Amador weekly ledger., 1857-12-19
POPPING THE QUESTION.
A SHORT CHAPTER ON THAT SUBJECT

1t will not be deemed vanity at my age to
say that at twenty-five l was possessed of
full share of the ordinary good looks of youth
Within little of the Chesterfeldian standard
of height, five feet ten, with locks black and
glossy, (alas, they are white as snow nowl)
with fair complexion, cheeks glowing with
the red tide of youth and health, and posses
sing what is generally considered sufficient
good sense and education for all the practical
purposes of life, it may be thought that my
experience in matters of the heart ought to
have proved an exception to the rule that
"the course of true love never did run
smooth" But, alasl not SO! 1t was my
fortune to become acquainted with young
lady possessed of so many charms, mental
moral, and personal, and so supereminent in
each, that it was indeed impossible for me to
avoid falling, as did, desperately in love
with her.
As far as glances of the eye, tremors Of
the voice, and occasional inuendos might 60
| doubt not that | succeeded full well in inn
parting to her knowledge Of the state of my
heart; and / will not presume on your pa
tience so much as to detail the ecstacy of joy
with which | first discovered, through similar
media, reciprocity of feeling on the part of
the young lady. Let it suffice to say that
this was the case, and that the time came
when it was incumbent upon me to make a
distinct avowal of my love- This, after long
and perplexing mental debate, | resolved to
do by letter, and after writing some forty
epstles on as many sheets Of gilded paper,
finally succeeded in forming a letter, amount
ing to about six lines, containing, as | tho't
the condensed quintessence of everything that
could or ought to be said on the subject. OF
this precious morceau l retain now but slight
recollection. That it abounded with terms
expressive of pure, warm, ardent, glowing,
undying, everlasting. and unprecedented af-
fection, | have not the least doubt. But, un-
fortunately, this little specimen of epistolary
excellence was scarcely finished, when, chan
cling TO peruse some of the experiences Of a
predecessor in the paths of love, read that
nothing was more unwise or dangerous than
making an offer of ones hand and heart by
means of pen and paper.
With the crednlty of a simple mind, | at
once gave implicit credence to this doctrine,
and frightened at the fearful precipice which
/ had SO narrowly avoided, | Immediately de-
stroyed the letter, and resolved to declare my
self 10 person. with my own lips and voice,
and to hear with my own ears the reply which
was to seal my destiny.
Never did an Alexander, Wallace, or
Napoleon, feel the inspiring effects of an he
roic resolution more powerfully than felt the
influence of this; had resolved | would ex-
ecute! | walked the streets with proud
consciousness of the heroism of my rcsolu-
ton; and in the height of my pride, fairly
feared lest in the words Of poet. | should
strike the stars with my lofty head. But SEN
sibe of the imperfection OF human powers,
and conscious that mine in particular were liza
BILE to fail in so delicate an emergency, | re-
solved at least to write and commit to memo
ry my declaratory speech. This undiguiied
and foolish thing did Instead Of trusting
to the warm outporing of an ingenious heart,
which in some way at least would have man
aged to make itself understood and Jeh, l
committed to memory a cold formula of
words, to be delivered as the school-boy re-
cites his speech, of which it is sufficient for
the purpose of this article to recollect the
following sentence: Miss Adamsl will you
allow mo to offer you my hand and heart?'