The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-11-12
Z [From Porter's Spirit Of the Times
Courting a Widow

whom / had not seen for a year Jones is a
eccentric old bachelor, agreeable enough,
you happen to please him; but churlish to thos
he don't like.
''Well, Jones'" said I, "what have you bee
doing with yourself this summer?'' @ai
''1ou would not guess in year." (Jone
was communicative that day Il have turn
ed out again, and have actually been huntin,
a wifen'
""Good! y speak to be first groomsn,an; yo
know you promised me, in our college days
g7"Not so fast, my friend; l did not say wa
going to be married; and, unless somebody doe
the courting for me, I don't know that shal
ever be Benedict. Confound the women!
thought | had found an exception, this time
but they are all alike. / had tempted maiden
b matfimony before, but never a widow til
now. l. may relieve me to tell you the story
if you can have the patience to listen to it.
"l'll hear it with the greatest pleasure" (Sc
here is Jones' courtship-not major Jones,
however. @l5 a.H5f.2 s"6a-s ~ l.-4Sr- ss""
"You must Know said Jones, Il have al
ways been fond of lending hand and tongue
to match making, though never did anv good
at it.'' ~ y" 7-s" s'@ y"
Gone day a friend said to me, come, 90 to
to town with me; am going to ask young
lady marry me, and l want your useful assist
ance, as my intended has sister who plays
propriety, and must be kept off, OF course I
went. -=f ..gs G5,. Za4+-5r .... ..4 f...55 .....
3 ''Now the girls. were both rich; it is we'll
known we court none bat rich girls. s.n
cit was a hot summer afternoon when we
reached the best hotel in town, and the first
man we met with was POGO Mas. POGO was
gay; he acknowledged he had been taking a
smile; and the first thing he did was to invite
us up to his room to take brandy and ice-water,
which no southerner ever refuses
''While mbiblng POGO had the inAuisitiye-
ness to ask us what we had come to town for
| was lways remarkable for my candor, so
answered for my friend Americus, we have
come to court fifty thousand apiece"
'D-n it," calculated POGO Mas, Il can
show one of you three times that amount, and
it's a widow, and won't require so much court
ing as a maid.'' Il.
(Now the nullities exp'etives, emphatics,
and almost all southern figures of speech, are
oaths; SO I'll not set them down, but let them
be understood. "Show her to me, and I'm in
for anything that's out After taking copious
notes on three hundred and fifty thousand, we
separated, much satisfied with ourselves'
''The next morning, as | was driving with
doctor Doubleyon, in his buggy, said to him.
"'Do you know a widow Blanc, now in
town." --.
Yes" he answered with animation, "and
she is young, pretty and rich Deuce take it,
there ainta rich manageable woman in the
United States that you DO not find out. How
did you hear Of her?"
"Nevcr mind will you introduce me TO her?'
'Thlsvery evening, ats clock, ifyou wish"
'tC'est conyenu.'' I had friend who was
going to address her, and | wanted to see her,
more to tease him, than for any serious inten-
tons on my part; though did not let the doc
tor know, it.
AT the appointed time we found the widow
in question; she was charming lady, smiled
like an angel, sang like syren, danced like
fairy, talked like the murmur of running rill,
and had faultess form. AS we went home,
the doctor tapped me on the shoulder to arouse
me from my reverie, and said:
81 can tell you something"
What is it?' asked.
'l Gu are in love with that woman might
have found it out, in few days; but the re-
mark put me thinking of it at the moment
The next morning as I was walking down
The street, thought passed her with another
lady, and | stepped into book store, till they
should 60 by, that might see. She came into
the store. and conversed with her few min
utes left, more charmed than ever That
afternoon called to see her again, and just as
was leaving, she said something about put
ting my name in her journal. When I reach
ed my hotel, remembered mine was hard
name to SPELL and enclosed my printed card
to her, with this pencil note endorsed
Mrs. B.-As nobody likes to be miscal]ed,
I enclose you my card, that you may write the
name properly; for who likes to be Miss taken?
Don't be frightened because l offer you my
name, hard as it is. Respectfully, JONES"
Apretty little witty note was returned, in an
swer, written in most beautiful hand.
That same evening the doctor and l called
again; and as she said something which l in
erpreted into declaration, took a plain ring
from my finger, and was about putting it on
hers, when she removed a valuable solitaire
and handed it to me; thus rings were exchanged.
In conversation learned that her annus lucti
" e'' hoo VIII P'S'e, anu L ieSSlC'.Cu thdI 1T was
1ot; as thought it not right to court woman
n less than year after her husbands death.
Before we left that night, she sat down to the
piano, and sang that charming air from Linda,
oh, luc di quest anima.' When she came to-
he verse,
"Our faith then fondy plighting,
Our destiny writing
This world heaven shall be!''
he looked tendery at me, and [ felt happy. |
5esldes That, she sang several French and Ita
an songs, pronouncng the words very correctly
or an American.
One l shall ever remember; it began thus
lsolina, poverina, mia carina'-a lively, grace
al air, IN triple time.
After several other visits, began to gain her |
confidence, and she told me the sad story of her
ife. | sympatbised with her, and promised to
ell her my story, fixing 4 p. M, for my story.
'unctual to the moment, she came into the
,arlor with a smile; was as serious as par
on at funeral She took seat on the end
If sofa, and drew up an Elizabeth chair, so
hat my arm could rest on the sofa end with
'ers. After giving her the fiction of my life,
told her had now determined to marry; that
had led an idle, useless, aimless, selfish life,
md now intended to live for some purpose;