Omaha daily bee., 1883-08-30
THE TENDER PASSION.
Romance Of a Poor Young Man.
Whose Happiness is in Serious Dam
ger.

the surface, and Is ever most pronounced
when some unlucky wight would seem to
be in possession of what is Familiarity
known as "a heart bowed down"
There is a coterie of friends in this
city, a band of choice %congenial spirits,
all of whom have been in the enjoyment
of excellent times, in the various pleas.
ure resorts of the west, during the
summer which is now drawing to a
close.
There was an informal gathering of
these festive spirits a few nights since,
the principal feature of which was the
hearty g~ood-nature with which each
greeted the other, and the fund of merri-
ment and anecdote which characterized
the individuals. Among the number of
these ~light-hearted, embryonic million
aires, was one whose exceeding good
nature, and fund of wit, humor and dew
iltry was largely in excess of that of any
of his confreres. His songs were the
sweetest, his voice the richest, his jokes
the funniest, and his antics the most
grotesque of all. In all this there was
much that was unusual. The younggen
tleman, while not a melancholy Dane,
was certainly not such as one would Sc
lect to amuse a varied company. And,
while he would not be successful in the
last respect, he was far from approaching
the other extreme of stiffness and imbe-
cility. His friends now and then claimed
that he Rugged very warmly a certain
medium between both extremes. 1t was
natural, therefore, that the youag mans
hilarity on this occasion should attract
the attention of his companions. And
attract it, it did, and that before the
young men had been long together.
Sitting on a luxurious s~ettee, in an
alcove of the apartment, complacently
enjoying a tete-a-tete, the while contem-
plating the busy gathering from behind
veil-like clouds of amethystine smoke,
were a couple of gentlemen of handsome
presence. Said the elder:
"Do you observe how particularly vol
atile seems KS disposition to-nightl"
"That's SO. Now that you speak of it,
| do notice that he appears as if under
the influence of Madame Cliquot.' l
don't think he is though, because he
never drinks enough to have it so affect
his spirits"
At this juncture, a hearty peal of
laughter came from a circle of young men
who, surrounding the gentleman in ques-
word, except when they rose to the en-
joyment of the moment in a burst of
laughter.
Hes been away for some time, and
I'll bet he's going to get married., " saio
the first speaker above introduced. Lets
go and see."
The twain Joined the circle and soon
were interested, like the others, in the
recital of some ludicrous episode which
X had witnessed in the vicinity of Hot
Springs, Ark. The narrative was con-
Guided, fresh cigars were passed around,
and by reclamation, X was requested to
relate another story which he had told
earlier in the evening. \ was proceed
ing to comply with the demand, when in
rushed q young fellow, a youthful Adonis,
breathing perfume from his curly locks
and respiring with a weight which told
of haste and physical effort. He rushed
over to the circle, and for a time, dis
tracted the attention which the parties in
the ring were preparing to pay to KS
story. X himself was distracted for a
moment, but becoming composed, recon-
menced his tale.
The gentle Adonis, after saluting the
nearer of the young folks, asked to be
excused, and said: Gentlemen, in the
midst of life we are in death. We should
always have a respect for proprieties. 1t
is not au fait to laugh while others weep.
All that glttters is not gold. Some are
saddest when they sing-I mean, when
they laugh. Memory is the only friend
that grief car call its own"
1t is not known how many more aphor,
isms Mr.. Adonis would have quoted, il
somebody had not elegantly limited il
might be well to inform the company to
what point he was driving.
Significant glances were exchanged be.
was made by the former to approach the
latter The attempt was not successful
however, because the crowd now gathered
around Mr.. A., if possible to learn what
it was all about. The latter betrayed q
diffidence and an evident tremor which
made the young men all the more anxious
to learn what it all meant
Adonis started to tell: Gentlemen, ]
move we adjourn. There is one of oul
number in the agony of despair, The
truculent, the fierce, the unrelenting de-
mon of melancholy is about to seize il
his insatiate grasp a gentleman upor
whose brow not yet appears the frs
graved line of care. This monster viii
walk beside him in the streets, follow hin
to his room, haunt him in his sleep, an
noy him in labors, and eventually bring
him to an untimely and ignoble grave
All, gentlemen, sad is the fate of GU
heart broken member; the wild deer ant
wolf to a"
"Say," shouted a very pragmatica
looking individual, "what are you get
ting at2 Get down to the pine floor an,
speak English. ! don't like poetry"
This protest was generally assente'
to, and Mr.. Adonis saw the necessity o
coming to the ''pine floor" which mean
to speak to the point and in much plaine
language.
He looked to where Y had stood, bu
the latter was not there now. Durin
the rhapsody of Adonis, X had disap
' peared. He was now generally misse
and searched for, but couldn't be found
He had evidently left the room.
This made the matter assume the ap
D pearance of a mystery, Especially wheI
Adonis stated in a whisper that what h
III l.