Litchfield enquirer., 1831-03-17
DEACON MARvIN's COURTSHIP.

Deacon Marvin was one OF the worlds
wonders. He was man Of more than Or
binary "gumption'' too--shrewd as a
Scotchmau-devoid Of one particle of gull
Ibility-but of all animals that " tread this
terrene globe" he was the oddest, awkward
est, and most good Misunderstanding under
Heaven ever disturbed the serenity of his
feelings, which resembled "a great and quiet
mud puddle in stagnation. His skin Il
mean the skin ofhs sensibility) was as i'm
penetrable as that of rhinoccros-you
might tilt at him with wit or ridicule-but
he stood as firm as gnarled oak, and as
rugged too, repelling all attack-and now
and then returning blow whose force was
the more tremendous because wholly unex-
pected. He was farmer, a tanner, aud a
shoemaker-but most of all he was bach
elor and deacon: in his potato fields, his
tan yards, or on his leather bottomed bench,
he was perfectly at honorary graceful /;
so far as perfect adaptation of manners to
employment constitutes grace. But among
the women, or in the discharge of his off,
cial functions-he looked like {" hog in
armour''-we do not say that he had not
grace even here-but it was of different
sort. Oh yes he had grace-he made the
longest prayers of any man in the parish.
His worldly employment furnished him
pIentifully with the /" mammon of unright-
eousness"-and his spiritual avocaticnS
seasoned the filthy Iucre with taste of bet
ter things. He was rising man. How he
ever happened to be elected deacon is be-
yond our sagacity to imagine, unless he
prayed himselfin. A bachelor he was, Of
some three and thirty years, according to
his great bible and under all these circum-
stances is it wonderful that he was most in-
dus.riously and disinterestedly courted by
all the girls in the parish Lord what a
host of eyes, blue, black and grey { l place
them according to their merit) sparkled
round him wherever he happened to be.
What squadron of pretty caps were most
resolutely set at him wha. legion of
funny little feet" trpped after him hat
a cloud of signs were waited in his ears !!
But in vain did shrewd old danes form plots
and schemes to inveigle him into the snare
of malrimony ! In vain did their artless
daughters do their prettiest to bait that
snare, and make it tempting Alas for
them all These venerable Naomis and
blushing Ruths had not Boaz to deal with.
| OSoSOu 4pol III "oS uIthoNCu ny an WIS VII
and tumult-undazzled by all the glitterng
array-uncaught by all this combination of
cunning. He moved steadily along his
path as usual-broke up his fallow ground
tended histan pits, and mended his soles
with all usual equanimity, as inattentive as
a deaf man to the tumut and confusion Of
such mortal earthquake but they never
showed themselves out of it. He bore all
this with sant-like patience for half a
score Of years-while his farm swelled in
greatness around him-his tannery became
an immense establishment, and his shoe
bench opened foreign markets-he had also
become hardened to the regular perform
ance of his ecclesiastical duties, and could
at last present the plate without breaking it
in his grasp, and pass the sacramental wine
without spilling it over the dresses of the
commandments. And now he began to
imagine within himself that it was his duty
Chat was his phrase on all occasions,) or as
he sometimes said "the will of the Lord" to
marry-to take unto himself rib--a help
mate who might relieve his shoulders Of
part of their burden-and besides, what
would become Of his property if he did moi
beget any heirs :?
Such thoughts as these flowing through
his mind-he cast his eyes round about him
in search of the happy one who should be-
come Mrs. Deacon Marvin. There was
a mighty host to choose from, and long did
he ponder, and hesitate, and take inward
counsel nay, some profane historian as
sures US, that however strange we may
think it, and no ~ever uncommon it may
be to lovers, he actually went apart. knelt
himself down in the bushes, and prayed for
the assistance of heaven in so important a
matter. After chewing the cud Of refec-
ton in this sagacious manner. ne finally
Jumped upon a conclusion-" my stars !!
exclaimed he, using the only oath-like ex-
preston in hich he ever INDUCED, "my
stars! the widow Beckett is the very crea-
ture-thanks be praised she is ready brok-
EN- to the yoke-BiIly! Billy, i say, bride
my horse -
| Now if any curious reader is ready to ask
why the good Deacon Marvin did not order
the horse saddled as we'll as bridled, must
delay my story while | answer the imperti-
nent question. The Deacon had a horse
--yea, fine, tall, bare-boned, red old nag
of twenty years experience in the ways of
The world moreover, he had a bride, that
for two generations had guided the feet and