Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1831-02-17
MODERN ULYSSES.

4
over the pOrticO Of Beechwood Hall, an.
nOuncing that its late proprietor, Sir Johr
Denyers, was dead, and that his widow had
succeeded to the splendid mansions and
broad lands, than it was hailed, as the sig
nal for attack. by all unmarried men with
IN a circumference of twenty miles. They
locked to hen by scores arraved in the
mourning cloak of coincidence, endeavor.
ing to smuggle in their love under the dis
gu'se of sympathy. Her lawyer, hale
bachelor OF sixty, requested sheewould do
him the honor to consider him less in the
light Of professional adviser than friend
jealous for her interests, and would fain
have presented her with title of his SER
vices in his shrivelled hand: but he had
already given her surfeit of parchment
and the man of law discovered that, al
Though his suit had frequently been suc-
cessiul in those courts where the presi-
ding goddess il Represented to be blind, it
was quite another thing to plead his cause
before woman with his eyes open. In
fact, ere she had worn the weeds of wild
owhood for six weeks, her paths were be-
set, and her dwelling besieged and never,
certainly, had woman better chance of
mending her luck, for there was not one
Of the five and forty lovers who was not
willing to stake his life upon the sincerity
and disiniercstedness of his affection. She
could not open window in her house, but
a myriad of billetsdoux came showering in
to it like a snow-stornn. She coald not
take walk in her most private grounds,
but lover started from eyerv bush, and
flung himself upon his knees in the path be-
fore her. Others, again, affecting bucoiics,
would wander forth into the fields, crook
III hand, and carve her name upon every
tree. to the great enlargement other tim
Der. Every domestic iii her household
was bribed by one or the other Of her suit
ors, and she was under the consequent
necessity of changing her establishment
twice year, from the lady's maid to the
stable boy. While, however,. there exists
not rebel in the citadel Of the heart, tine
fortress will hold out long against external
assaults; and the widow had got some am
tediluvian notions into her bead about
'' first love, - '.respect for the memory Of
the dead,' &c. which, although, no doubt,
extremely silly, had the effect Of declining
her from second speculation in the haz-
ardons adventure of matrimony. As the
number Of her suilors increased, their in
dividual chances of success, Of course, di-
unfinished, and their audaciiy being in the
exact ratio Of their despair, her own man
sion was no sanctuary against the intrusion
of her unbidden guests. The matches im-
pudence Of one Of her suitors deserves
particular record. 1t happened that one
day the widow went out for several hours,
to call on friend at some distance, leav-
ing only two male domestics, the butler land
ioot-boy, in the house. Towards eve
ming, horscman rode up to the hall door,
and applied with more than ordinary en-
ergy to the knocker. lie was tall, n,ili-
tary parsonage, with a cast of features
which might have been termed hand
some, but for a certain cynical expression,
which much deiracted from their pleasing
effect. The stranger flung his rein to the
boy, desiring him to take his horse to the
stable and have it well fed and Uttered
down for the night, and then stalked into
the house, Notwithstanding the reiterated
announcements from the servants in cho-
rus Of Mistress not at home, sir stopped
not until he reached the dining-parlor,
when, turning TO the butler, who had fol-
lowed him, he said, Here. let that valice
be taken up into her ladyship's chamber.
and let fire be lit there, for it's rather
COOL very cool, indeed said the do
mestic, applying the epithet 10 the speaker
and not to the weather, and was medita-
ting some impairment observation, when
the stranger, calelessly, as if it had been
his handkerchief, drew pistol from each
pocket, and placed them on the table be.
fore him. The butler, who had mortal
dread Of firearms, quilted the apartment
in haste, as if to do the strangers bidding,
but, in reality, TO communicate with his fell
low-domestics, the females, his suspicious
Of the character of the guest. Their con-
versation was, however, soon interrupted
by violent ringing Of the bell and it
was sometime before Geoffry could sum-
mon courage to answer it. IS Your pleas
ure, sir 2 said he, re-entering the dining
parlor. Some dinner! = responded the
other. The butler paused. but. at length
said, Very sorry. sir. but we have not
got any thing in the house, Then look
into the poultry yard was the reply, and
let me have broiled chicken in half an
hour The other stared, but the stran-
gers eyes happened to fall upon the pistols.
Geoliry' seem TO understand the appeal,