1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



639 





THE BASHFUL LOVER. 



Ab, well I John came to-night and stood 



For full an hour beside the bars; 

 And we two watched between the trees 



The glimmer of the moon and stars. 

 John acted very strange, I think — 



1 wish 1 knew the reason why; 

 I really thought he meant to say 



Something, to-night, besides good-bye, 



John's coming here quite often now; 



I'm sure I don't know why he ehould — 

 Although my sister Mary says 



It's talked about the neighborhood 

 That he is making love to me — 



The strangest thing I ever heard; 

 For if it's true, how queer it is 



That John has never said a word. 



Ah, well I I shouldn't care so much 



If John himself had told me so ; 

 For then he might have said it all 



Upon his own account, you know. 

 But he's so bashful, I believe 



He'd never dare to speak out plain, 

 I hope he'll muster courage up, 



And try it, when he comes again. 



It cannot be that I'm to blame — 



I'm sure I've helped him all I could; 

 I've always met him at the bars 



And talked as any woman would 

 That had a lover whom she liked, 



And waited with her heart aglow 

 For him to break the subject first. 



And then how quick she'd let him know I 



But John, he keeps a coming still, 



Just as he has for twelve months past; 

 I've thought sometimes it looked as though 



I'd have to speak myself, at last. 

 I'm bound that he shall know the truth, 



And now, resolved, I aannot wait 

 For him to find it out himself; 



And so, next time, I'll try my fate. 



YOUTH, LOVE AND HOPE. 



They were now also part of the great circle 

 of newly wedded bliss, which, involving the 

 whole land during the season of bridal-tours, 

 may be said to show richest and fairest at Ni- 

 agara, like the costly jewel of a precious ring. 

 The place is, in fact, almost abandoned to bri- 

 dal couples, and any one out of his honey- 

 moon is in some degree an alien there, and 

 must discern a certain immodesty in his intru- 

 sion. Is it for his profane eyes to look upon 

 all that blushing and trembling joy ? A man 

 of any sensibility must desire to veil his face, 

 and, bowing his excuses to the collective rap- 

 ttire, take the first train for the wicked outside 

 world to which he belongs. Everywhere he 

 sees brides and brides. Three or four, with 

 the benediction still upon them, come down in 

 the same car with him ; he hands her travelling 

 shawl after one as she springs from the omni- 

 bus into her husband's arms ; there are two or 

 three walking back and forth with their new 

 lords upon the porch of the hotel ; at supper 

 they are on every side of him, and he feels 

 himself suffused, as it were, by a roseate at- 

 mosphere of youth, and love, and hope. At 

 breakfast it is the same, and then, in all his 



wanderings about the place, he encounters 

 them. They are of all manners of beauty, 

 fair and dark, slender and plump, tall and 

 short ; but they are all beautiful with the radi- 

 ance of loving and being loved. Now, if ever 

 in their lives, they are charmingly dressed, 

 and ravishing toilets take the willing eye from 

 the objects of interest. How high the heels 

 of the pretty boots ; how small the tender- 

 tinted gloves ; how electrical the flutter of the 

 snowy skirts ! What is Niagai-a to these 

 things P * * * * 



The place perpetually renews itself in the 

 glow of love as long as the summer lasts. 

 The moon which is elsewhere so often of 

 wormwood, or of the ordinary green cheese 

 at the best, is of lucent honey there from the 

 first of June to the last of October ; and this 

 is a great charm in Niagara. I think with 

 tenderness of all the lives that have opened so 

 fairly there ; the hopes that have reigned in 

 the glad young hearts ; the measureless tide 

 of joy that ebbs and Hows with the arriving 

 and departing trains. Elsewhere there are 

 carking cares of business and of fashion, 

 there are age, and sorrow, and heartbreak ; 

 but here only youth, faith, rapture. I kiss my 

 hand to Niagara for that reason, and would I 

 were a poet for quarter of an hour. — W. D. 

 Hoicdls, in the Atlantic Monthly for October. 



TOWEL COSTUMES. 



The great novelty in travelling-dresses are 

 the Baden-Baden towel costumes, that are lit- 

 erally made of the rough brown bath towel- 

 ing, which we know better as Turkish. One 

 of these suits was made in the form of a polon- 

 aise, body and skirt in one, very boufi'ante at 

 the back, the sleeves rather of a large coat- 

 sleeve form, trimmed round and down the 

 front, round the neck and skirt, with four or 

 five cross-cut bands of chocolate-colored cam- 

 bric, the petticoat being of the same cambric, 

 made with a succession of flounces ; and, 

 strange as it may seem, there was nothing at 

 all ontre in the appearance, but it was rather 

 warm and heavy. Various other species of 

 towelling are now converted into polonais es, 

 and worn over bright-colored petticoats. 

 That useful material, chambertin, a kind of 

 canvas cloth of a dark-brown hoUand color, is 

 very much sold for travelling dresses for im- 

 mediate wear, where no warmth is required. 

 Among the prettiest style or make is the fol- 

 lowing : A skirt long enough to touch the 

 ground, with a straight-cut flounce from the 

 knee put on in box plaits ; at the edge of this 

 a narrow cross-cut flounce, edged with white 

 lace ; the tunic trimmed with white narrow 

 lace, and made to tie up the back, which is so 

 easy for packing ; a semi-tight-fitting jacket, 

 the basques cut up in tabs, edged round with 

 crossway tucks of the material laid on with 

 piping, and edged top and bottom with lace. 

 Brown hollands are always useful for travel- 



