American fiction -- 19th century; Short stories; Western stories
Did I see him? I was in a horse-car on Sixth Avenue, a few days ago,
when the horses suddenly became unmanageable, and left the track for the
sidewalk, amid the oaths and execrations of the driver. Immediately in
front of the car a crowd had gathered around two performing bears and a
showman. One of the animals, thin, emaciated, and the mere wreck of his
native strength, attracted my attention. I endeavored to attract his. He
turned a pair of bleared, sightless eyes in my direction; but there was
no sign of recognition. I leaned from the car-window, and called softly,
“Baby!” But he did not heed. I closed the window. The car was just
moving on, when he suddenly turned, and, either by accident or design,
thrust a callous paw through the glass.
“It's worth a dollar and half to put in a new pane,” said the conductor,
“if folks will play with bears!”
AN EPISODE OF FIDDLETOWN.
In 1858 Fiddletown considered her a very pretty woman. She had a
quantity of light chestnut hair, a good figure, a dazzling complexion,
and a certain languid grace which passed easily for gentlewomanliness.
She always dressed becomingly, and in what Fiddletown accepted as the
latest fashion. She had only two blemishes: one of her velvety eyes,
when examined closely, had a slight cast; and her left cheek bore a
small scar left by a single drop of vitriol--happily the only drop of
an entire phial--thrown upon her by one of her own jealous sex, that
reached the pretty face it was intended to mar. But, when the observer
had studied the eyes sufficiently to notice this defect, he was
generally incapacitated for criticism; and even the scar on her cheek
was thought by some to add piquancy to her smile. The youthful editor
of “The Fiddletown Avalanche” had said privately that it was “an
exaggerated dimple.” Col. Starbottle was instantly “reminded of the
beautifying patches of the days of Queen Anne, but more particularly,
sir, of the blankest beautiful women, that, blank you, you ever laid
your two blank eyes upon,--a Creole woman, sir, in New Orleans. And this
woman had a scar,--a line extending, blank me, from her eye to her
blank chin. And this woman, sir, thrilled you, sir; maddened you, sir;
absolutely sent your blank soul to perdition with her blank fascination!
And one day I said to her, 'Celeste, how in blank did you come by that
beautiful scar, blank you?' And she said to me, 'Star, there isn't
another white man that I'd confide in but you; but I made that scar
myself, purposely, I did, blank me.' These were her very words, sir, and
perhaps you think it a blank lie, sir; but I'll put up any blank sum you
can name and prove it, blank me.”
Indeed, most of the male population of Fiddletown were or had been in
love with her. Of this number, about one-half believed that their love
was returned, with the exception, possibly, of her own husband. He alone
had been known to express scepticism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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