THE WAGEtt. 283 



mare after the Belle of , and was the fortunate owner 



of her picture. I told him the arbitrament would not be 

 just, where a picture had to be taken into consideration, 

 as I knew our umpire, Charlie, would acknowledge that 

 there never was a picture as beautiful as the radiant 

 blonde. Charlie assented, so the decision was indefinitely 

 postponed. 



Several days after this the old gentleman came along in 

 his buggy and invited me to accompany him to the resi- 

 dence of his son-in-law, who owned one of the many fine 

 mansions that are situated a mile or two from the Abbey. 

 I went with him, as I had frequently done before, always 

 being much pleased with his reminiscences of former daySj 

 which he recounted so admirably that scenes long passed 

 seemed a part of the present time. He hitched his horse 

 to a post, telling me he only intended to stay a few min- 

 utes, but insisted on my going into the house. We went 

 into the drawing-room, when he introduced me to a pla- 

 cid, fine looking old lady, his wife. He withdrew, and soon 

 re-appeared with a magnificient looking girl whom he in- 

 troduced as his daughter Fanny. I was doubly surprised, 

 thinking she was in New Orleans, and my natural bash- 

 fulness was greatly augmented by the recollection of the 

 wager with her father. After the ceremony of introduction, 

 he remarked: "What do you think, Fanny, my young 

 friend here had the audacity to bet with me that he saw 

 on the Gravois road the other day a handsomer woman 

 than you!" 



Of course I could only stammer out that when I made 

 the wager I had full confidence that I would win it, that 



never having had the pleasure of seeing Miss , I did 



not think there was a woman in the world superior to the 

 one I had seen, and nothing but ocular proof would have 

 convinced me to the contrary ; but now I must concede 

 that the bet had been a rash one, and there was no doubt 



