The weekly Placer herald., 1852-12-04
q The Wife for IGAe.''

CWctty years, VIII udViIS oDtdllcu al Ca
cellent reputation by his industry and in
tegrity, and having made himself useful in
the mercantile firm in Boston, with whom
he had served an apprentceship was at
length invited to a partnership in the con-
cern. For some time he had been encour-
aged to anticipate this elevation, and he
soberly and energetically entered upon
the new duties of his position. When
business crowded he had but little leisure
to mourn over his celibate condition, but
when the hurrylng season was over, and
hours lay heavy on his hands, he could
not help thinking how delightful it would
be, had he but a house and gentle wife of
his own. His pecuniary circumstances
now warranted such uxuries, and he re-
solved to marry when he could find a lady
''just suited to his mind"
Near a country village in Maine, not a
thousand miles from Bangor, lived an old
friend of his father, and being on a col
lectiug tour in that region during the au-
tumn months, he determined to accept an
oft repeated invitation to spend a few days
with the old gentleman, and sent note
to announce his coming
At the appointed time he reached the
residence of his old friend, and found that
the family were prepared and pleased to
welcome him as guest. In the parlor
were two young ladies', well dressed and
quite handsome. He was duly intro
duced to Misses Jane and Charlotte, and
found them accomplished and sensible
young ladies. Being just now concepti-
ble to the tender passion, he was easily
pleased, and eXerted his powers to render
himselfagreeable to the f4ttered madens.
He succeeded, of course. Sensible men,
of his age and prospects, always do, when
they try. And as his eye wandered in
conversation from one handsome, intelli-
gent face to another, he caught himself
several times mentally inquiring, (which
would make the better wife?"
The mother and neat looking maid,
were seen at intervals passing from the
kitchen preparing the supper. The girl
who set out the table, and spread the
white, stainless cloth, and arranged the
plates, seemed to do it so gracefully and
quietly, as if she had made such duties
study or science, won a passing glance
OF admiration as very neat and pretly
servant-a model of her 'help.' Alto
gether, he thought it was charming fam
lily. When they sat at the cheerful sup
per, and he tasted the light, home made
bread, and the sweet, fresh butter, and
the thinly sliced, home cured beef the
hot, well favored tea, the excelency and
good taste manifested in the whole order
ing, he felicitated himself upon having
found a pleasant home even if it was only
for a few days. And after supper was
over, and the table was cleared, a third
young lady, very neatly dressed, entered
the room, and was formally introduced to
him rs one of the ssters-Miss Sarah.
He was not a little surprised to find
that the neat servant girl, whose handy
work had won his admiration, was one of
the sisters. He found her sprightly,
cheerful, as accomplished, and he thought
a little more graceful than Jane, who was
older, or Charlotte, who was younger than
herself. He thought little more meanly
OF himself, for having taken her to be the
hired girl of her family, but not a whit
more meanly Of her for having revealed
herself in that capacity. And his per-
pleXity was somewhat increased as he
sat down on his bedside in the chamber to
which he was shown by his host, and said
to himself, Which of the three 20
In the morning, after a nights sound
sleep-for he was not sufficiently in love
to'keep him awHke-he entered the break
fast room, and was soon joined by the
two young ladies who first welcomed him.
Sarah was not yet visible, but when
they had seated down at the table, and
Jane had poured out the coffee, Sarah
came smiling in behind a clean white
apron, and with a steaming pile of hot
buckwheat cakes in her hand, which judg
ing from the hue of her cheeks she had
just been baking. If there was blush
on her cheeks, any eye might see it was
forced there by the fire, and not by any
sense of degradation, on account of the
office she so gracefully filed.
She greeted the guest with welcome
smile, deposited her load of eatables, and
returned to the kitchen whence she trip
ped again in a few minutes, with another
plate of cakes, most beautifully baked by
her own skill. Horace eat large guam
tity Of them, more than enough merely to
satisfy hunger, because of the beautiful
little hands that made them. And then
he wandered over the farm with the old
man, and prated of horses and cows and
crops, as though he knew something
about them az well as broadcoth and cal
icoes.
At dinner time Jane and Charlotte were
in the parlor waiting for him, and Sarah,
as usual, was busting about in the kitchen
81 do wish," said he, sotto voce, "that
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