The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1857-1858, 1857-09-16

II 49, l. ~ kx1N i d-1Ss.l-
! Mar i5eneea, haSa w. nesc1 eot maFtied n
y Nhis Question waa asked by axentlnsAas
/. sOGno thirty 6rs o. six yeafa &c age, who ~
J. been for nearly twenty minutss closed
y watching tho motions of \ lads rho sat neA
q him IT work table,
y lhe gentlesaan was 6ne noble loosin,
! nsans with frank, welLformesl features, and
e pleasant expression he was handscmel,
dressed, and tcjud8e BY the looks of his HAN
: yo0 might have said he had wife, had b,
|; looked In other respects like . mafried man
= which he did mot aa
I The room in which the two were sitain,
!. betokensd wealth and taste. IT. occupant
/ were evidently in the upper ranks Of life.
|. The Indy addressed was peEson Of fair
] interesting face, and graceful form. She
4 certainly did look remarkably well, A. shs
: bent her head with its abundant and shining
4 hair, and piled her white hands in the tasi
Z which employed her sight, and apparently
: her whole thoughts.
: Probably conviction Of her attractive
ness and worthhad caused tho question which
, her companion put in such hearty, abrup,
,, tone, that May started, and dropped the red
worsted work on which she had been intent
, What question !! she cried, with . light
laugh-just as il ! cared about being mar
ried
Why should you not cars May2 Surely
Il it il the best and happiest state .f.r man Of
woman.
Granted, with proviso,' said MAY; but,
Mr. Rossiter, i you think 70, why have you
never married 2
N You are true Yankee, May, and answer
ono question by asking another but tell me
now, why you are, ct thirty years Of age
still singlef
How dare vou say am thirty years old ?
Upon my word, if you were not brother 10
my sisterin-law, Id not speak to YOU again
for week s.as
May pretended to pout and the pout was
quite becoming to her full arched lips. @
Didn't you yourself tell me your are, and
only the day before yeAerday2 Your mem.
DRY seems very short, Miss Benton
We'll, didn't expect that You were go-
\ ing to throw it up to me that | WINS an old
4 maid, to pay me Tor my confidence in you.
Il oh, May did say that2 And if / did
you can break my glass house, by Ainging
back my very taunt But come, now, do an
swer my question
| I never could get any one to have me,
said May, shortly. Are you satisfied 2
! No. You need not tell me that q person
60 interesting and attractive as you are has
| never yet had ardent lovers. [ know bet !
ter, May, 50 tell me truly why you are not
Mrs Somebody, now?
May suddenly sobered down, and said, |
nervously: Its because no man whose love |
could return, ever loved me.
And she resumed her work.
How her face had alteredl There had |
come over it a stern, hard expression, as If |
she were saying, inlv--
liz matters not, can wrestle down these
yearnings for something worthy and noble,
and true and strong, against which to lean;
for something winning and tender, and low
ing, which to love- If there is no heart on
earth whose best love is the love want |
can DO without it can walk to the end oil
life, rs | have walked thus far.
Rossiter regarded her in long silence. lie /
had known her for many wears and had OF.
ten wondered ut her great Indifference to the
attentions of gentlemen He had even on
more than one occasion taken her to task
Tor her manner toward them
You won't allow then to become acuuain.
ted with you at all, he said When YOU 70
introduced TO a nun, that is the last Of it
All the yGGng men admire, but they are
afraid OF you. You chill them to death.
heard one man say that he thought YOU
beautiful and interesting creature: has that
he would almost - soon undertake to warm
INTO love an iceberg as yonrself-eyen il he
mad courage enough to make the atteilyit.
A skeptical smile had been the oniy an
swer to such questions.
low could May believe that she was ca
pablo OF inspiring affection in others when
those who knew her best were 50 lightly
touched by it?
Rosster had been for three or four Years
absent and had newly returned when the
above conversation took place. He was
comfortable old bachelor; happy in DISPOSE
ton; happy in possessing an independent
fortune; and happy in his sisters home
not to say happy in the companionship Of
May, whom he honestly believed to be about
the best and most lovely girl in the world
lie had once dearly loved, and suddenly lost
. fair, promised bride; and never since then
had he allowed himself to think Of loving
And BESIDES he didn't know that he wished
to marry. lie was we'll satisfied with his
state and condition when he was at home.
to be sure he did feel uneasy and dissatisfied
all the time he was abroad Nobody's com
pany seemed to fill the void in his heart -
lie did miss his sister sO-and Nav oh,
how glad he was to see them when be re
turned-and how strange he thought it was
that May didn't rush Mt him in the hall and
hug and kiss him just as his sister did hnt
he took fnli satisfaction OF the contrary crea-
tuTe when she did come to welcome him.
And SO May isn't married yet, he sad
well, It's rather too bad, but | am tl;d of
it.
May came very near siehiar, but she did
not at least not audibly How many stji =
born signs there are in the world.
IL well it is no cyime TO smother them at
their birth.
Well, RossiteF sat studying that still. stern
face before him. and he thought new
Us to their present relations.
May, he said at lcngth-'May, was ever
there man that you could have loved had
he asked it?
Like a crimson dye up rose the hot blood
OF that beloved face, and the hard look was
burned out on the instant-she only said,
not lifting her head or eyes:
That you have no right to ask
] have no need to ask, dear May For
give me, If mistake; but | feel as ii had
been favored by revelation Of of--that |
have been as blind and stupid a fellow as ev-
er lived May, if a man whom you regarded
as you do the plain old fellow before you,
were to ask for your love- what would you
sayg
Yes, said May, dropping her head, till
her lace was hid among the worsted
Will you have meg said Rossiter, spring
up, and overseeing his chair.
Yes said a voice from the worsted depth.
Rossiter was on his knees, and most fer
yently embracing chair, worsted and wo-
man.
Nary me! Will you marry me !? said
he
Yes said voice from amid the worsted |
Then hold up your head and let me look
upon the face Of my wife. st George, May,
! believe I've loved you for years.
And | know I've loved you almost ever
since knew you, said May, yielding to the
gentle force which drew her from her low
seat, and led her to one where there was
room for two.
And that's why you never cared about
any other mans company and attention, my
Mavg