Crowd of young men came in together, (it is customary here, for young
gentlemen to club their funds, hire a carriage by the hour, and go
calling in a drove; stopping at every house where one of the company
happens to be acquainted; so that when a lady keeps open house, for
every person whom she knows or desires to see, a dozen unknown
individuals annoy her by their uninvited presence,)--every one asked the
young ladies to sing, and the young ladies _did_ sing--generally opera,
but sometimes varying the entertainment with the touching ballad of "Old
Dog Tray," or the graceful and genteel melody, "Jordan is a Hard Road."
On this occasion the programme was somewhat as follows:--Gent. No. 1 was
treated with a "gem from Norma"--No. 2, a Grand March--No. 3, "Old Dog
Tray"--No. 4, "Prima Donna Waltz"--No. 5, "Norma"--No. 6, "Jordan"--No.
7, "Norma"--No. 8, "Prima Donna," again--No. 9, "Norma"--No. 10,
"Norma"--No. 11, "Dog Tray"--No. 12, "Norma," &c.; "Norma" being always
ahead, and evidently a favorite of the field.
I have no doubt that in the whole city, yesterday, "Norma" must have
been entreated to "hear my prayer," at least fifteen thousand distinct
times, by probably five thousand imploring females--and these harmonious
supplications, if blended and consolidated into one powerful, entreating
scream, would have been sufficient to raise the ancient Druids from
their graves, only to find that, although the final trump had not
sounded, it was by an imitation by no means to be despised, that they
had been fooled into a premature resurrection.
As evening came on, the guests who came showed signs of the day's
indulgences--I was particularly edified by the movements of three of
them, whom I noted with peculiar care--the first shook hands cordially
with the servant girl, called her "Mrs. Griggs," wished her many happy
returns, and on being told of his error, made an humble apology to the
piano stool, and immediately sat down in a spittoon.
The next made his bow to the hat-stand in the hall, swaggered into the
room, called for a brandy "smash"--tried to rectify his mistake by
begging pardon of Mrs. G. for mistaking her parlor for a bar-room, and
assured her, if he had done anything he was sorry for, he was
exceedingly glad of it.
The third stumbled on to the sofa, and, after steadily contemplating his
boots with much satisfaction for fifteen minutes, he picked up a Chinese
fire-screen, and with an irresistible drunken sobriety, he tried to
decipher the mysterious characters inscribed thereon, at the same time
calling the attention of Mrs. G. to the capital story in "the Magtober
number of Harper's Octazine."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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