San Andreas independent., 1858-02-13
A Short Chapter on Proposals.

1t will be deemed vanity, at my age, to
| say that at twenty live / was possessed of
full share. of the ordinary charms of
youth. Within a little of the Chester
feldian standard Of hight, five feet ten,
with locks black and glossy as the ravens
wing (alas the driven snow is not whittier
now, with fair complexion, checks glow
ing with the red tide of youth and health,
and possessing what is generally consid-
cred sufficient good sense and education
for all the practical purposes OF life, 1t
may be thought that my experience In
matters of the heart ought to have proved
all exception to the rule, that the course
of true love never did run smooth. -
But, alas! 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 much, that it was indeed impossible
for me to avoid falling, as l did, despe-
rately in love with her.
As far as glances of the eye, tremors
of the voice, and occasional inuendoes
might 90, [ doubt not that I succeeded
full well in imparting to her knowledge
of the state of my heart; and | will not
presume SO much upon your patience as
to detail the ecstacy of JOY with which |
first discovered, through similar media, a
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 on me to make a
distinct avowal of my love. This, after
long and perplexing mental debate, | re-
solved to do by letter; and after writing
some forty epistles on as many sheets of
gilded paper, | finally succeeded in form
ing letter amounting to about six lines,
containing, as | thought, the condensed
quintessence of everything that could or
ought to be said on the subject Of this
precious morceau / retain now but Slight
recollection. That it abounded with
terms expressive of pure, warm, ardent,
glowing, undying, everlasting, and un-
precedented affection, have not the least
doubt But, unfortunately, this little
specimen of epistolary excellence was
scarce finished, When, CHANGING to Pc
ruse some of the experiences of prede-
ccssor 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 credulity Of a simple mind, |
at once gave implicit credence to this
doctrine, and frightened at the precipice
which | had so narrowly avoided, | i'm
mediately destroyed the letter, and re-
solved to declare myself in 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
a Napoleon, feel the inspiring effects of
an heroic resolution more powerfully than
felt the influence of this; l had re-
solved; | would execute /! walked the
streets with proud consciousness of the
heroism of my resolution; and, in the
hight of my pride, fairly feared lest, in
the words of a poet, | should strike the
stars with my lofty head. But sensible
Of the imperfection of human powers,
and conscious that mine, in particular,
were liable to fail in SO delicate an emer-
gency, | resolved at least to write and
commit to memory my declaratory speech.
This undignifed and foolish thing | did.
Instead of trusting to the warm outpour-
ing of an ingenious heart, which in some
way at least would have managed to make
itself understood and felt, committed to
memory a cold formula of words, to be
delivered as the school boy recites his
speech, of which it is sufficient for the
purpose of this article to recollect the fol-
lowing sentence: seMiss Adams. will
you allow me to offer you my hand and
heart ?" @ @ M
The fearful hour arrived The even
ing of my wonted visit approached, and l
found myself seated by the side of my
adored, in the summer evening twilight.
The last rays of the setting sun had grad
ually disappeared from the rosy clouds
that fingered above the west The full
moon rose high in heaven, and one by
one the glorious stars became visible;
ain such night
Stood Dido with willow in her hand,
Upon the wild sea banks, and waved her love
To come again to Carthage"
The open window by which we sat
looked upon a garden stored with pro-
fusion of rich and rare flowers, from
which there exhaled, and arose around as
a delicious fragrance, forming fit atmos-
phere for such scene. The time, the
silence, the scenery, everything was ap-
propriate; and she, the beautiful, the
most unearthly, seemed, by intuition, to
understand my thoughts and Intentions,
as with head bent down she gazed (and
with slight blush upon the fair checks
around which her auburn curls were play
lng) upon a moss rose which she was
earnestly engaged in pulling to pieces
was employed in the equally serious oc-
cupation of opening and shutting small
fancy snuff box which / had in my hand.
Alas where now was the Alexandrian
or Napolean courage that inspired me r
l felt my vigor ooziug out of the palms OF
my hands. But at last, summoning reso-
luton, like man on the scaffold who
Ixx-,, Il. \ L - ~ ri