The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1851-10-09
WESTERLY, R. l., OCTOBER 9, 1851

1t struck me when was bachelor, and
any of the men spoke disrespectfully of
their wives. [ thought they ought to be
blown up.
"A thousand times, as T reviewed my
life, have been perplexed to find the So
luton of my marrying widow-aud with
three daughters What if they had mon
ey enough to support them ? was it not a
great care | assumed? Might not have
known the miseries of so much cear-starch-
ing' Then was it not natural that Mrs.
Guy should always 6e in worry about her
children ? Some people tried to comfort
me-that I ought to be thankful there was
only one set of them. But when man
begins to feel little weather. beaten, and
somewhat rheumatic, he wants snug little
corner in bis large house where he may
grunt and groan as much as he pleases.-
He don't want to be forever pestered about
Clara's beau, and Judith's offer, and Susy's
walking with Carolinian. Besides who
wants to see rocking chair always in mo-
ton, or young man talking in under
tone
And then, too, what harrassing work
the spring makes about journeys. Why, [
used to take my carpet-bag and umbrella,
and say to my landlady, shall not proba-
bly, be back for ten days. All my cases
were left behind with my old slippers but
now it is-'Father, I have left my India
rubbers-Susy has forgotten her sunshade
that shawl is missing-where's the bas-
ket Of oranges, and your thick shoes, and
my sack, father?' o, it wears the life out
OF man Of my age. Then of all things
who wants house filed with dress-makers
seamstresses, and cousins who come in tc
sew few days? I tell you, 1 should ia.
ther double Cape Horn in gale and b(
landed among the Feejee islanders.'
why, Uncle Richard, you grow frantic
Your wife calls
Il merely wish to say, Mr.. Guy, tha
you may order the carriage at twelve, and
L wish you would help me pack the travel
ling trunk, and just 60 over to the grocer's
and fill the hand-basket with oranges, figs,
and the like, for our Susy. She's a great
dyspeptic, you know, and loathes the sight
of meat
1 felt for Uncle Richard, and the more
because l could not help him. There is a
project still on foot for him to visit Eng
land. Mrs. Guy says, the best educations
are completed abroad.'
but we must take things as they are.
I repeated, when we cannot make them
as we wish.' 1t was dry moral, and the
good man crushed fresh-blown dandelion
under his foot, [ saw it was bit Of cold
comfort in the word [ uttered.
Then | returned home and soliquized
upon a bachelor. Take man who has
lived eight and forty years, and he is a
strange animal. Look at his independence.
He can smoke, drink, chew, sit with his
legs upon the mantlc-sholf, have noun
tain of newspapers by his side, hearth all
covered with dust and ashes, u lounge with
rickcty foot, and closet door with the
lock torn off. What does he care? There
are choice baskets of champagne in the
cellar, no dishonored drafts, no unpaid bills
no tuition fees, no bandboxes in his way,
no laces nor ribbons on his bureau, no te-
totums belonging to Tommy, nor grace
hoops belonging to Clara. Sundry old
coats hang in the closet, unmendcd shirts
are in the old hair trunk, chambcrmaid
all oblging in the kitchen to obey his COM
mands, a landlady who admires single gen.
tlemen boarders and what fastidious wor-
shippers of worldly convcnienccs can ask
for more' Why then should such speci-
mems of humanity trouble themselves about
womcn' Yet you may listen to all their
private intercourse with the fraternity, and
YOU will never find them ready to separate,
but some joke about women will be pcrpc-
tratcd. They may ridicule, boast Of their
independence, of their freedom from the
trammcls of the sex, but still they will talk
about women; and as all this seems na-
tural propensity, we must come to the con-
clusion, after all, that men and women
wore made to live together. Only the
mistake lies in marrying too late in life, as
did my Uncle Richard