Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-02

career OF simple and anpret-ntious gayety.
know that those two adjectives have an
ironical appearance, but | use them ad-
visediy. Our gayety was simple, for il was
absolutely unmixed with any foreign ele-
ment of any kind, unless, perhaps, little
soda water in the morning for the men is
70 be considered an incident foreign TO
gayety, and we certainly never pretended
to pe any better than anybody else, though
we possibly were allowed to be faster.
sometimes used TO think that should like
to have little conversation with some Of
the people VINO deprecated our doings and
condemned our way Of life.
My dears, should have said 20 them.
what is your complaint, by friends AID
| certainly don't Interfere with YOU. We
enjoy life, no doubt; but then consider. We
are IN position to do SO, and We act on
principle as much as you do Only think
how many things we have that you have
not. or course don't speak Of money!
mean, for instance, good tasSe and appre-
citation and health and certain amount OF
animal spirits Do you think we cannot
enjoy the natural beauties about Us,
What nonsense! Instead of carping at Us.
come and pay US visit. You viii find US
very hospitable, unaffected in our manners,
and willing TO be fond OF you i yeu please
Us. Wen take you driving in delightful
vehicles, we'll tell you exceedingly anus
ing anecdotes, we'll make yol nearly die
OF laughing when we expose to you the &C.
csntricities OF your relations and Of o1rsas
we'll: we'll give you tooshsope things to
eat and drink. delicacies of which you have
never dreamed, perhaps; you shall play
charming games, have your own way in
everything, and say anything you Like Of
US to our faces
I assure yon we are charitable and very
liberal minded. For ser, we don't object
to you. though goodness knows your seri-
business is assez bette, and If you do visit
US you shall be as Puritauical as yea please.
and we'll not murmur, Que v0uIez vous?"
Something of this sort did say To Lofty,
who came 70 Us with her hUaband for a
few days in August, but they went away
soon, thinking, ! believe, that they didn't
get enough of each others society. though
goodness knows l said 10 myself at the
time, 'If they didn't want to racket about
with Us they needed only 10 have said 50. .
But oh, how agreeable was my life. II
to be lacking several things such as rocs'
eggs and privute Pullman cara, and Il coro-
net, and a company OF soldiers to ride about
with you, Is TO fall short of absolute happl-
ness, then WAS unhappy, bur If content
ment is the test of happiness then WIS l
happy to q degree. I deputeI all my unat-
tractive work, and did we'll eyerythilg
that | wished 70 do, and therein lies the
true secret of happiness, if you are only
wise enough TO wish for the right thing.
Otherwise your career VIII he cut short by
Nemesis, who will come down on you inst
like the fairy godmothers in the old fables.
But I never became so pagaIliZed- [
spent my time IN idleUess, It IS true. left
Undone most Of the Uhiags that l ought to
have done, and l did many things that l
ought NOT to have done, and the rest of my
time was taken up in doing things that
made not much difference one way or the
other l entered with perfect eqUGniuity
into discussions which only engaged the
Eotico Of my companions by their doubtful
character; l viewed with toleration the
errors of some of my associates; indeed, |
remember that when, GA one disastrous
occasion, Penny, in company with a good
many other men, succumbad TO the effects
Of = grand dinner, WIS more anUseI than
Mortified; | adopted several masculine
habits and ways OF thought, and, in short,
! suppose | came 10 think that there was
no reason why woman should be any bet
ter than a man, or entertain herself in any
smaller variety of ways.
In the pleasures Of dress waG an eplcure
of the first water. / treated TIE various
members of my body almost as sentient
beings, and bestowed as much thought on
a stocking or pettICoat AS upon the skirt
of ball dress. But | never took baths of
perfumcd milk, for instance, nor practiced
any of the other oriental Injuries il which
many women indulge themselves; and If
was too luxurious ! was mt least refined.
At any rate, it is rather degrading to talk
about it. II IS great pity that we are not
all stirred solely by angelic emotions, and
all made OF Dresden china.
OF course it was by gradual degrees that
! arrived at such state Of mind. | have
endeavored to make that state Of mind en-
tirely plain to the reader ard TO point out
TO her how insensibly | came to adopt the
opinions which 1 then held. l hope it will
DO borne in mind that the little sketch
which l am writing is intended to have
distinct moral. l am now approaching its
catastrophe, and | am anxious that my
actions may not be misunderstood. do
not wish to be thought either too culp2ble
or too innocent Let no woman think that
it would be impossible for her moral sensi-
bilities 10 become as blunted as were mine;
and let no man conclude that my powers
OF recuperation were still vigorous because
! WIS not really as perverted as | make
myself out to be. My own opinion is THAI
just stopped in time.
70 be Continued