Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-06-12
THE SICK BACHELOR.

lie turns restless in bed, looks at bis
watch, discovers it is time to take his medi-
cine, but there is no one to give it to him.
Persons run up and down stairs. The
noise frcts him, and as it increases he COM
plains audibly, but there is no one 10 hear
him.
He dozcs and forgets his Getfulness.-I
But the next moment heavy sound, as i'll
some one was playing at ten pins over
head, makes him start up, and again he
rings the bell, and again no one answers it,
lie listens, and listens, till listening be-
comes pain, added to his other pains. He
longs TO read, but all his books are in the
next room. He longs to see the paper; he
longs to know if there is any letters if
any one has called; and he groans and rolls
about for all these longings, NOT one of them
gra.iied, seem to fill his bed with ne,,les.
When will the doctor call ? He follows
every carriage that rat.les through the street,
and clings to the hope that it will stop at
bis door, till the wheels have turned the
corner. He is sure he is much worse He
should like to look at himself to see how
many notches illness had scored upon his
face since yesterday; but there is no look
ing-glass in sight which he can consult as
an umpire to tell him the state of the game
He hears footsteps in the next room. A
ray Of lhankfulness shoots like sunshine
through hint is the doctor! He waits
and loud rumbling of chairs and shutting
Of windows is all that rewards his patience.
f1e calls and the fall of broken glass breaks
to him the painful truth that i. is his laun-
dress-the tender jailor of his sick room
"Mary Mary 20 but Mary is old and
deaf, and has quite forgotten that there is
such thing as poor bachelor, waiting for
his medicine. He calls as loud as he can,
and the heavy sound of hoofs-but which
he knows are feet-is the only echo which
falls upon his night-capped ear. Mary slams
the door more violently than ever, because
he is ill-and the unhappy prisoner whose
crime is single bessedness, is left alone in
his condemned cell.
How he invokes blessings upon the false
front Of Mary! He only wishes that some
day she may be ill--as i'll as he is-and
that ii may be his lucky fate to wait upon
her! Instead Of medicine to do her good,
he will pour out on her the vialssof his
wrath, made as bitter as hesowrfill-humor;
instead of soft, gentle words to smooth her
pillow, she shall have nothing but sneers
and snarls to ruffle her sweet temper; in
stead of broths, and jellies and sslops," and
nice delicacies 10 strengthen her, he will
give her oysters, suasages, Holsters, pork
chops, tradesmen's bills, and the loudest
postmen's knocks, and the noisest Italian
boys-every.hng IN short that can worry
and hurt and torture an invalid
In his hopeless state he almost cries over
the unkindness, the tyranny Of woman, and
is convinced that Draco's laws were writ
ten in milk compared to laundress's, and
yet he recolects the kindness he received
from servants, from every one, when he was
i'll a. home, and the sick bachelor closes
his eyes to gaze upon the happy picture.
What snug room! Every comfort is
there that can make the heavy wheels of
time roll on as softly as possible. What
nest Of bed And at the head of it he sees
his mother leaning over him, parting his
hair, kissing his forehead, and every minute
asking him in a voice through which the af-
fec,ion gushes like tears, if he feels any bet
ter? he sees his sister, natures kindest nurse,
sitting up with him all night, moving if he
moves, anticipating every one of his wants,
gazing into his face for hope, and smiling
at him sometimes in spite of it, coaxing him,
like child, to 60 to sleep, and holding his
hand between hers till he falls into gentle
sumber again-he sees his father coming
into the room the first thing IN the morn
ing, and treading on tiptoe lest he shall
awake him Il he recollects what a mo-
ment Of anxiety it was when the doctor
paid his daily visit, and how every one
waited in silence round the curained bed to
hear what he said, and then rushed to cheer
these and many more little incidents oflove
and tenderness, for they hang round his
childhood, like immorteUes, which his me-
mory loves to "keep green"
| How different his present ilIness!-There
is no one to comfort him, 10 make him for
get by kindness the prison-house he is con-
fined in. His loneliness chills him. 1t.
throws lIost round everything and he
thinks as Adam thought when he was a.
bachelor (the bachelor days Of Adam would
make curious book,) and prayed for a
wife that
ITO die must be to live alone,
Unoved, uncherished and unknown"
The bachelor is moved; the rock Of his
egolism is softened, and it is very strange,
but tesrs--real tears bubble up from his
heart, like water from dried up well in the
desert
He rings again, and by some accident the
laundress hears him. The sick bachelor
has his medicine, and he lays down his head
grateful for it.
II he is grateful for spoonful of medl-
cine; what would he be for kind word or
good dinner .--Punch. |