The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-04-23
ssAnd how do you like Mr.. Mendon?'' sal

nat makes you think So. SAID Mrs. At
kins.
"Thinkp' said Maria-sI don't think
know he is lovely mani"
.'And how could you know it, since you new
4 er saw him before?'
4 Couldn't know that the sun shines, though
I never saw it before?" said Maria.
II rather think you could hardly have been
more dazzled by the sun the first time you saw
1T, than you are now by this stranger
.Don'ty you think any one can know another
BY intuition, Mrs. Atkins?"
Il think we are often greatly deceived by
mankind especially by strangers"
'sAnd didn't you ever hear Of any lady s
marrying stranger?"
ITO be sure, l haYe-and worse things than
that afterwards!',
.sWell, don't love to prognosticate evil,
Mrs. Atkins" 6
..Nor do I, but / love to avoid it"
Maria saw that Mrs. Atkins was not going to
fall in with her views, and, therefore, conclud-
/ ed not to discuss the matter any further at the
time. She hoped, however, that Mr.. Mendon
would call again, and that Mrs. Atkins would
see him.
i After few days, Mr.. Mendon made it con-
yenient to be in the town Of Weston again, and,
Of course, paid his respects to Maria.
At this time Mrs. Atkins was at home, and
Maria had wished she might be; and she saw
the agreeable Mr.. Mendon
Now Mr. Mendon was very agreeable gen
4 tleman, and a very handsome man, too. Be
sides, he was man of the world, and conse-
quently very taking in his manners. Profes-
sedly, he was very wealthy, and Of course full
of business.
Maria's imagination was now tilledewith
I glowing pictures. .One of the gentleman S
estates was certainly an Eden! On it were
lovely landscapes-crystal streams-sWeet scent
ed bowers, and fruits of every variety and hue;
all indeed that could charm the eye and CRAFTY
the taste. And was there any hope or proba-
bility that Maria Greenwood could ever get into
possession of this promised land?''
Yes, indeed! The gentleman, the self-same
Mr.. Mendon, had after due time solicited the
hand Of the romantic Maria; and she had most
willingly consented to give it to him
"Oh," said she to herself, 'stbis is to be a
perfect fancy match!-just the thing have al
ways coveted. And will it not annihilate all
of Mrs. Atkins theories about matrimony? /
hope it may, indeed, do, with all my hearth
At this moment Mr.. Jones happened to call
at Mrs. Atkins, and having made inquiry in
regard to Mr. Mendon and learned his charac-
ter, he said to Mrs. Atkins, s'Do you know any
thing about the reputation of Mr. Mendon?"
NO." said she, Il do not. He appears to
be quite a gentleman"
''Heis one of the light-fngered gentry" said
1 Mr.. Jones. & &a4@5.r
i .tHe s!' said Mrs. Atkins, Il am sorry to
hear it-for was hoping he was just the per-
son for Maria.
"And ought you not to tell Maria of the risk
she is about to run?''
sIt would be of no avail Mr.. Jones. She
would only be the more anxious to encounter
4 it'
"Isjt possible?" said he.
Certainly it isl replied Mrs. Atkins, "fol
she imagines that she shall have SO much in
fuence over her husband, as that she can com
pletely control him.
'Just as Phaeton did his steed! For who
ever heard of such a thing as change in the
fixed habits of a man by any influence short of
divine? Neither lady married or unmarried
is competent to the task
"Maria thinks that she is, and no one could
convince her otherwise. And, besides, in mat
tiers of this sort, you know that it is the easiest
of all things to get the ill-wil of the person by
speaking against the one whom she loves
Still it may be my. duty to say a word in the
way of caution, and therefore I will do it, al
though I know it will be perfectly idle
Accordingly Mrs. Atkins took occasion to say
to Maria, that she felt great deal of interest
in her happiness, and that she was very anx-
ious that she should do wellin her matrimonial
relations. To this Maria replied, that what she
said was true; and that she felt great indebted
to Mrs. Atkins for her kind feelings.
"Would you be willing, then, (" said Mrs At
kins, "that | should suggest to you that you
ought to be better acquainted with Mr.. Mendon
before marrying him? It seems to me that
you hardly know his character"
.'Why, know the man" said Maria, ''is
not this enough? He is a gentleman"
"But suppose he spends his nights at the
gaming table?'
ooh, should expect him to have more re-
gard for his wife than to do that"
':sAnd your expectations would hardly be re-
allied, for the tendency of habits lis from bad to
worse ~ 7 s51
:.sAnd do you not know that lady can exert
any influence over her husband?''
'sOh, yes, most certainly-but reformation
from bad practices are Of all things the most
ui1uouit. n leidPoo 10 Aioio ilheiy " oSCu!
than a recovery
"Why, you would make out lady to be
mere pher.'
Cob, no, Maria, but ladies cannot do things
which are impossible"
'.But do you not remember, Mrs. Atkins,
the case of Mr. Vinton?" Before he was mar
ried he was confirmed inebriate, now he is a
model of sobriety!"
"And may he not yet fall?"
sOh dear Mrs. Atkins, there come in the
shadows again. wonder if you ever saw
clear sky
Mrs. Atkins saw that it was useless to argue
the point with Maria, and that as she was
charmed so she must be destroyed BY the ser
pent!
Accordingly in few weeks Maria was mar
ried to Mendon-all was fair and promising
Mr. Mendon was most faithful and devoted
husband, and Maria congratulated herself on
the happy choice she had made. Having lived
in the country remote from any large city, she
was now transferred to the vicinity of Peters
vile, large town--a circumstance that pleas
ed her exceedingly.