The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-19
LETTER NO. 2.
SAME TO SAME

Last winter you recoHect meeting NJ.
| de Villelong at our house, don't you,
dear Blanche? Madame de Pontlouis
| had introduced him to US. She made no
secret of the motive which induced her
to present the Baron, for he is baron
and a real one, too. She admitted to
mamma that the matchmaker's mania
had come upon her, and that she was
looking out for me. had already met
this young man, had often danced with
him. rather liked him, and the moment
I saw him at the house I knew what it
meant. Anyway, mamma was open and
aboveboard in the matter. She told me
to look upon him as suitor for my
hand. Said mamma, with faultless pro-
nunciation and admirable intonation:
His position, ny darling, his age, his
fortnc G, his family, his antecedents are
perfectly satisfactory to me, but it's for
you to decide. You are not supposed to
know anything about the man. Study
him at your leisure. don't want to
influence you in the least"
You remember him, don't you, dear
Blanche? You met him just about the
time you were married. I think you
must have noticed him - tall, thin,
blonde, good head Of hair and fine
beard, handsome teeth, rather small
head, broad shoulders, in word, every
indication of physical strength. A lover
should be strong, shouldn't he! It's
such delightful feeling to know that
you have protector by your side, one
that doesn't fear man or demon, fire or
water. His feet do very we'll. He al
ways keeps them perfectly dressed, and
he's very careful with his hands, too,
although they're little hard. He rides
well, he is witty and full of fun, and I
need scarcely add belongs to several of
the swell clubs. They say ne has had
wonder at it. How I came to know?
Why, I have heard mammals friends
speak OF him Just as they do OF any
young man in society when they don't
foresee his presentation as suitor.
OF course, they spoke in enigmas, but
understood we'll enough. The simple
fact is, dear Blanche, that it is utterly
impossible to bring up q girl nowadays
In complete ignorance OF the affairs OF
actual life. The morning journals are
flied with these topics which become
subjects Of discourse at the small
dances. A young girl hears the names
Of her partners coupled with the first
names of certain ladies whose car
riages pass and repass ours on the
Champs Elysees, in the Bois and else
where. We meet them in the shops, we
run against them in the establishments
of the creat men milliners. They set
our fashions for us, they furnish us with
husbands. When they become ours do
they give up the old set or does the old
set give up them? In short, we girls OF
this day and generation are initiated
into thousand and one things Of which
the girls Of the good old times didn't
even suspect the existence. II we live
in Paris we soon learn to know that all
marriages are not made IN heaven and
that the contracting parties,' as the
divorce courts call them, don't always
behave themselves with perfect pro-
priety.
It's shameful when you come to think
OF it. And sometimes it even happens
that we make our boast Of the fact that
the young man who asks for us in mar
riage is no milksop, that he has sown a
plentiful crop of wild oats, etc., instead
Of shrinking from him in disgust as We
would if We respected ourselves! Sup
pose for an instant, little mother, that
it were possible for a young man 10
escape all this contamination, with a
single purpose to remain faithful and