The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1853-06-23
The Poor LAWYER.

This exciting story was well termed b
the editor "a species of Mountjoy of th
west" for the lovers of Ralph Ringwoo
are scarcely less poetical than those {
Mountjoy himself. Here is the first in
PRODUCTION to the lovely maiden who wa
to have so great an influence on his afte
life -
"I had taken my breakfast and wa
waiting for my horse, when, in passin!
up and down the piazza, I saw youn;
girl seated near the window, evidently
visitor. She was very pretty, with au
burn hair and blue eyes, and was dressed
in white. 1 had seen nothing of the kline
since | had left Richmond; at that time
was too much of boy to be struck by /:
female beauty. She was so delicate ant
and dainty looking, so different from tht
hale buxom brown girls of the woods
and then her white dress it was SO daz
cling Never was poor youth so ia.
ken by surprise, and suddenly bewitched
My heart yearned to know her, but how
was to accost herl 1 had grown wild
in the woods, and had none of the hab.
itudes of polite life. Had she or any
other of my leathern dressed bellies been
like Peggy Pugh or Sally Pigman
of the pigeon roost, should have ap-
preached her without dread nay had she
been fair as Shurt's daughters with their
lOoking-glass lockets, I should not have
hesitated but that white dress, and these
auburn ringlets, and blue eyes, and deli
Gated looks quite daunted while they fa-
cinated me. l don't know what put it into
my head, but thought all at once | would
like to kiss her 1t would take long
acquaintance to arrive at such boon,
but I might seize upon it by sheer robbie
ry. Nobody knew me here. I would
just step in and snatch kiss, mount my
horse and ride off, She would not be the
worse for it; and that kiss-oh, 1 should
die if | did not get it.
I gave no time for thought to cool, but
entered the house and stepped lightly in
to the room. She was seated with her
back to the door, looking out of the win
dow, and did not hear my approach. 1
tapped her chair, and as she turned and
looked up snatched as sweet kiss as
ever was stolen, and [ vanished in twink
ling. The next momentd was on horse
back, galloping homeward, my very heart
tingling at what l had DONE"
After variety of amusing adventures,
Ringwood attempts the study of law, in
an obscure settlement in Kentucky, where
he delved night and day. Ralph pursues
his studies, occasionally argues at de-
batting society, and at length becomes quite
a genius, and favorite in the eyes of the
married ladies of the village.
1 called to take tea one evening with
one of these ladies, when to my surprise
and somewhat to my confusion, found
with her the identical blue-eyed beauty
whom l had audaciously kissed. | was
formally introduced to her, but neither
of us betrayed any signs of previous ac-
quaintance except by blushing to the eyes.
While tea was getting ready, the lady of
the house went out of the room to give
some directions and left US alone. Hea-
vens and earth, what situation ! l
would have given all the pittance | was
worth, to have been in the deepest dell of
the forest. I felt the necessity of saying
something in excuse for my former rude
ness 81 could not conjure up an idea,
nor utter a word. Every moment mat
ters were growing worse. / felt one time
tempted to do as l had when l robbed
her of a kiss-bolt from the room and
take to fight; but / was chained to the
spot, for really longed to gain her good
will.
At length l plucked up courage on see-
ing her equally confused with myself, and
walking desperately up to her, | excaim-
ed
~ have been trying to muster up some
thing to say, but [ cannot. / feel that l
am in horrible scrape. Do have pity
on me and help me out of it !"
A smile dimpled abot her mouth, and
played among the bushes of her cheek.
She looked up with ashy but arch glance of
the eye, that expressed a volume of comic
recollections we both broke into laugh
and from that moment all went on we'll.
Passing the delightful description which
succeeded, we proceed to the denounce-
ment of Ringwood's love affair-the mar
raige and the settlement.
"That very autumn | was admitted
to the bar, and month afterwards was
married. We were young couple, she
not much more than sixteen and | not
quite twenty, and both almost without a
dollar in the world. The establishment
was well suited to our circumstances a
low house with two small rooms, bed, a
table, half dozen chairs, half dozen
spoons--everything by the half dozens I;
little DELPHI ware, everything in small
way; we were so poor, but then SO happy.
We had not been married many days
when Court was held in the county town
about 4xsntv -five roilas distant II was