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

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my dinner, which had become cold and
indigestible, and hurried back 10 the
porch. She had gone
The stage was waiting for me;
jumped in, and it ratified out of the little
old town. We hal not gone many miles
before the consequences of hasty eating
brought on terrible attack of dyspepsia.
became painfully aware that 1 had lost
my dinner and my fifty cents; but l did
not know 1 had lost my wife, forgot
her! 1 was returning, after a long ab-
sence, to my native city, to enter upon
new and untried profession and there
were thousand things to occupy my
attention to the exclusion not only Of
wives, but even Of sweethearts So I
lost my wite and didn't knosU it! And
so, l imagine, most of us lose our wives.
About year and half afterward-
that is, about one year ago, having failed
in business, as an aimless, unmarried
man-that is, phenomenally unmarried,
man is very apt to do; though it doesn't
make much difference if such a man
does fail, especially after he has lost his
wife--having failed in business, say,
and having nothing to do, returned to
Plantationton, not in the stage, but in
tie cars, the railroad having been in the
meantime completed. So completely had
my wife gone out of my mind, that did
not once think of her when l sat down
in the old tavern porch and looked over
at the dried-up little store, in the door of
which had seen her patling her little
foot so prettily. 1 ordered buggy and
drove out to my uncle's, about three
miles from town, and spent many pleas
ant weeks there during the hot summer
months. Being young man cf mar.
riageable age, my relations very natur-
ally offered 10 introduce me to the mar
riageable ladies of the neighborhood. |
expressed my willingness. Which sort
did l fancy fair or dark blonde or
brunette? Fair, by all means; who
ever heard of sallow man fancying a
woman of his own complexion? Oh
then, 1 ought to have been here a year
ago; there was a young lady living in
town. great friend of ours, perfectly
beautiful, and the very best girl in all
the world, who would have suited me
exactly. All. who was she? Miss Jenny
So-and-so. Jenny! the very name 1
want my wife to have; describe her to
me. They described her. 1t was the
identical young lady had seen standing
in the old store. l became excited, and
my pulse rose as l asked the question
Where is she now ? Oh she has been
married long time to Mr.. Thingamy,
and lives now in the city of Jucksburg,
about hundred miles from here. Ny
pulse sank lot because ] knew she was
my wife (th0t is quite recent discovery,
and had lost her; but for the good and
sufficient reason which authors have
but lately had the honesty to avow) that
every bachelor feels himself defrauded
when a pretty woman msrries. From
the bottom of my heart 1 wished Mr..
Thingamy and the city of Jucksburg had
been at the bottom of the sea before they
ever had heard of the beautiful Miss
Jenny. felt indignant she should have
displayed so much haste to get married /;
and l refused to be introduced to any
body in the neighborhood of my uncle's.
But whenever conversation as it will
often do, in the best of families) turned
on the subject of young ladies, my
uncle's family were sure to bring their
favorite Miss Jenny forward as para
gon Of beauty, sweetness, good-breeding.
good every thing. As often as this would
happen an unaccountable depression and
feeling of loneliness and bereavement
would come over me, and last for hours
1 can now account for tit was the as
yet inarticulate, unintelligible premoni-
tion-a species Of spontaneous, uncon-
scious apperception--of nature, protest
ing against, and at the same time pIepar-
ing me for, the full consciousness of the
great loss had sustained in losing my
wife. My uncle had named a beautiful
kitten after her; do you wonder that l
petted Jenny, and fed her and caressed
her every day / remained in the country?
1 do not. l am naturally fond of cats,
and that, they say, is sign l am going
to be all old bachelor. Well, what if
it is?
When the summer was ended, left
my uncle's and returned home still
ignorant that l had lost my wife, and
forgetting her as before. For nearly
year knocked about the young ladies,
falling now little in love, and then fall
ing out again charging myself with
ickleness and want of decision of char
acter, and wondering greatly why 1
could not fall really in love with any
body. Poor fool ! l didn't know thai
there was nobody left to love; 1 was
married and didn't know it. Many
man is in the same fx.
Things remained in this condition until
about month ago, when, having failed