ice Court in which he figured, he found
himself in a stage, and directly opposite was the identical object of
his admiration and affection. He hitched from one side on his seat to
the other; put one leg on the other, and then reversed them; looked out
of the window, and then at her; scratched his ears; pulled up his
collar; brushed the dust from his pantaloons; put his hands in his
pockets; pulled them out, and did many ridiculous things which he would
not have done had she not been present. She stopped the stage on one of
the avenues, and handed him a five-franc piece to pay the driver. The
driver, as usual, gave change in small pieces. He counted it to see that
it was all right; found it to be so, and informed her of the fact. The
streets being very muddy, he resolved to do the genteel in the way of
assisting her out of the vehicle; made his exit; put one foot six inches
into a mud-hole, and the other on the edge of the curb-stone; lifted the
lady to the sidewalk in safety, at the expense of bursting off two
suspender-buttons, and his vest-buckle, a slip down causing his nose to
fall against the tire, his knees into the mud, his shoulder against the
stage-steps, and caving in his hat. But all this didn't trouble him in
the least, as he expected to be more than remunerated by an approving
smile on the part of the lady. He turned his face towards her, and
found her engaged in counting the change, which he had pronounced to be
all right, as if she suspected that he would be guilty of cheating her
out of a stray sixpence, and thus hazard his chances for salvation. The
effect of the disappointment, on him, was frightful. He felt a sickening
sensation; stopped at the nearest whisky-shop, and imbibed; went to
another, and took a nip; proceeded to a third, and smiled; reached a
fourth, and took a horn; entered a fifth, and drank, and so on, _ad
libitum_. At last he reached Niblo's; saw a flaming poster announcing
that Louisa Pyne was to sing in the "Crown Diamonds;" bought a ticket;
took several drinks and a seat. His ears had become unusually critical.
Thought he could beat Harrison singing, and to satisfy himself, he rose
up, and commenced to slaughter a piece, which Harrison had just
executed. There was an evident want of appreciation of his abilities,
for he was hustled out in double-quick time. He then went to a bar-room,
and called for something to drink, which deliberate act was the last
circumstance he remembered, previ