The Last of the Foresters: Or, Humors on the Border; A story of the Old Virginia FrontierCooke, John Esten
General
The Last of the Foresters: Or, Humors on the Border; A story of the Old Virginia Frontier
Cooke, John Esten
Frontier and pioneer life -- Fiction; Virginia -- Fiction
"Take care, my dear fellow," he said, with a wise air, "I saw her in
town the other morning, and I consider her dangerous. She would not be
dangerous to me; I am an old bird among the charming young damsels of
this wicked world, and, consequently, not to be caught by chaff--such
chaff as brilliant eyes, and rosy-cheeks, and smiles; but, without
being critical, my dear friend, I may be permitted to observe, that
you look confiding. Take care--it is the advice of a friend. Come and
see me at Bousch's tavern where I am staying, if my visnomy has made
a favorable impression--Ah! there's Fanny! I must fly to her--the
charming infant."
And the young man gave a farewell nod to Verty, and went on singing,
and making signs to the distant Fanny.
Verty gazed after him for a moment; then heaving another sigh much
more profound than any which had yet issued from his lips, went slowly
on toward the town--his shoulders drooping, his arms hanging down, his
eyes intently engaged in staring vacancy out of countenance. If we are
asked how it happened that the merry, joyous Verty, whose face was
before all sunshine, now resembled nobody so much as some young
and handsome Don Quixote, reflecting on the obduracy of his Toboso
Dulcinea, we can only reply, that Verty was in love, and had not
prospered lately--that is to say, on that particular day, in his suit;
and, in consequence, felt as if the world no longer held any more joy
or light for him, forever.
With that bad taste which characterizes the victims of this delusion,
he could not consent to supply the place of the chosen object of his
love with any other image; and even regarded the classic and
romantic Miss Sallianna as wholly unworthy to supplant Redbud in his
affections. Youth is proverbially unreasonable and fastidious on these
subjects, and Verty, with the true folly of a young man, could not
discern in Miss Sallianna those thousand graces and attractions,
linguistic, philosophical, historical and scientific, which made her
so far superior to the child with whom he had played, and committed
the folly of falling in love with. So he went along sighing, with his
arms hanging down, as we have said, and his shoulders drooping; and in
this melancholy guise, reached the office of Judge Rushton.
He found Mr. Roundjacket still driving away with his pen, only
stopping at intervals to flourish his ruler, or to cast an
affectionate glance upon the MS. of his great poem, which, gracefully
tied with red tape arranged in a magnificent bow, lay by him on the
desk.
On Verty's entrance the poet raised his head, and looked at him
curiously.
"Well, my fine fellow," he said, "what luck in your wooing? You look
as wo-begone as the individual who drew Priam's curtain at the dead of
night. Come! my young savage, why are you so sad?"
Verty sat down, murmuring something.
"Speak out!" said Mr. Roundjacket, wiping his pen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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