The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-07-16

world, aud work as my father did, and
be so active and so happy. DO not you
think it often happens, that the brighles,
childhood precedes the darkest manhood
just as the sunshiny morning is fol-
lowed by the overcas, and gloomy day I
But ain not telling you the history
Of my bachelorhood. According to q
chid's fashion, was madly in love "
twenty times before was well in my
teens but was at last eighteen; and
the time came when was TO fall really
in love-" I was frequent visitor at
Bedford Cottage, where my old school.
fellow Bill Johnson lived and there I
met with his sister, Mary Anne. beau.
tiful girl, about year younger than my
self. As soon as | saw her loved her
and tho continued my visits professed-
ly to Bill, and was welcomed with that
understanding by Mr.. and Mrs. John.
son, soon found tha, my principal att
traction was the beautiful Mary Anne.
] will not detain you on this part Of my
tale ; but every time | saw her loved
her more: watched her countenance
aud listened to her words, aud was only
happy in her smile if she was kind and
unreserved, left with lgh. heart; if
fanced her cold and distant, | went
away to hang down my head and weep I;
aud day after day, for months, did pray
that she might be induced to love me,
and that we might be happy in each 9TH
er's regard.
"But at last her father, who was a
proud, ignorant man, got notion Of my
state Of mind he wa. determined that
his daughter should only marry to be a
lady; and so pointedly did he intimate
his dissatisfaction at my viSils-their OBJ
ject being now understood-that l did
not for long time enter the house, and
then only when he was absent.
My love for Mary Anne continued
unabated, Notwithstanding wha, tho,
of the rudeness Of her father: we often
met by accident, and I, almost as often
tried to tell her my hearts deep affec.
tion; but AL underlined fear prevented
it, and some months elapsed, so that
wa. almost twen,y-one, before l man.
aged to speak my mind. She listened
10 me kindly, and fancied 1 saw teal
in her eye when it came her turn to
speak, but she declined my proposals
very firmly, and gave me to understand
that while she would ever regard me a.
a friend, must cease to think OF her a:
a lover. need not tell you what efTec
this disappointment had upon me il
was more than my strength could bear
and so much did it increase tendency
to consumption which had for some time
manifested itself, that for several months
was thought by my friends to be on
the very brink Of the grave. Oh, n'
one can know, but he who has experien
ced it, the bitterness Of 6rst-love dis
appointment in youth
"Time passed or, but now all was darl
and gloomy around me. recovered m,
health sufficiently 10 encourage the hope
that with proper efforts my life might b
spared and spent some timo on quie
seacoast in the South of England. l re
; turned home invigoraied and renewed tina
) time, which, as Charles Mackay so beauli
fully says,
Has pleasant word 10 cay,
In all our sorrows,"
did, to some extent, its work for me; thre'
myself earnestly into all sorts of social an
t philanthropic exertion; studied too, an
read, harder than had done before; and
determined TO be useful, and perhaps grea
; if happiness was denied me. Two year
passed in this way, and was twenty-,hre
years old | fancied my love sorrows al
most over, and had made up my mind +
perpetual bachelorbood, or else, after time
to seek some one else, in whom to centr
my young hearts affection and was con
: firmed in this resolve by the rumors l ha,
beard from time to time, that there was on
seeking Mary Annes hand, whose fucces
was almost certain. Just at this time, how
ever, it came to my cars that my own rejec
ton had been the result Of Mr.. johnson
wish rather than Mary Anne's inclination
that she loved me then, and had loved m,
ever since; and that on my account she hat
refused more than one offer of marriage
even in opposition to her parents desire
You san easily imagine how this intelligenc,
surprised and delighted me; sought an in
teryiew with Mary Anne, and told her tina
loved her as earnestly as ever she, too
opened all her heart to me she told me how
she had loved me, and watched me, and
prayed I'- me. when little thought il, and
that she had wept many time that she
could not tell me what she felt and wished
We mot often now and what delightful
hours were those we spent togetherl We
talked sadly of the past, and joyously Of the
present, and hopefully Of the future; we pie
lursd the happiness in store for Us, and ssil'
airy castles, such as people in our circum>
stances always do build and when we came
to part,
Parting was such sweet sorrow
That ~ q r0l.ld cav trood- -hx until IN uaorrou,