A Social Meteor — page 229: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A SOCIAL METEOR. 219 chantress, and fortunately I managed to come across a fellow who knew her, that very night. I found her, upon close inspection, if anything even more charming than at a distance, her man- ner being extremely modest, and her conversation simple and girlish. I went home with my brain on fire. In due time I discovered that she was the sole support of her widowed mother, and was living quietly with her in lodgings not far from the theater. I hastened there at the very first opportunity to pay my respects (saying nothing, however, to any of the boys, as I preferred to go alone), and in the meantime continued to send her bushels of flowers. The old lady, to whom I took an instant dislike, eyed me suspiciously, and told me plainly that she did not care about my calling to see Edith (that was her name, Edith Snow), as her daughter couldn’t spare the time to receive visits from gentlemen. This didn’t discourage me, however, for I contrived to get the object of my affections (I was soon madly in love, you see) to meet me sud rosa, and often when her mother supposed she was safe at re- hearsal, she was lunching, or driving with me behind my trotters, laughing to think how angry the old dame would be if she only knew. EGomicboo SS) Kee)