Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-05-29

BY FLORA.

We'll, gentle reader, promising that truth ia
stranger than fiction, and that il even should
not be spoken at all times, l will put in Just
NO little AZ In absolutely necessary to illustrate
my moral; and what am Obliged to drop in
by way Of stringing my story together, sin.
ccrcly beg pardon for in advance, and hope
you will look upon this slight commission OF
grave Oilence as possessing many cxtenua-
ting circumstances. So, In pursuance of our
plan, We will pass over that elySian posy gar
den, those superb old trees and their extrSor-
dimury shadinpss; all those very remarkable
accidentals invariably attending curly headed
childhood may more, cODsiderate reader,
all those fascinating bushes of opening maid.
enhOOd and, still more extraordinary, will
never mention one word about a thirteen
months cOurtship that the merest limiting at
of some Of the lenst interesting details, would
make the fortune Of any novelist | won't
say word about bride or bridesmaid,
bridegroom or grooms. Only think how
much might be said about all these delightful
matters, and then you will truly realize my
fOrbearancc, when make one grand Jump in.
to next week. II mean the next week after
marriage. Just where most persons would
drop their poor heroincs and heroes to take
care Of themselves, just precisely there will |
pick minc up and try to show that folks are
not dead because they are married, not say
ing, however, but what they had better be.
Next week, then, after oil tho wedding rides
and wedding parties had been attended to-,
and all those wonderful dresses that had been
made no secretly, had been displayed to the
atlmiring and critical gazc of everybody,
James and SOphrOnia Wiseman sat on the
front dOOr-sill Of the brides paternal mansion,
apparently both in mcditativc humor ;-in.
deed, they were thinking about getting set
tied at housekeeping. James income was
very nice and snug for two young people who
had both been raised plainly Hs they had, and
in fact hc had several hundreds already laid
by, which had been saved from il, and his
heart was full Of quiet, comfortable home no.
tiOns. Aristocratic extravaganza, which it
would be impossible for him to support, had
never once crossed his mind; and he had
been proposing dozen different pretty cot
tagcs just the thing for two such newly
welded lovers, with the pretty, neat, but sim
pie furniture, to correspond. The picture he
drew was really beautiful; it was the warm
sunny side Of home-liie, aud his inquiring eye
and voice waited response. But in vain -
SophrOnia's nose was turned up. True, she
had been brought up in an old fashioned two.
story red house with a lean-to, but she had
no longer any car to hear or heart to appre-
ciate any such humble comforts. She had
read about "marble halls" and now sho was
going to try them, she Iods, and servants, too.
She would know how it seemed once, il the
sheriff sold them out to pay for it. She
wasn't going to put up with white paint and
posies, she'd try aud see she didn't! She
would have rosewood and mahogany for her
part, and he could have what he liked
Poor James! he had often heard about the
"Ropc that had two ends" but "whcw, "
thought he, hasn't she got hold Of it with O
vengeance! Only three marble houses in
town, and those occupied by their wealthy
owners, and she, second book keepers wife,
must dwell in marble halls!' Marble palace,
rosewood and mahogany for her, and can
have what like Does she suppose Il won.
der) that We shall require two setsl" But
as hc saw there was no use talking until the
wind shifted, hc set his sails to catch the first
favoriny breeze and concluded to wait, espe
cially a. he could sec nothing better to do
But week after week passed away, and So
phron;a stuck fast to her end Of the rope -
Wis ons Of mahogany and rosewood constantly
danced before her imagination, until her hus
band was compelled to grapple hold Of the
other end with all his might to keep her from
going overheard. 1t was now tug and tug
pull and pull, l,-sometime one had the best o
it, and sometimes the other James rented q
cottage TO suit himself but the next thing
was to get SOphronia to go into it. She de-
clarcd she would never leave her father.
house, and hU told her she needn't; SO HI
paid rent, while at the same time he paid board
and lodging. This state Of affairs was moi
exactly the most desirable for the newly mar
ricd couple, but each appeared to deem thai
the only chance for happiness was to stick
fast to each particular end Of the rope. Al
last, however, the old folks interpOsed, tool
neutral ground and offered sundry compro
mise resolutions, among which was the fol
lowing: THAT She should go into the cot
tagc upon the condition that he should fit ant
furnish it according to her order" Jame!
took long breath on this and gave II, as h,
thought, due dclibcration. Hang it." wa.
his undignlied under tone expression, ifthc,
fill 1t with that abOminNblc mahogany, be-
iieve can stand it, and maybe after she be-
gins to sec how little all the money have
will buy, maybe she will be moro reasonable.
Poor, inexperienced Jimmyl you had bet
ter have kept yourself out Of that. sup
pose you think you know q great dcal-per
haps you do; but you don't know so much ai
you will tind out, for you might, from thC
very start have pinned this maxim to your
sleeve" A woman will have her way"
So the fitting commenced: Now shutters
and painting; now mantels; new wall paper
and new windows,-and such windows. Sht
put just ninety-tive dollar curtains to each O
the parlor windows, and fifty dollar curtains
to each Of the othcrsi James stood aghas
when she very pleasantly introduced him tC
them. lie ventured to say he hoped she haG
not bought them. "Bought theml-yes, in
deed, and everything else to match, from tor
to toe," she exclaimed, as she handed over
bundle Of bills that sere not bank 6iIs. al
thought" said she, ''as could not put much
into the house, l would buy good what die
get" "But fret" calculated james. "In
wooden house like this, they may burn uE
any minute, and it would be impossible to ei
feet an insurance upon such things in such I
house" She very quietly replied" ShG
should have preferred q marble house"
James actually turned pale, for he did moi
possess enough In the world to procure th'
receipt Of tho bills he then held In his hand
and as for his little salary, It would be impos
siblc to forCstall that; besides, it would tax,
every cent Of it, and more too, to suppOr