Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1835-01-15
A MARRIED MANS REVERE.
ny JOHN INNAN.

twenty-five years ago, for ] suppose he'd
hardly get any decent sort of a body to take
him, as old as he il now. Poor fellow! what
a forlorn Gesolate kind Of life he leads no
wife to take care Of him-no children to love
him-no domestic enjoyment--nothing snug
and comfortable in his arrangements at home:
nice sociable dinners, pleasant faces at break
fast.-By the way, what the deuce is the rea-
son my breakfast does not come up? I've
been waiting for it this half hour. Oh, ] for
got; my wife sent the cook to market to get
some trash or other for Dicks cold She COD
dies that boy to death. But after all, ought
not to find fault with Tom for not getting
wife, for he has lent me n good deal of mon
ey that came quite convenient, and suppose
my young ones will have all he's worth when
he dies, poor fellow! They'll want it, Pm a
frad; for although my business does very
well, this house keeping eats up the profits,
with such large family as mine. Let me
see; how many mouths have to feed every
day? There's my wife and her two sisters
that's three; and the four boys-seven; and
\ Lucy, and Sarah, and Jane, and Lousn-iour
more--ecvcn; then there's the cook, and the
house maid, and the boy-tourteen and the
woman that comes every day to wnsh and do
odd Jobs about the housc-fiteen; then there's
the nursery -maid-sxtecn; surely there must
be anothcr-I'm sure made it out seventeen
when ! was reckoning up last Sunday morn
ing at Church; there must be another some
where; let me see again; wife, wie's sisters,
BOYS, girls-oh it's myself! Faith, have so
many TO think Of and provide for, that forget
| myself half the time. Yes, that makes it
\ seventeen. Seventeen people to feed every
| day is no Joke; and somehow or other they oil
have most furious appctites; but then, bless
| their hearts, It's pleasant to see them eat,
! What havoc they do make with the buck
! %hc3. CAKES oi morning, 10 De sure. Now
poor Tom knows nothing of all this. There
| he lives all alone by himself in boarding
| house, with nobody near him that cares n
brass fartbing whether he lives or dies. No
! af1ectionatc wife to nurse him and coddle
him up when he's sick, no little prattlers a
bout him to keep him in good humor-no
dawnng intcects, whose development he
cnn amnsc himself with watching day after
day-nobody to study his wishes, md keep
oil his comforts ready. Confound it hasn't
that woman got back from the market yet?
; feel remarkably hungry. don't mind the
boys being coddled and messed fmy wife
likes it, but there's no joke in having the
breakfast kept back for an hour Oh, by the
way, | must remember to buy all those things
for the children o-day; Christmas is close at
~,
!, presents she means to put in their stockings.
More cxpense--and their school-blls coming
!. in too; remember before ! was married ! US
|, eG to think what delight it would be to ed
/, , ucatc the young rogucs myself; but man
with n large family has no time for that sort
Of amusement. ] wonder how old my young
!, Tom is; let me see, when does his birthday
come? next month rs Pm n christian, and
then he will be fourteen. Boys of fourteen
consider themselves all but men, now days,
and Tom is quite of that mind, sec. Moth
ing will suit his exquisite feet but Yelling
a ton boots, at seven dollars a pair; and his
q mother has been throwing ont hints for some
y time, MS to the proprcty Of getting watch
J. for hm-gold, Of course. Silver was quite
2, good enough for me when was half a score
years older than he is, but times are awfnlly
IS changed since my younger days. Then,
&c believe in my soul, the yonng william has
&c learned to play billiards; and three or foul
y times lately when he has come in,-latc n,
al night, his clothes seemed to be strongly per
y fumcd with cigar smoke. lleigh no! Fathers
'e have many troubles, nnd can't help thinking
4 sometimes that old bachelors are not sucl
J. wonderful fools after all. They go TO thei
g pillows at night with no cares on their minds
N to keep them awake; and, when they have
" once rot asleep, nothing comes to disturb
n. their rcposc nothing short of the house be-
ing on fire, can reach their peaceful condition
IN No getting up in the cold to walk up AM
10 down the room for an hour or two, with
squnlling young vnrlet, M my luck has beef
for the last five or six weeks. It's an aston
ishng thing to perceive what passion on
little Louisa exhibits for crying; so sure n
the clock strikes three she begins, and there
IN no getting her quiet again until she has ialrl
ts exhausted the strength Of her lungs witt
good, straight forward screaming. ] can
r. for the life of me understand why the yonn
villains don't get through all their squallin
md roaring in the day time, when ! am ou
by Of the way. Then again what delightful
pleasure it is to be routed out Of ones frs
a. nap, and sent off post -hastc for the DOCTOR n
was on Monday night,when my wife though
'r. Sarah had got the Group, and frightened IN
ry half ont OF my wits with her lamentations an
fdgets. BY the way, there's the doctor
&C. bill to be paid soon; his collector always pny
mo n visit Just before Christmas. Brothc
n Tom has no doctors to fee, and that ccrtainl
is great comfort. Bless my soul, how tn
ke time slips away! Past nine o'clock, and n
breakfast yc,--wife messing with n::GGss, al
en- getting the iilrce girls and their two brother
ready for school. Nobody thinks of III
cir lstarving here all this time. What the plagu
has become OF my newspaper, wondcr' th'
young rascal Tom has carried it of, ] dnl
dv say, to read in the school, when ho ought
Ids be poring over his books He's a great to
no ment, that boy. But no matter ; there's
no great deal Of pleasure in married life, and
ss' some vcxations and troubles do come with j
nj. delights, grumbllng won't take them away
div nevertheless, brother Tom, Pm not very cc
in tain but that you have done quite as wisely
|, after all Mirror.
Tvs