Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1844-08-24

SalQ looked very well tor lnat, very
well, indeed! l should be glad l know
to see her look half as well, though she
was as she says badly when l was al
most grown up. Twenty-nine, twen-
ty-nine! Oh! / wish l were not SO
old" and covering her face with her
hands she burst into tears.
Let US pass over few months. The
neighbours long expected son has come
home, and Lady Annabel is in a state
of anxiety, for her heart is true to her
first love, despite her twenty-nine
years. Her father and his neighbor
are a great deal together, looking over
papers and inspecting boundary lines;
but, contrary to all expectation, the
neighbours son turns out perverse, as
neighbours sons are apt to do, and be-
gins Irritation with little girl of six
teen, as poor as rat. His father frown-
ed-Annabel's father frowned, and
Annabel- remembered her twenty
nine years.
This unhappy state continued for
some months, in spite Of various remon-
strances on the part of one father, and
polite speeches on the part ofthe other.
In vain title deeds were shown him
in vain the contiguous estates were
talked over and walked over. Jasper
remained immovable. AT last, upon
being formally and vigorously appeal
ed to by his father as to his intentions
concerning Lady Annabel, he obsti-
nately refused to enter into any en-
gagement with her whatsoever, alleg-
ing as a reason that she was too old TO
be his wife, and adding she might be
informed Of his having said SO for aught
he cared.
Two days after he put the finishing
stroke to his disobedence by clipping
with the above mentioned little girl of
sixteen.
All this was conveyed TO the Lady
Annabel by her offended and indignant
father. And now, indeed, was she I'M
happy-for she really loved this man,
and knew herself to have been really
loved by him some years before.
"Too old for him, indeed--too old
for him! God knows my love for him
may be older than it was, but il is o. y
the stronger, the more enduring
Cruel, Jasper, to cast me of thus; and
for What-because ! am twenty-nine.
Surely am the same that have al
ways been, and he reproaches me with
the years that have taken away none
of my beauty. He might as well lay
to my charge the ages that passed be-
fore was born"
But so it was, in spite Of all her grief.
1t was then as is now, as it always
has been and always shall be-man
speaks and woman abides by it. The
Lady Annabel pined, and grieved. and
wept in secret; and talked, and laugh
ed, and TESTED about the elopement in
public, and for while no one knew
that hers was heavily laden heart.
Tears do great deal Of mischief in
the World. In the Lady Annabel's
case they did great deal. They took
all the lustre from her bright eyes;
they washed away the color from her
cheeks, and rolling down they wore
for themselves channels in her smooth
skin, so that by her thirtieth birthday
people began to say-"The Lady An
mabel is very much faded" and-"The
Lady Annabel is not quite so young as
she was" and one little lady, the obi
Gus little as Lady Annabel had called
her year ago, was heard TO say
81 did think she wore very well,
but | don't think so now. To be sure,
poor thing, she is getting on pretty
we'll"
This time the Lady Annabel en-
treated her father TO omit the usual
merry-making. She's spent the day
alone in her own room.
"Thirty years old! How it distress
sed me year ago TO think was TWEEN
ty-nine. Ihave no such feelings now.
Jasper was right when he said | was
too old for him. How would my
careworn, sorrowful face look in COM
pany with his blooming appearance?
They talked Of ball to-night-how
nv heart shrunk from such thing
| at ball! Moths dimly lighted
room suits me better. Jasper was
right:-but then If he had still loved
me, would my youth and my beauty
have gone so soon? Perhaps not-but