Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-01-09

hallowing and charmful hues of memory
the one solitary and suficing ideal of
my unblessed life She saw me gazing
at her, but only as she had seen hun
dreds gazed before.
primrose, mid the tavern's stir,
A yellow primrose was to her,
And it was nothing
1 was only sallowf faced young man,
with black mustache and deal Of i'm
pudence. didn't look like her husband
a bit; but was her husband for all that
Il know / was.
Fair reader, let us here moralize lit
tie. But no; am not good at that, and
besides, 1 am too prolix any way. Yet
remember, beautifuls maiden, and be
watchful of your looks; for, all unknown
to yourself, you may be shaping for life,
and perhaps for life beyond life, the
destiny of some Unlocking biped who
glares at you from the opposite side of
the street
All the other stage passengers, and all
the tobacco-spitting loungeIs about the
tavern, were gazing at her as well as
myself; she knew il, too-the little
rogue land was pleased, as she ought
to have been. She ceased to look for
that somebody up the street, who new
er came, and stole sweet, bright glance
toward US, as if to say 81 can't help
being pretty, indeed l can't. l am glad
you think me so, and you may look as
long as you please /; 1 shan't charge you
anything"
Bless her sweet little soul Every
man in that porch ought to have bent
his knee in homage to so much beauty
and goodness.
But the confounded dinner bell rang,
and the beasts in broadcloth rushed 10
their food Just as any other beasts would
have dore. l am ashamed to confess it,
hut most unromaniic sense of fpropriely
smoie me the moment heard the ac-
cursed bell. SIT is out Of the question, !"
said I to myself, "ior you to be staring
that young lady out of counienance; get
right up and go to your dinner. 1t is
true you may never see SO beautiful a
face again. bnt then, you know. your
health is delicate, and it won't do to neg
lect so important meal as dinner. You
have long and wearisome ride before
you; besides. she don't care anything
for you, and even if she did, you are in
no condition to marry"
Thus did mere animal cravings pre-
vail against the sweet appeals of beauty;
and thus las the last clause of my men.
tai augmentation abundantly shows,
did my mind unconsciously refuse to en-
tertain the pos ibiiity of a rejection, and
so assert the truth of the statement l
have made, namely, that she was my
wife. The world will call this vanity,
but I call it intuition or spontaneous un.
conscious apperception. With great re-
luctance rose up as if to go; she saw
that all except myself had gone, but still
stood in the front door of that dried-up
old store, patting the sill once more with
the tip of her tiny little slipper. She
was so good she could not refuse to
gladden. even one poor mortal with the
light of her blessed countenance. 1t
flashed across my mind that 1 might
save fifty cents by missing my dinner i;
avarice had come to the aid Of beauty,
and 1 sat down again. But hunger Eyes,
miserable human that 1 am, it was hun
ger) defeated them both.
All /! if 1 had only known then as
much as know now, how differently /
would have acted would dismissed
the contemplate subject of dinner, and,
having summoned waiter, would have
addressed him thus: boy, do you see
that old red trunk in the boot of the stage
yonder well, just take that trunk off;
l am so pleased with your lovely village
that 1 Intend to st, here nntil get mar
ried." The young lady on the opposite
side of the street would have heard me;
it would have produced deep impress
sion on her (aud first impressions, you
know, are everything J would have
remained in my seat until the young lady
left; l would have eaten my dinner in
peace afterward ! would have donned
my new doeskin breeches and my new
black coat; then, by hook or by crook,
l would have procured an introduction
to my wife /; and after while 1 would
have married her-there's no doubt
about it. Although | was poor, her
beauty and her love would have made
me rich; nv love for her would have
made me strong and able to work; by this
time l would have acquired a standing
in society," would have been happy.
But 1 sold my wife for mess of red
pottage-I went to dinner. When 1
reached the door of the dining-room 1
hesitated; went back to the porch and
commenced gazing at my wife as before.
She saw me, and gave me smile; upon
my honor she did. 1t was the sweetest
smile ever received. 1 may have val.
ued smiles before, but il is certain have
never valued one since. What ever
made me return to the dining-room after
receiving so great favor, 1 could never