The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1852-10-21

L..
her chair from the widower, made an
errand to the fire an excuse for hitchine
it back again.
"Nice young man-Mr. Keeper, p
observed the widower, glancing at Lu,
cretia, and laying his arm on the back
of her chair.
Nay" said Lucretia, stopping to
place a stick on the andirons.
Mr.. Brooks observed that the glow Of
the fire made her face look very red.
g Used to be pretty neighborly, l
understand"
=" Ie-yes-quite.
Lucreta was crimson.
Nothing but friend, I suppose ?"
Oh, no! no :"
Hem and if 1 should-that is, if
any one else should wish to marry you,
he would not be in the way -
" don't know why he should" falter-
ed Lucretia.
The widower's arm slipped from the
back of the chair, and fell, somehow,
arounl her waist and the widower be-
ing an absent minded person, neglected
to put it back again.
Sand would anything else be in the
way, my dear 7"
4" That's according chow the fire did
glow in Lucretia's face) to who the
person is'-
The clasp of the arm about her waist
Itightened.
"Ah hem and if it was me-"
You ha there's no danger of that
/ guess" said Lucretia trying to laugh
it off.
Another movement of the ARMAND
Lucretia's head lay on the widower's
shoulder.
"But I am in earnest" exclaimed
Mr.. Brroks.
"Oh I! l didn't suppose-if that's the
case" stammered Lucretia, pretending
to struggle little.
This afforded the widower an excuse
for clasping her waist still closer He
laid his whiskers against her wet cheek,
to the imminent peril of Samson Kep-
per's happiness, and the smoothness of
his own Sunday dickey, then you might
have heard a kiss.
=" There now say you'll have me-"
exclaimed the widower.
IF you want to"
Lucretia thought of Samson and hesi-
tated. She had lingering affection for
that young gentleman but then he had
really exhausted her patience. Samson
was certainly desirable man, but Lu-
cretia was twenty-three. 1t would be
.weet to become Mrs. Keeper, but iii
was awful to think of becoming an old
maid. The widower's affections at that
moment struck Lucretia as a happy
medium; comfortable certainty, al
though they promised no uncommon
happiness and she murmured =
II will"
And this is the manner IN which
Samson, through habit of too much
caution and indecision, lost the fairest
maiden in Grassborough after courting
her five years.
Mr.. Brooks took his young bride
home, to fll the place of a mother to
three children; and Samson, who had a
married sister, with a small family, in
straitened circumstances, resolved to
give his poor relations a home in his
house, and to live with them an old
bachelor to the end of his days. On
losing Lucretia, Samson, in despair, had
made VOW never to marry.
Eight years afterwards, however, Mr..
Keeper had occasion to reconsider his
VOW. Mr. Brooks died suddenly, leav-
ing Lucretia the mother of three chill
dren, and the step-mother of as many &
more. Samson was fond of children, {
and Lucretia was more of an angel in
his eyes now than ever. He visited {
her, carried presents to her children,
and did everything in his power to con.
sole her in her affliction, and the young |
widow dried her tears, planted some
flowers on the grave of the lamented 4,
Brooks, and smiled encourage ely on her
old lover. K
People began to talk again. Samson
and Lucretia were agoing to be married
now at all events, said the gossips. But
two years passed every body was pug.
sled and the fact that Mr.. Keeper t
was a bachelor at forty was mystery. t
The truth is Samson had not been cured b
IF his old habit of procrastiuation. To &
marry the mother of six children, and b
AXE ber and them home-for Samuel il
could never make up his mind to settle