devoted, humble servant
Richard Steele" Nothing looks simpler
than this; but how many preliminary ex-
periments Steele had made, how many
other forms of proposal he had concocted,
and through how many various phases this
crisp, neat little billet had gradually de-
veloped, who shall say? Steele certainly
has sometimes been accredited with rather
remarkable aptitude In framing correspond
ence of this sort, but his reputation has
been based on his past matrimonial per-
formances, which were very curious, GER
tainly, but cannot be regarded as any cri
terion Of his faculty in this line before
marriage. Dear Prue," he writes to
his wife on one occasion, 81 am very
sleepy and tired, but could not think OF
closing my eyes till had told you l am,
dearest creature, your most affectionate,
faithful husband, Richard Steele" There
are so many of these singular little billets-
doux scattered here and there in the pub.
lished correspondence of this writer that
for time one is inclined to regard them
as genuine manifestations of an uxorious
disposition. Steele seems always to have
been writing to "Dear Prue" these con-
siderate, devoted little notes Dear
Prue, don't be displeased that 1 do not
come home till ii o'clock. Yours, ever. "
g Forgive me dining abroad, and let VIII
carry the papers to Buckley's. Your fond,
devoted r. S." Three or four times day
he would be sending off such dispatches as
these: 81 beg of you not to be impatient,
though it BE an hour before you see me. F"
There is, however, one of these notes
which seems to show that such illusions
were not altogether spontaneous. "Dear
Prue It is strange thing because you are
handsome that you will not behave your
self with the obedience that people of worse
features do; but that l must be always
giving you an account of every trife and
minute of my time. | send this to tell
you l am waiting to be sent for again when
my Lord Wharton is stirring. III London
World