Public Ledger

Tired Young America at the Mabille.

One of the visitors to the Mabille the other night was a dapper specimen of Young America, who looked as though he might aspire at no distant day to be a freshman of Harvard. He was a downy-cheeked young man, with just the faintest promise of a mustache on his upper lip. He was nattily dressed, carried a smart walking-stick, and wore a bright pink in his button-hole. He had evidently stolen out all unbeknown to his parents, for he came quietly in, and, instead of rushing into the ring to see the can-can, he strolled leisurely along the shaded walks on the extreme outskirts of the garden, until he came to one of the lovely little bowers that border upon the outer walk. Here he sat himself down on the rustic seat and listened to the enchanting music as it came wafted by the evening zephyrs to his leafy bower.

He sat there all alone and undisturbed, except by the occasional darts from flashing eyes as their frail possessors passed and repassed, in the hope of being invited to take a seat by his side. But the young man was not to be thus inveigled. He allowed his head to fall on the back of the seat, and in a few moments was fast asleep, dreaming, perhaps, of Greek riots and integral calculus.

It was not many minutes before a couple of cocottes espied the sleeping beauty. They stole quietly up and took seats on either side of him. They kept up a lively tittering, but subdued their laughter so as not to disturb the sweet sleeper. One put another pink in his lappel, while the other quietly fanned him. Pretty soon the cocottes were joined by a third, and then came another and another, and still another, until the sleeper was surrounded by a score of frail beauties, all bent upon having some fun. "Le pauvre petit!" "Il dort comme un ange!" "Il est tres gentil!" were some of the expressions that were showered upon him. It was not until one of the cocottes laughed aloud that the young man awoke to behold the lovely scene around him.

He jumped to his feet and stood breathless, speechless and motionless for a full minute; then he made a break in the ring that enchained him, and made for a cab as fast as he could go.