Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-15


and Richmond from the South and com
polling General Lee 20 prepare Tor retreat
The Bachelor.
STUDY IN STRAINED sKsrraESr
tChicago Figaro.l
PART /.
Beside bis fire the Bachelor sat,
y friendless man In furnished nat;
The light Of youth from his eyes had fed,
The hair was sparce ON the top OF his head
Angular, cynical, bilious, grim
Was tbOre ono in the world 20 care for HINT
Thus he mused-as often he'd unused before
When, the hammer sounded at his front door.
And he rose, impoled by repeated knocks,
To find on his threshod--a boy with box
A plain, deal box Of n medium size,
Which the Bachelor took In blank surprise.
He had made no purchase Of Iato--then swift,
Tho inference fonowed-ii must be SUI
From some former friend he had long forgot
SO he fetched the scissors, and severed the Knot,
And in eager haste he lifted the lid,
All unsuspiciOus OF whit IL hid.
Then-hIs fury broke in n frantic curse,
Too vigorous TO repeat In versel
What unknown hand had dealt this stroket
What tend conceived so cruel Joke
As 70 sehd-ah, smile at Il those who cant
\ dainty doll TO a childless mani
He flung Il from hint fell on the chair,
And smiled through its ileece Of golden hair,
Straight up In his face-till Il made him start,
And a sudden conjunction smote his heart;
For the eyes. and the amber tresses above,
Resembled those Of his early Love,
Whose eyes wero "a round and devoid Of guile,
| Who had Just that placid, persistent smile,
Erematernal monitions sho obeyed
| And married man in the timber tradei
go he stopped and touched the dolls limp hand
| And she seemed in some way 10 understand,
| When he raised her cently-for, wondrous thing
| As though his lngures had found spring
I Which set In motion some secret gear,
! She spoke in silver-tOned accents clear;
"Tse cor dolly-oo must be-
Always yelly tind to met
Yike me best OF all cor toys,
| Hide me thafe fom naughty boys,
Never weave me near 20 fab,
! In 10 vain, or In 20 miah,
And III peak when pOken 70.
| 90 yoye me and i'll yoye DOL"
| II thrilled his pulse TO n faster throb;
| He was fAin to swallow rising sob;
| For his hinty bosom he could not steel
| 'Gainst the innocent guile OF THAI appeal;
! And his furrowed face grew strangely mild
| As he nursed the doll, Ike little child
| Through the long night she softly slept
! In thodrawer where his clean shirts he kept;
| While his weary eyelids closed in vain,
| For there rang In his ears that naive refrain.
An. WELT It came from phonograph-
! Yet doubt II many will dare to laugh.
| And malice Itself might feel some shame
| To see how its shaft had missed Its aim.
PARr II.
| An through the next succeeding day,
| From the time bis breakfast was cleared away,
| TIL after he had taken tea,
| He nursed tho doll on his elderly knee.
| He had It stlu upon his lap
| When once again no heard a rap;
] And, thrus;ing the doll with guilty air
! Between the cushions that lined his chair,
| He sat up, sitter than before,
| And grimly eyed his opening door.
Than he felt his brains in confusion Uhlri-
! For his visitor was little girl!
A small patrlclan In plush and fur,
! With nttle trace Of tho child In her.
! And he caught his breath with a gasplng choke
! Well he guessed her object before she spokeI
] bar
Then-"Ive come ~ ask If you've seen my doll.
81 ordered It yesterday afternoon,
And they promised me they would send IL soon
"But they never did and-such silly mistakes
! A shopkeeper person 80 often makes
"(There's a perfect idiot who keeps that shop I
! That, though we're at the bottom and you at tn
top,
az thought I'd step up and inquire" che said,
"If they happened TO send it TO you instead.
$50 boring to lose ones doll, you knowlp
! And he answered, al should imagine So"
| Though he wreathed his face in CHASTITY grin,
! A bitter struggle went on withinl
This child came armed with legal claim
! But OIL it was cruel, all the same!
| For how could he now without disgrace,
| Produce that doll from its hiding-place?
Then, gripping his chair in convulsiye clutch,
"Do you love-" hefaltered, "your doll 80 uch3
"Oh, liked her rather" she drawled, before,
But I've thought OF something I'd like stu more
"so as soon as che comes shall try to arrange
With the man at the shop TO lot me exchange"
Then-he might regain herr But he was shy
A doll was a thing that bo dared not buy!
And still, as the child went chattering on,
lie suppressed what he was sitting upon.
"Dolls.p she declared, "were going out,
One scarcely ever saw any about
"And though hers was one OF the very few
That could make a speech, which was something
new,
"In time that speech would be sure to pail"
And the Bachelor basely agreed with 1t all,
Though his soul was seething in revolt
| Like a cistern struck by a thunderbolt
What yield his idol and all her charms
To alien, unsympathetic arms,
To DO lost forever? Not so-not sol
lie could not--he you'd not let her goi
"Then-you haven't seen herr" she asked, tAh
| why
II is always easy to tell a lie,
Upon any sudden emergencyO
- am sorry TO say = haye-not," sat
| ne.
Then he bowed her out with a courtly air,
And sank with sigh in his easy chair.
What rocked he, now that the deed was done,
II fairly or foully the prize was wont
/
And under the cushions be hastily sought
For the hidden treasure so dearly bought
He found her soon-and his hot tears gushed,
| For her innocent nose was completely crushedl
| In grief as fruitess he INDUCED,
| When he saw that one OF her eyes had bulged!
| Then next, with nerves unstrung, he tried
The spring Of the cylinder inside.
She spOke-but horrorl the sounds he heard
Were now discordant, and harsh and blurred!
And beneath the tumble Of words and forks,
The click and stammeG' OF damaged works.