Year: 1874

Wnlcn seem Just made Tor May Parties:
do you never have any of those delight
full celebrations here ?"


"Only among the juveniles of the
community. The school children, 1
believe, choose queen every year, and
go ont into the woods to spend a day
in crowning her, and in feasting, and
go home atnight and give their mothers
some practice In the art of nursing, in
consequence of the heavy colds they
have taken, sitting on damp ground in
their muslin dresses, and the vast
quantities of cake and confections they
have managed to swallow during the
day."


80 Mrs. H, how you do strip the
scene of all its romance,l But 1 should
think the young ladies and gentlemen
of the town would have may parties,
there are generally so many things
going on in the neighborhood of q
! college!'


80, We did once have May party
among the young ladies, which 1 be-
lieve proved enough for all concerned
in it, as l have never heard of any at
tempts to get up another"


"Did you attend it What was it
like, that they never should have wished
/ for another ?"


so yes, 1 was there, as everybody
both married and single for miles
around, was invited: and it was a bril-
liant affair, / assure you, though there
there was one person there whom its
brilliancy seemed heartless mockery,
and who still regrets that May party"


so do tell us about it," we both
pleaded.


Willingly. You remember the gen.
tleman whom you pronounce a crab
bed and confirmed old bachelor to
whom there was no sort of use in play
ing the agreeable ?'


"What, Mr.. c.? But what had he to
do with the May party?"


He was younger then than he is
now. and much more interesting"


''But, Mrs. H., he must have always
been peculiar" broke in Allie, who had
resolved to dislike him.


''He may have had slight touch of
eccentricity before, but listen and Judge
II that May party was not sufficient to
sour the sweetest temper, and render
peculiar even fascinating man."


80 am all attention for am diving
to know what harm the party could have
done him -


1t was the means of making him an
old bachelor Before it was talked of
he had been attentive to one of our
prettiest girls-Lizzie Fith-and she
seemed so well satisfied with monopo-
lizing his attentions that all lookers-on
agreed it would be match. A short
time before the party was thought of,
he had proposed to her and she had
neither accepted or declined him, but
left him In that state of uncertainty in
which man feels there is more to hope
than fear-a dangerous thing, by the
way, girls. Take an old woman's ad-
vice and don't keep man in suspense
a moment longer than is necessary. If
he really loves you suspense is cruelty,
and in either case you layyourself open
to imputations which must diminish
your respect.


''Lizzie was a sweet girl; but rather
weak. Her life hitherto had been so
quiet that she was herself unaware of
the love of admiration that slumbered
in her breast; and she would probably
have become the wife of Mr.. O., and
been perfectly happy in that position
had she not Just then been chosen for
the May Queen This opened a new
phase in her existence, and all the dor
mant vanity in her nature was thor
ougbly aroused. She was canvassed so
publicly, her claims to beauty set forth |
and discanted upon so freely, that
steadier brain than hers might have |
whirled little. Her father with
fathers pride. resolved that every thing |
pertaining to her dress should be truly
queenly; and he therefore ordered all
her things to be sent'on from New York
without any regard to cost; and their
elegance and richness was such as had
never before been seen In our primitive
country town.


''Several gentleman from Cincinnati
were expected to honor our festival with |
their presence, and through Lizzie's
brain there foated indistinct but bright
pictures of conquest, and city hearts,
and city establishments which to
country maid seemed SO attractive,
laid at her feet. 1t was certainly un-
wise in Mr.. G. to renew his suit Just at
such crisis, and try to draw from her
lips promise that should bind her to
him; but the iminent danger of losing
her caused an anxiety which deprived
him of his usual wisdom. OF course
she refused, under the circumstances,
to bind herself to him, and he went
away feeling that all the sunshine OF
his life was enveloped in very dark
clouds CHANGING to spend the next
evening in the society of good old Miss
Snapp he perfectly agreed with her
that Nav parties were ridiculous affairs
and that it was indelicate in young
female to set herself up as a public
gazing stock. He talked SO eloquently
about the evils arising to young lady
from such publicity; that Miss Snapp,
afterward remarked, a most sensible
man that Mr.. G. is. There was talk
at one time that he wanted Lizzie Fitch
but his judgement is too good to choose
little tiirt of thing like herr


sThe morning of May day rose with
out cloud, and the unusual stir
throughout the town would have told
any passing stranger that something
more than ordinary was about to hap
pen.


''That beautiful grove you visited
yesterday had been chosen for the
scene of the fete and the throne was
erected with more than usual care and
taste.


SAT an early hour OF the day tables
we're spread with snowy damask placed
under the shade trees, and covered with
the most tempting articles of refresh
ment, while flowers everywhere met the
eye, here arranged in vases and there
piled up in baskets, to be scattered on
the green turf as soon as the queen
should make her appearance. But oh,
how many pretty gardens had been n
fed of their beauty to furnish this
charming profusion Who knows how
many of those fancied dew-drops we're