Beadle's Dime Novels No. 33: Maum Guinea and Her Plantation Children — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

42 MAUM GUINEA. “How do I look?” asked ine young lady anxiously, as her waiting-maid put the finishing touches to her dress, before one of the mirrors in the dressing-room. “I nebber saw missus look so well before,” whispered Rose—“ it’s trute, Miss Virginny; you do look oncommon han’some. Dar ain’t a lady come in dis room yet, can com- pare—dat’s so.” “You flatter me, because you love me, Isuppose I look well to you,” answered Virginia, in a low voice; yet she could not help looking pleased, and hoping that she did appear to the best advantage—for was not he to approve or disapprove ? If Virginia had been as vain as she was beautiful, she would have felt that she was destined to be the belle of the ball. Her dress was very becoming; and_anticipations of enjoyment added unusual brilliancy to her always handsome features. Her slight figure seemed to float in a rof-tinted cloud; her attire being a very full and fleecy robe of the finest. texture over a skirt of pink silk; a bandeau of pearls on her rich‘and elaborately braided hair, a few flowers in her bosom, and her fan and handkerchief costly and dainty. When she joined her partner at the door, she knew well that he was pleased with her, by the admiring glance which he could not forbear; the faint flush which rose to her cheek added the crowning grace to her loveliness. Breathing the perfume of flowers, bathed in light, floating to delicious music, the hours of that brilliant ball stole swiftly away with Virginia. She was admired, and overwhelmed with attentions. _ Perhaps a curious feature of the scene, to a stranger, would have been the crowd of dark faces at the dressing-room doors, which opened into the dancing saloons. The maids who had attended their mistresses, were privileged to peer ad Eomichookszcom