The freeman. (Fremont [Ohio]) 1849-1850, 1850-03-23
I'll i sell MS.
MARRIED IN A JEST:
Or, Tables turned ON a Practical Joker,
by 8 a. SPERRY.

9Delilah MooreI Delilah Moore! you'll be
caught in your own trap some day. Oh, you'll
change your tune I'll warrant. You'll play a
Joke some of these times that will be sorry
Joke for you; and old as am, I'll live TO see
lit too"
Butlittle did Delilah heed the warning shake
of the finger, or the awful prophetic words of
Aunt Marcia, as she danced around the room
in an ecstacy of fun holding her graceful sides,
and filing the house with the merry music of
her laughter.
And what think you, was the occasion of
her exrayagant mirth? Why she has caught
her aunt Marcia composedly doing in her
ing man ever caught more eagerly at a straw
than did the mercurial girl at one which lay,
suggestive of sly mischief, upon the floor
Moving on tip-toe to the back of the old lady's
chair, She extended the straw and tickled her
aged cheek the least bit in the world. Aunt
Marcia gave her head ashake, as if to dislodge
a saucy fly, and Delilah compressed her pref
ty lips, to restrain her merriment The straw
was again applied, and the old lady raised her
hand quicely, but without opening her eyes,
to brush away the annoyance. A third time
was the provoking tittilation repeated, when
Aunt Marcia though not passionate woman,
began to lose patience at the pertinacity of the
supposed insect in disturbing her repose, and,
in mere self defence, resolved on its destruc-
ton, Accordingly she raised her hand eau
tiously 10 within six or eight inches of her face,
and then brought it down with such force as
to leave the mark of her fingers theres,@-and
cause her cheek to Jingle with the pain De-
lilah could contain herself no longer, but fair
" screamed with delight; while her aunt thus
made aware of the source Of the annoyance,
with ominous gravity delivered the speech
above quoted.
Lively as a cricket and quite as noisy, was
Delilah Moore. She was very pretty, too in
deed bewitching. Auburn hair that flowed in
ringlets of gossamer lightness about the fairest
and softest cheeks, light blue eyes, light step.
and rosy lips that smiled necessarily, even in
sleep; ah, what lump Of fmischieyiousness she
was But she was most incorrigibly given to
practical joking. | dare say there was not an
individual in the village who had not in some
time or other been victim of this propensity
of hers; and yet nobody could be seriously an
cry with her. Very nervous people were
afraid of her, but fond of her too; and by them
she was treated something after the fashion in
which children treat playful kitten-fondled
and caressed, but always with due regard to
the claws
Many a village gouth addressed her, but she
proved a will-o-the-wisp to her wooers. She
was never serious long enough to hear pro-
posal, so that most of them soon wearied in
the butterfly chase she led them. But even a
butterfly is caught sometimes; and it is not to
be supposed that Delilah could rove forever
free. Her mother had often said, that Just In
proportion as she teased, annoyed and ridicul-
ed particular persons, she loved them and if
this was a true criterion, young Walter Lake
must have possessed a very large share of her
affections for if there was any one she de-
lighted to plague and play tricks on more than
another, it was himself
He was the son of the most wealthy and
respectable farmer in the country, and was
steadily pursuing the profession of law in the
village. He was one of her earliest admirers
and had perseyered in his addresses, when his
more faint hearted rivals gave up the seem
ingly vain pursuit; and vet even with clear
field, his endeavers to bring herte the mark, ;
seemed hopeless; and he, too was beginning
to dispair, when little accident, with a little
ruse betrayed the little castle of her heart,
which he had SO long been beseiging, into his
hands.
He was walking in the garden with DeliIah
one evening, striving desperately to bring
about little bit of serious conversation, which
she, with equal perseverance, evaded by bursts
of merriment and strokes of ridieule, when one
of her frisky movements brought her foot in
collision with large beam, standing upright,
receiving a very precarious support from the
bough of tree which overhung the wall. 1t
toppled over and Walter in the effort to shield
her, caught the whole weight of the blow on
his right arm. 1t occasioned but slight bruise
but perceiving the alarm which Delilah's fea-
lures instantly exhibited, he turned the affair
to good account by affecting to be very seri-
ously hurt
OF all people those of sanguine tempera-
ment have the quickest sympathies, and are
the least able to control their emotions, wheth-
er of pleasure or pain. Delilah for once be-
came as grave and serious as a judge, while
her blue eyes SWAN in tears of unalloyed dis
tress. Walter did not neglect the favorable