Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1845-10-23
M j s. % ID L u q N 20
FROM A LADY's SCRAP BOOK
20 ING THE QUESTro NJ
BY AN OLD BACHELOR.

About twenty years ago, Il wds not so bald
as am now,) was spending the Midsummer
with my old friend and school fellow. Tom
Merton. Tom had married early in life and
had daughter, Mary Rose, who, to her ia.
theirs wit and mothers beauty, added her I'M
Gle Absalom's good humor, and her aunt De-
borah's good notabiity In her you had the
realization of all that The poets have sung a.
bou, fairy forms, dulcet voices and wi,ching
eyes. She was just such being as you NAV
image to yourself in the heroine of some
beautiful romaDce-Narclssa, in Rodericl,
Random, Tor instance, or Sophia, in Tom
Jones-or Fanny in Joseph Andrews-no,
the modern lackadasical damsels of Colburn
and Bentley. If she had met the eye of Mark
Anthony, Cleopatra might have exerted her
Establishments In vain if Paris had but seen
Mary Rose Merton, Troy might have been
standing 10 this day. Such was The presiding
divinity of the house where was VISITING
MY heart was susceptible, and fell in love
No man, thought, had ever loved as did
a common fancy among lovers---and the in.
tersity OF my affection believed would not
fail TO secure return. One cannot explain
the secret but those who have felt the inAu-
ence will know how to Judge of my feelings.
was completely over head and ears as NOR
tai could be; loved with that entire devo-
ton that makes iial piety and brother!y af.
lection sneak TO a corner of mans heart and
leave 1t to the undisputed sovereignty of FEM
mine beauty.
The blindness incidental to my passion.
and the young lady's uniform kindness, led
me to believe that the possibility of her be-
coming my wife was by no means so remote
as 1t at first had appeared TO be, and, having
spent several sieepless nights in examining
the subject on all sides, determined to make
an offer Of my hand, and bear the result, pro
or con, with all due philosophy. For more
than week was disappointed in an oppor-
tunlty OF speaking alone with my adored, not
wlths!anding ! had frequently left the table
Prematurely with that view, and several times
excused myself from excursions which had
been planned for my special amusement,
AT length the favorable moment seemed to
be at hahd charity sermon was to be
preached by the bishop, for the benefit of a
Sunday School, and as Mr.. Merton was church
warden and destined to hold one of the plates,
1t became imperative OH his family to be pre-
sent on the occasion. J, of course, proflered
my services, and it was arranged that we
should set off early next morning to secure
good seats IN the centre of the aisle. could
hardly close my eyes that night for thinking
now should pop the question:; > and when
oid get short slumber, was walked on sud-
zen oy some one starting from behind hedge,
Just as was disclosing the soft secret. Some
'imes' when had farcied myself sitting by
the side OF lovely Mary in bower Of iasmin
and roses, and had inst concluded a besut;
iul rhapsody about loves and doves, nyrtles
and turtles, raised my head and found my
sell tete tete with her papa. Atanotber mo-
ment she would slip beautiful pink, hot
pressed billet-doux into my hand, which
when uDfolded it, would turn out to be a
challenge from some favored lover, desiring
the satisfaction of meeting me at half past six
m the morning, and so forth, and concluding,
as usual, with an indirect aIlusion 10 horse
whip Morning dreams, they say, always