Year: 1877

One beautiful day last October when
the Centennial Exhibition was in full
blast, was walking through the
British Gardens in front of HOrticul-
tural Hall, with several hundreds of
men, women and children who, like
myself, were paying more attention to
the vegetable kingdom than anything
else. The weather was in rare, ripe,
mellow mood, common to that season
of the year; the time was between land
p. NJ, and | had just been having a
delicious lunch at the California Buff
fet in Agricultural Hall, consequently
the influences without, and the effer-
vescing influence within combined to
put me into very impressible cOndi-
ton. Elegantly dressed ladies passed
me in velvet and lace, queenly-looking
maidens cleaning in the sunshine,
slender young girls, Ornamented with
cardinal bows and with the tlutter and
gush of youth in their harmless chat
ter, in the tiirt of their trains aud ia
the toss of their dainty heads. 1t was
like a .magnifcentpanorama with moth
ing to remind us that it was composed
of the earth-eXcept the occasional
rustic of solferino popcorn wrapper
or the crackle of peanut shell. After
wandering down the broad avenue that
led by the Japanese Bazaar | paused on
the bridge and leaned over the railing;
the music came in waves from Lands
downe ravine, the chimes lazily doomed
out maryland, my Maryland" while
| commenced humming in unison with
them; but in little while the thought
struck me that my notes were rather
loud for the time and place, so looking
around to see who was listening l found
the changing crowd was still saunter-
ing on and no one near me except a
woman.


She was a graceful, willOwy-looking
woman, dressed in dark grey suit
with the skirt hanging in artistic folds
from her waist to the ground instead of
being stretched out over one Of those
ugly things called hustle, but which
looks to me more like window-awning
than an article of dress; neat little
black hat crowned her luXuriant hair,
which was neither in frizzes, bangs
nor sideys, but simply coiled around

her head as a wOman's hair should be.
All this was to my taste, but If l could
only see her hand or foot-and then in
answer to my wish she changed her
position and slender, arched foot made
its appearance. "She is a lady" | said
to myself as | eagerly watched her, my
suddehly-awakened interest growing
with every movement. With this figure.
in the foreground the scene was COM
plete and the pleasant afternoon was
invested with a new attraction. The
last note of the chimes was dying out
when the woman in grey picked up her
parasol and turned to go; her face was
towards me and she gave glance, but
in that moment saw the lovliest eyes ]
had ever met in my life-dark, bewil
dering eyes that gave me an appetite to
see them again; but she launched out
into the surging throng and passed
from view, but not from my mind, for
| thought of her again and again,
dreamed of her at night, and the expec-
tation OF meeting her was with me no
matter where went.


The Centennial year breathed its last
breath, and then 1877 took the stand
and gave us the prospect of another
great fair. My place of business was
in New York, and the firm in which !
had figured for several years concluded
to make display in the Permanent
Exhibition. So was sent to Philadel-
phia to look after its interests. This was
the very thing for me, and / could not
help entertaining the expectation Of
meeting my dark-eyed divinity again.


The 10th of May was wearisome
day to me as | searched among the
thousands of faces to find hers, but
all in vain, and then laughed at my
self for supposing ! should know her
again after seeing her face but once,
and that only for short moment. Of
course she would not be dressed the
same as she was then, a grey dress
could not last forever, and the fashion
in hats changes; had not noticed a
feature of her face, 80 ! could not tell
her by that and as for her eyes, two out
of every five women we meet have dark
eyes, so | tried to persuade myself that
it was all forlorn hope.


On the next day after the opening,
while wandering around through the
quiet aisles--but here / may as well
commence to quote from my diary,
which commenced to keep that very