Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1857-10-17
A LOVE STORY.
BY Il. W. DEVICES.

"Aunt Mary has come, aunt Mary
has Gomez cried the eager voices o.
the children, as they sprang towards thu
'ioor OF the nursery, to meet an elderl,
woman who was just entering as the
twilight was darkening into night.
Yes, aunt Mary has come to sit ar
hour with her darlings," responded q
pleasant voice, and aunt Mary, though
l4uch numbered in her movements by
the crowdiDg aud pressing of the little
ones: slowly made her way to the half
dying wood fire, which she speedily
improved to a brisk blaze, and then en-
sconced herself in the rocking chair,
with the three years. old baby, Cherry,
as they called her, on her lap.
The other children pressed close upon
her, and then it was, "Now, aunty, tell
us a story, do" from the coaxing little
Eddie, Of FIVE, and warm ''Do, do"
from the others.
''Well, what shall it be about ?" asked
the consenting aunty.
-:About wars and fghting.." cried
bold Charley of eight.
"'No, no, about the Wolf and the
Lamb, or the Sick Lion" said Eddie,
who was deep IN ESop's fables.
"pondy two soos! Doody two soos"
screamed the baby, while the little
maiden Ellen of ten, having at that
mature a re begun to turn her attention
10 such 81 bjects, plead that aunt Mary
would tell them all about her love af-
fairs when she was young, and how it
came that s he never got married.
about wi my love affairs % cried
aunt Mary, laughing--"how many do
You suppose /. had? thousand? Well,
tAen-vanity may as we'll stand aside
and let me opn: up-that, never having
been a beauty either old or young, l
never had u lie in my life.''
"Why, IL, t. exclaimed tho aston
Ishod Ellen, IN tone Of CONSERVATION,
for in her }outhl I'll ignorance she was
under the inpressi on that lovers were as
plenty as blackbe .ries, and like them,
10 be had for the ! icking.
Eddie looked UP in his aunt's plain
face scrutinlzingly-
"Why, aunt Mar. 7, amt you pretty?
[ tho't you was beau tiful."
Aunt Mary laus he'd with pleasure,
bat Charley impatie n,ly rejoined,
Goodness, Eddie, where's your
Eyes. Just see what a turned mp nose,
and what a --'
s'Let my nose alone, Charley, will
you?'' cried aunt Mary briskly, whiEe
she mutterei some thing a bout 'Ies en-.
Gnts terriUe.'' to herself.
Ellen, meanw. lie, who was not to be
diverted from her idea, was begging to
lave the love story, since tn ere was but
Me.
AZ last aunt Mary began.
Il vas about twenty years old when
had my first and only lover, Ben. Be-
lis, and him scared off, as you shall
rear.
Zen had been very attentive to me
far several months; he sent me flowers,
b.; touk me to ride, he blushed when l.
kes1 s to him, and did all those thing
p fisn those who pretend to know NOR e
:4.sG,t such things than do, say ind i
@te a case Of interested affections. I
know that Ben thought of me, anel 1
ma, as we'll confess that I had made. up
rny mind when he offered himself to say
'1ves.o
Very well, my dears, I and every
body else, considerable as good AS set
tel, when unfortunately one day in
June We Welt, with some others, on
,ic-nic excursion. We had delight
,ul day, and were to return by moon
light. At twilight it grew a little chill
II, AMI we all busted ourselves in build
ing a huge bonfce, round which we af-
terwards sat teAlng all sorts of horrible
stories, cspe sally ghost stories, and
confessing to our private superstitlous
fears.
"Som., however, would not own to
having ever experienced such feelings,
;.nd Ben Bcvis was particularly loud In
brag cling Of his courage. So much so,
that at last one Of the gentlemen offered
to bet him a new hat that he would not
dare TO venture alone, to a certain lonely
spot in the woods, not far distant,
which he designated.
Il did not think Ben looked partic-
ularly delighted with the proposal, but
he accepted it, and sailed forth.
mo sooner had he gone, than +
seized white scarf which belonged 10
one of the ladies, and putting it over
my head, set off by another route to
meet Ben at the, appointed place, with
the simple, lnlschievous idea Of giving
him a slight fright. Some Of the party
followed me at distance to see the finn.
II reached the spot before Ben did,
but very soon [ saw him creeping slow
" and cautious ly to the place. When
he was aboslt twenty feet from me.