Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-04-01

another of the ladies was asked to give
toast Each declined. Only Matte Ould
graspng the tiny white slipper of Lizzie
Cabell she filled it to the brim with
champaign and turning to Mary Triplet
she said, Here's to youth, beauty ana
whitley make a Triplet. At another
time when | was dining with her father,
she was being wooed by Nat Schoolcraf,t
and q young lawyer named Campbell,
We were quite a large party and some one
suggested that Miss Matte give q toast;
She held up her glass, in which gllttered
the imprisoned laughter OF the peasants
of France and she said. Here's to the
woman who strains at gnat and swal-
lows q camel.
Then / remembered her marriage to
Nat Schoolcraft: her going abroad and
her coming home. Mr.. Schoolcraft had
wonderfully beautiful bachelor apart
ments ore" his stable. and while they
were waiting for their house TO be fin
ished. he and his wife occupied these
rooms. The child they had hoped for
came, and came Unexpectedly, but, With
her ba by on her arm and with death
staring her in the face, the beauty and
the Wit asked her doctor. Who is my
baby like. since he was born III stable!
Death respected neither beauty nor VIII
III Richmond was at her funeral. and
the grave in which this beautiful woman
was laid had been lined with the flowers
that day no hymn was heard, but four
men whose beautiful voices she had ap-
preciated stood there and sang Under
the Daisies Every year when L go
| home Oh Memorial day. / walk over to
Matte Guilds grave. And it is covered
with bouquets of daisies Nothing else
It seems to me fine, my dear, when city
can take pride-no, this was not just
city, it was the whole South, in one Wom-
an because Of her beauty and her wit:
| The other two? They did as all good
Southern girls do-they married, and
were good wives.
Beautiful Mary Triplet. like her rival,
sleeps in the grave in the beautiful God S
Acre close to the river. But who can
think of her and not remember the duel
that was fought about her? She had
been enga ged TO be married to young
lawyer: the engagement was broken. but
one night at dance she was placed Op-
pOSite to him, and she either had TO dance
with him, or make : scene. Being a
well-bred woman. she did the former. A
few days after. a short poem appeared
in one of the papers. 1t began in this
way:
When Mary's queenly form I press,
In Strauss latest waltz
| would as well her lips caress,
Although these lips be false.
There were couple more verses in the
same offensive strain which | have for
the smart club with great ardOr, and men
limited that the lover who had been re-
iected was the author of it. A Mr. Nor
decai, who was present. and who be-
longed TO one Of the oldest families n
Richmond said that any man who would
write such a thing and publish it was
coward and a ScOundrel In a few days.
what he had said reached the rejected
lover. He at once wrote him a note in
which he told that he was the author of
the poem. but that he had not intended to
reflect in an unpleasant way on Miss
Triplet. and he demanded an apology.
No apology was sent. A few days later.
when the men met in the clubhouse, the
rejected lover brought up the question
again with this result-he was knocked
down and SO badly hit that he was con-
fined to his room for several days. Com
mon rumOr-fOr you may be sure that
there was much gossip-said that the
mother of the rejected one told him that
If he could find no one else TO carry his
challenge to Mr.. Mordecai. that she
would. But there was no trouble about
a messenger. The duel was arranged.
At the first shot. both men missed Each
was asked if he wished another shot.
Each said, Yes" AT the second shot
both men fell, the rejected one with a
ball in his stomach. They were taken to
their homes. and a few days after the
duel Mary Triplet's defender died. There
was some sort of a trial, and the rejected
one was fined a small sum of money and
allowed to go free. l think this is the
last case of duel being fought for a
beauty, but, as 1 tell you. my dear, we
have no beauties nowadays.
we have beautiful women and fas
1inating women, but no women who are
sufficiently marvellous to stand out from
all others, and TO be the toast of the
town. and the pride of the country,
Other times: Other manners. The
colonel gave a deep sigh and | felt that
[ must re Ise him up, so | asked: What
you say is true, but just now we ordi-
nary women are greatly troubled about
good and bad luck. Now, colonel, tell
nae all you know about the lucky
nonths?' And he said: "My ole mann
my always told me that a girl born in
January would be prudent housewife,
given to melancholy, but good-tempered.
She who appeared in February would be
| humane and affectionate wife and a
| tender mother. She of March. a friv-
! olous chatterhox, somewhat given to
quarreling. That the lady born III April
! would be inconstant, not very intelligent
but likely to be good-looking. She who
comes in May would be handsome, ania-
Bile and certain to achieve happiness.
The lady of June would be impetuous,
frivolous, bat likely to marry early. The
| lady of July, only passably handsome
and with decidedly sulky temper. She
of August, amiable, practical and certain
to marry rich. OF September, discreet,
affable and much liked. The lady Of
| October-is. that your birthday would
be pretty, coquettish. suffer, much I'M
happiness in her early youth, but pos
sess much glory. November's lady would
he liberal, kind, but indiscreet, while
the December days would bring a lady
we'll proportioned, fond of novelty and
| eNtrava CANT.
<'Thank you, colonel" said I; Il was
born in September"
Then we both laughed, and l added,
"WeIl. [ know some things; | know
that if the palm of your hand itches,
you are going to get money, if it is in
the left, and going to shake hands with
a stranger if it is in the right. If
your nose itches you are going to meet
a fool, or kiss a stranger. If you walk
under a ladder, the gentleman in
black. commonly known as Satan, will
be waiting on the other side for you. If
you dream OF white horse there is
| going to be a death in the family. If
you meet yellow dog, you are going to