Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-02-25
Love Story Of a Bachelor.
FROM THE FRENCH.

~ lntSICStlilS W you, snail speak
neither of murmuring brooks, nor of
birds ''chanting the green leaves be.
neath." .'Dasa
The brookspo longer murmur for me;
the birds no longer sing, my green
leaves Of spring,are turning yellow. II
am thirty-four years old. And when a
man is thirty.four years old--for him,
believe me, ladies', if he be not of pc.
cuiar temperament, but has travelled,
and filled public stations-he cares lit
tie about singing or "being sung to:
still less about "murmuring brooks" /,
for my own part, would not give cent
for the murmu'ing of all the brooks in
the world. | have enough to do TO
murnaur myself.
Happiness is a"Racine," and every
one knows the epithet bestowed by the
"romantiques" on this prince of elegiac
poets. Happiness is, in fact, like jes.
teri misunderstood him, and then
am vexed with him, sick of him. He
gives nausea. | wish to have no more
Of happiness. | believe no longer in
its existence, never have believed.
1t is an imposture! Do you doubt this?
Then hear my story-a story sufficient
to make savages, aye brutes, the most
ferocious brutes, shed tears. During
fifteen long years | lived in a pool Of
water, as i: were, Supplied by my own
eyes. So abundant, indeed, were my
tears, that my philanthropy made me
uneasy, | feared the world would be
visited by another deluge.
Whatever it was that put in my head
to fall in love cannot tell. Believe me,
gentle reader, on my soul, my falling ir
love was no act of mine, But l loUed
Am | asked how | knew that | lovedl
| will tell you. When near the adored
one | was unhappy, for feared she
loved me not. When distant | was
more unhappy still. The sight Of her
set by blood in boiling state; and not
to see her distracted my bosom. Many
were these sad days passed-many
the long, the sleepless nights. My hail
was turning grey. This, by the by,
was the only traitor to the secret; for
you should know, loved in silence
Yes, in silence to her loved, whilst in
the depths otmy own heart | heard the
roar of a very tempest of love.
1t was one evening, at that hour
when the features of lady may, with
impunity, "give the lie" excuse me my
fair readers) to her voice: before the
candles were lighted, one evening was
it, that the tones of my Dulcinea ap
peared to respond in those of "love to
love-" | saw (of course) no smile,
mocking the accents of her lips; no
glance of her eye, in the shade of that
apartment, showing how little she
thought of my plants. | saw nothing,
heard nothing, but that voice, which
seemed to assure me was beloved as |
loved.
As ifby accident, she asked me my
age,
81 am twenty y-eight," replied; and |
said so in such state of unconscious
ness, that | might as probably have
said "fifty." But, the thought of that
scene is too much for me! | was at the
moment made this answer, lost TO
every thing. had but one thought. 1t
was of her, who, veied in the darkness
of the apartment, sat beside me.
1t was settled that we wele to be
married on the morrow. l will not
recount all the folies which, in the
overthrow of joy, contemplating the
proximity and certainty Of SO much
happiness, l committed. They are
easily imagined.
Every thing was ready; the requisite
purchases made; the "weddlng garb"
put in order, the rooms were garlanded;
the ballroom figured; no expense was
spared; in short, was about to be per-
fectIy happy. Certain am, that. the
magistrate who was toperfect my fefic.
ity lit was the worthy mayor. Of the
fifty arrondissemenD will never forget
the scene for the remainder of his life.
He missed by it the finest attack Of
dyspepsia, "Qfom over-feastng) which
had been known in Paris for half a
century.
We had proceeded as far in the cer-
emony as that part in which | had to
declare my age:-"Thirty-four years."
Thirty. y.four!' exclaimed my. wife
that. about.to,be, "why, you told
me twenty eighth
"lt may be Miss; but you hnow we
know not what we say, when in love"
My future better half afectionately
answered thus-"Well, sir, when men
know not what they say, it is time for
women to know what they do! Your