Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-07-30
TIE SOLDIERS SON-lN-LAW.


A young Englishman, from gaming, love
ail'iirs, and other such gold-scatcrng en-
Joymcnts, had 50 nearly reached the drcgs
Of his arandlathcr's hereditary portion, that
he could calculate the departing hour of his
last guinea. rs one evening he was return
Ing home from one of those haunts of dissi-
patton which he trcquentcd, feeble in body
as in mind, and for the first time in his life,
casting a firm look upon the ruin of his for
tune, he could not well determine whether
he should end his troubles by drawing a
trigger, or By throwing himself into the
Thames.
While he was thus wavcring between fire
and water, the very profound idea occurred
to him no, to lay violent hands upon himself,
but to allow himself to be conducted out of
the labyrinth Of poverty by the fair hand of
some wealthy bride. With this consolng
thought he went TO bed, and already in his
hoe urnal visions the rapid PAGERS flow, the
fair girls brskcd around him, both of winch,
he was happyin thinking, he might maintain
in future upon the dowry Of his wife.
On the following morning he reflected anew
upon his plan, and found it unexccptionabc
IN every point except The very Sigh, circum-
stance of not knowing when or where he WIS
to find the rich hcircss he wanted. In Lon
don, where all the world regarded him as
spendthri!t it was not once to be thought Of
he saw that for the future he must throw his
nets out elsewhere.
After much cogi,ation and searching, he
at last hit upon an old rich colonel, living
upon his own estate, about twenty miles
from the capital, WHO fortunately had no ac-
quaintanco in london, and was the father Of
an only daughter.
Into the house oftlls gentleman, by means
Of friend, to whom he promised half the
booty, he got him ELF introduced and rccciv-
cd. The daughter Of the colonel was an
awkward country eill, with round chubby
checks like Rrhbens' chcruhims, and looked
particularly old in the hand me-down attire
Of her saintcd mother, which did not at all
fit her, and was Of course not of the most
fashionable cut. Her mind, too, was as at
tractivc as her attire; she could only talk of
hens and geese and when any other topic
came above board, her conversation was H.
nited to 'yos, yes or, a mo, no > all be-
You'd this seemed TO her sinful.
This wooden puppei was indeed a mighty
contrast to the sprighily, gay and lively
Dymphs with whom the young Briton had,
until this period, been toying but he care
fully confined II the solitude OF his own bo-
som the disagrceablo feeling of this heaven
and earth distant difference. His natterine
tongue called the girl's Stiffness celestial in
noccncc and red, swollen checks, he lik-
cncd to the beauty Of the full blown damask
rose. The end Of the song was, he turned
to the father, and sued warmly forthc daugh.
ter's hand.
The colonel, during his sixty years career
through the world, had collected this mucI
of knowledge Of mankind, that however slvl,
the young man had masked himself, he coult
nevertheless, discover the fortane-hunte
peepng through the disguise. AT first the re.
fore, he thought of poremptorily refusing
him permission TO WOO his daughter; but, OF
the other hand, lie thought, the youth i
fashionable, and perhaps | may be doin,
him injustice: he, as yet betrays no anxict,
about the portion, and why should the girl
who is marGdecalc, remain longer at home
IIlsrcqucs llbc grantcd-but his apparcn
disntcrcstcdncss shall stand decisive trial
The sutton was then informed, that tn
father had no objections to The match, pro
vided his daughter would give her consent
and she, poor thing, as in duty bound, sa
My fathers will is mine Indeed coul
anything else be expected?
In the course Of a few weeks the marriag
ceremony was performed at the country
house Of the colonel, and he instantly mad
his son-n-law acquainted with his wilc's por
ton, thirty thousand dollars. The dissenl
bier acted asif he wished TO know noihin
about the matter, and solcmnly avowed tia
he had not as yet thought on such things, bu
had regarded only the noble qualities Of hi