The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-11

81 should not have imagined it." said he,
| with perfect sincerity.
And not ashamed to own it, if I'd only spent
! my time better. AS it is, I've seen a good deal
| of married life, and thought about it little
| too; or | might have entered into it-well, half
| dozen times over, at least"
| Among the Mormons? Pr
No. i should have choked any lover ever
had, If I'd married him, I'm sure, in the honey
moon"
"Oh the Female Bluebeard |"
Just so,' said she, absently. "Three kinds
| OF marriages there are, my son she counted
| them on her fingers" the first, that's rare
that's made in heaven-they say that all are,
but that's because they don't know the sec
| ond-thats common enough, | hope-made on
earth the third-that's common enough, and
| too common, l happen to know-made in the
other place, and trap-door to jerk folks down
| into it, You understand"
Partly; but | wish you would be so very
good as to let me have your commentary"
SWELL the last and worst speaks for ITSELF
and it isn't necessary nor charitable to say much
about It. It's when people, who are naturally
aggravating to each other, marry from interested
motives, or from mistake that they find out
when it's too late, and don't try as they ought
and as some do, to make the best of it. and the
between the names of two colts that pricks, and
goads, and tears, and crazes, long as it sticks
EN- together. The middle one, said, was made
on earth that's when all that the Jenny-bird
wants is a nest, and mate to feed her in 1T ;
and she don't see much difference between the
first that happens to twitter to her and the Others
provided he knows how to feather his nest and
bring in plenty of nice things for her and her
young ones; and their tempers chance to suit
each other on trial; and he minds his business
and she minds hers and they get used to each
other, and bill and coo when they meet, and are
happy enough apart to be sure, but rather hap
pier, after all, when they're together"
| "And the first kind?"
"Ah that l know less Of You'll find out
about that for yourself one ofthese days, hope
that is, if you marry at all-Mr. Arden"
Thank yOui' said Herman, pressing her
hand cordially but may | not hear little
about it beforehand"
| "True boy! amt you? You must suck your
orange little, at least, all the morning, if you
can't cut it till the clock strikes luncheon time
| Wait and leave drop or two of juice in it,
advise you. The last, can only guess at; for
| the best kinds of happiness don't show much on
the outside. But if / must say something,
suppose it is when two people, upright and
| blameless towards the rest of the world, are
culiarly pleasant and delightful to one an
other-really are so, and don't merely fancy
they are till they can't help themselves, and
then change their minds; when they'd rather
sit side by side in barn than apart in palace
but yet are too kind to each other to marry till
they afford something better than a barn to
sit in, for, when the wind comes i'm the cold
cracks comfort and peace are apt to fly out to-
gether; when the very foot of the one, as he
comes up the stair, the old song says-I
used to sing It'll music int to the other
more than the tongues of all the flatterers in the
world when each always brings out what is
happiest and best in the other, and each charac
ter gives to the other just what the other wants
and the man grows tenderer and all the nobler
for that, and the woman nobler and all the
| tenderer for that; and so the two human souls
mix IN each and they strengthen, and sweeten,
and hallOw each other, into two blessed blessing
guardian angels
Now, Mr.. Arden, young folks will be curious !;
and i dare say you wanted to know, and were
too polite to ask, how ] came to be what am
Humanity speaking, to tell the truth, believe
it was because was disappointed in love-
such love as that. I see you're pricking up
| your ears, my son but you re doomed to be
disappointed yourself, if you expect to hear any
romance from such matter-of-fact old woman,
just as the girls are when they tease me to tell
them my story. God has all kinds of ways
and means to drive and draw perverse souls to
His ends. 1t wasn't in any lover in particular
that | was disappointed, but in an opportunity
to enter into that sort of wedlock and luckily
| had sense enough to feel that neither of the
other two sorts would do for me. had offers
enough, may say, without vanity, now that
the time for EN- has been gone by for more
| years than you've lived and more shame for
me, for | was sad firt, and drew men on
when oughtn't; and / liked this one for this,
and that one for that, but no one for every
thing and many for companions, but no one
for master. was wild unruly thing enough
in those days, not what you'd call a bad-hearted
girl, l. hope, but thoughtless and lawless, and
bent on nothing but amusing myself, and hav-
ing my own way. l hardly went near my di-
rector more than twice a year. I'd run down
a whole square if | saw him coming, to get out
of his way; and if he sent for me, and had to
go, I'd have so little to confess to him. that
he'd say, Do you mean to tell me that this is
all, my daughter?' and then I'd answer,
Goodness gracious, father, no How can you
possibly expect me to remember half?' When
he set me my penance, used to forget it before
l reached home, or, at all events, before I'd done
| 1t; so he had to write it down for me on piece
| of paper And then lost that, and was afraid
to tell; and ate meat fast-days half the time,
and did and left undone everything oughtn't,
! just in that needless way; and all the while
was dressing, and dancing, and riding, and sing
| ing, and laughing, and talking, from morning
| till night, with pack of other young folks of
my own age, just as frivolous and Eighty as !.
"Well, that was very pleasant for some years
but pretty soon they began to pair off and go,
the boys into their Offices and counting rooms,
and the girls into their nurseries and had to
find myself younger companions, or go with
out, which was not quite so agreeable. How
ever, / made the best of it. / was called hand
some then; and my spirits were high; and the
brother l lived with Il was an orphan) was
pretty wealthy, and pretty extravagant too, Pm
afraid, and kept open house so that l was sur
rounded with silly fellows enough of all ages,
and enjoyed myself tolerably well some years
longer; but that couldn't last always, and /
began to have my trials at home. Ny brothers
own family was large, and growing larger, and so
were his expenses. His wife was rather quick
tempered, and SO was 1. The children took after
US both in that and, though he was naturally
rather fond of me than otherwise, he began
to think we were rather too many for one house
to hold. So he pould encourage the visits of
two or three old beau1 of mine that I'd led On
and then refused-and that, of course, it didn't
give me any particular pleasure to see-in hopes
I'd change my mind. And when he saw I'd
have nothing to say to 'em, 1t would sometimes
make him cross
That made my home-his home, mean
uncomfortable; and when / went out, to change
the scene little, it still weighed on my mind,
| and spoiled my spirits and then wouldn't al
ways receive as much attention as / liked, or
was used to. The night was twenty-seven,
had regular cry, / remember; and the next
ball went to, there were some cav little creOles