Year: 1875




Ten years ago, in the home of an
opulent gentleman in Southern city,
there grew as promising Il bud of wo-
rental hearts. The little Eva was a
bright blonde, with great blue eyes,
fair hair and checks that outrivaied
the most delicate tints Of the rose; her
features were such as the foam born
goddess might have euvied. And tins
bud of beauty grew aud expanded into
the fnli-bluwl fl h)wer of a surprisingly
beautiful womauhood. Every care
was taken in her education. No ex-
penSe was spared Ia the most ia
nous schools of the land she received
such instruction as seemed best de-
signed to tit her for the high social
position to which her fond parents
hoped she was to attain. Her studies
finished in the best Institutions of her
native land, she was carried to Eu-
rope, where, during Il soJourn OF Two
years, she was permitted TO m1ngle IN
the aristocratic circles to which her
fathers great wealth gained for her
all eutree. Petted and courted on sc-
count of her great beauty, vivaclty
aud high spirits wherever she moved,
the spoiled beauty returned to her
own country only to receive more pro-
found adulatIou from the gallant men
who gathered in her train of admirers.
During a season ST Q vlbrated between
Cape May, Long Branch, Newport aud
Saratoga, at each of which she was
an acknowledged belle. The approach
of winter found her back at her South
ern home, where she reigned a queen
in the most fashionable society.


Among those who came to pay court
TO the fascinating blonde, was one we'll
known III the community, as u gay,
handsome, dashing man, whose very
presence excited prudent mammas to
| keep ii vtgilant guard over their daugh-
ters. But what harm could come to
the much travelled aud thoroughly-ex
p rienced society young lady by a
| harmless fl rtation with the entertaining g
| llbertine? So she thought and SO
| Thought her parental guardians. And
the ilir iitlon proceeded. The months
passed on, aud the Irritation had grown
to something worse. The spring time
came, aud the beautiful girl found her
Self IL At situation winch necessltated
| her entite withdrawal fiom society.
| OF course her condition could not be
hid from her parents. Then came the
confession, the grief, shame and bitter
/ ness wnicn ever follow the commission
of sin. The fair flower was blighted
| even i'll the time of its most resplend-
! ent beauty. There was deep gloom
and unutterable grief overwhelming
shame in the stately mansion which
had before been made glad by her
presence, for she was an only child and
her parents were rich. Anger sue
ceeded to the grief Sternly and
harshly those who had before lavished
SO much tenderness upon her, and
which had been so lily repaid, bid
their child to go forth into the great
sinful world to become a loathed aud
hated being. She had fallen, and
must descend to lower depths. The
fashionable resorts were TO witness her
re-appearance no more.


She left the city. In the gilded halls
of sin and shame in another city she
held her court as sort of queen OF
the demi-mode. True, her associates
were from another strata of society,
but she plunged boldly into ,he mail
strom of fast life. short time ago
she WAS in ST. Louis, an inmate of one
OF the many bagnios whose existence
reflects upon che fair reputation of the
city. But she had concealed her iden-
tity under the guise of fictitious
name But she was recognized by
some who had known her in the old
days when she was distinguished So
ciety belle Her whereabouts became
known to some who had not lost all
interest in her fate. Perhaps, too, her
parents felt some little remorse for
their harshness toward the erring
child, and connived at an effort for her
restoration. Letters were written to
parties in this city requesting their
kind Offices Meanwhile Jessie, as she
called herself, was enjoying the unen
viable reputation If being toast
among the fast young men about town.
Whether or not she became aware of
the slight efforts which had been set
on foot with a view of ultimately re-
storing her to the home which she had
abandoned, is not known. But at any
rate she took sudden determination
to leave the city, and departed for the
West.


Her friends, who still had some faint
hope that she would weary of the life
she was leading and withdraw to the
seclusion of a quiet home, are
low despairing of any such repentance
on the part of the gay cyprian. So
begins and concludes one chapter in
the life of beautiful, elegant and ac
complished young lady, who was the
sole heiress to an estate worth almost
half million of dollars. How the
next will begin and how conclude We
can only surmise. Down, down, to
the brink of despair; then the sudden
plunge into the dark river or the dead
ly paralysis. of morphia will close the
career that began SO promisingly and
ended so desparingly.