The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-09-25
to sell rum. Temperance never heard Of
Temperance when was girl.

| ~ oSAs ~ - = SuA RCA uuOC-1 uCfcE uCuTu VI
Temperance when was a girl. "
| It's tho Deacon's darter, Lyddy Lank fort,
| was goin to tell ye about. She liked Enos
Foot. Enos was clerk in her fathers store,
and as likely young man as any there was
in town. Fdon't know't they was exactly
engaged; but 'twas understood well enough
by everybody that he was to marry Lyddy,
and 60 into. business with her father, who
was to take him into partnership; and every
thing went on smooth enough, till up
comes that eyerlastIn' gentleman from Bos-
ton.
4 shall never forget the fust tine see
him. Twas to meetin; he had some business
! with the Deacon, and be sot in the Deacon's
pew. He was dressed up mighty smart,
with his hair all aueued down behind, po-
matumed up straight before, and powdered
all over, as if it had Jest come out Of a -four
bag. That was the fashion them days.
But couldn't help laughin' to see him lookin'
so uncommon stiff and f'erse! lie staid in
town three or four days, and the Deacon
introduced him around, and had SO much to
say about the gentleman from Boston that
it got, to be a by word; for the Deacon tho't
there never was any body like him. We
used to joke Lyddy abont HIM, and asked
Enos if he knew there was q sock knittin'
LUZ ulIHs uuu ~ WoTkcu Gil UOGns SO i
began to mistrust how the land lay. The
and desperit worldly-and he'd thought it
all over, how nice 'twculd be to have the
gentleman from Boston member Of his
family. -. .,. .y-.
Lyddy warn'ta girl to be sighted neither,
by the best of 'em. She was amazin' perty
clear red and white-with eyes bright as
dfmonds. She want none too good for
Enos, though. But while every girl in the
neighborhood was after him, and he was
after Lyddy, she changed her mind at once,
and began to receive attentions from the
gentleman from Boston. Twas her fathers
doin's mostly; but she was young, and a
little giddy, and s'pose she thought it
would be fine thing to marry stranger
that dressed SO smart, and talked so large,
and walked so like prince of the 'arth, and
had so much money as folks told about
and that, artcr all was the main thing, i'm
agine.
'They managed perty shrewd to keep
Enos quiet, and at last he was sent off to
Hartford on some pretence of business, but
for no 'arthly reason under the sun, only to
have him out of the way when the weddin'
come off. The gentleman from Boston was
fierce enough for the match-and no Won
der: for whoever got Lyddy got perty wife,
and fortin' with her.
Your gran'ther Slade was courtin' me
along 'bout that time; he was kind of IL
half cousin of Lyddy's-her father was old
granny Slade's half -brother-and since we'd
been engaged, Lyddy and had got to be
tolerable intimate. So one day, arter she
was published-the minister used to read off
in meetin' them that contemplated matrimo-
ny, always, in those days-Lyddy sent for
me to come over and see her. took my
knittin', and went ovefogirls never thought
of goin' visitin' then 'thout some kind O.
work. | remember went cross-lots, and
picked some ros'berries by the way, and
strung some on stalk of grass to take to
Lyddy. She run out by the well to meet
me, and huggcd me in her arms, and burst
a cryin' right there on my neck.
'.Wy, Lyddy' says /. What on 'arth is
the matter = saysI |. 'Now don't cry!' says |.
But all the time was cryin' myself; for |
knowed what the trouble was--and many a
sad and lonesome time I'd had thinkin' of
her and poor Enos Foot, though 'twa'n't no
business Of mine.
Il amt cryin'! or if be, its cause Pm SO
glad to see yep SO / went In, and she be-
gan to look a little chirk, showin' me her
weddin dress and txin's. But l couldn't
feel happy, somehow; KEEP thinkin', think
i'm. aud e'cna' most chokin', when tried to
talk; and at last couldn't help speakin'
right out:
'What 'u'd Enos say, Lyddy:'
'Shc turned white as n sheet, and dropped
her dress, and stood minute the most dis
tresscd object ever set my eyes on; then
@ she began to cry again!
| 'Oh, don't mention Enosn says She
'There never was any body SO miserable as
4 bc!'
sShe took on terrible for much as ten or
f fifteen minutes; and let her, for though,
'twould do her good have to her cry out
/ But felt awful while sat by and looked on.
, was in love Il little myself then, and
{ could Jest enter into her fecin's, and feel
d for Enos, too, exactly as lift had been my
l own cuse. At last she wiped up, and tried
] to put sober face on the matter.
f slt's no use now,' says she; 'lct's talk
e about somethin' else.'
= sBut | was determined to dive into the
: matter little deeper. SO says |:
t IF you don't like him, what makes ye
| marry him?' says |.
IfI don't like who?' Lyddy spoke up,
: real spunky for second two.
@ sYour gentleman from Boston!' saysI.
: sWho says don't like him? Of course
f like him, or l shouldn't marry him. says
she: but her voice was beginin' to tremble.
s sBut there's somebody you like better,
Y says 'No use your denyin' that. And
there's somebody that likes you great deal
: better than ever you deserved he should
t And you're wiifully and wickedly breakin'
his heart, as if 'twan't of no more vally
than stun under cart-whee! Excuse
me for bein' so plain with ye, Lyddy; but
that's Jest what think, and couldn't help
sayin' IT, .. =,
Y .Instid of bein' mad, as s'posed she'd
: be, what did she do but run up to me, and
, git rite down on her knees by my side, and
look up in my face, with her hands a holdin'
both Of mine tight, and the tears running
, out of her eyes Jest like two springs of water!
I sOh! will it break his hearth says she.
$40 YOU think he loves me so-do you!'-
e and she laughed and sobbed, both at, the
t same time, as if it made her happy, even
then, to think how Enos loved her.
: -sThen she told me the hull story; and it
5 did really seem as though she want so much
, TO blame, arter all. 'Twas all her fathers
and relations doin's-for they was bent on
/ havin' her marry the gentleman from Bos-
ton, aud they'd fairly talked her into 4, and
: made her think she must. She owned right
that S[C uluH lhC q pieS "ho 'S' -
could: and declared she had never for a
minute thought Enos would have felt SO bad
{ about us she did,
, Giant too late yit,' says I.
sShe frightened up at that; but when
told her what she ought to do, her counte-
nadce fell, and she gasped out that she nev-
er could do it in the world
,, .Turn right about says I, 'and undo jest
/ all you've done wrong-that's the only way
!, TELL your father you never understood your
! feeln's till now; that you never can love
anybody but Enos; and that, MS for tnarryln''
= the gentleman from Boston, you can't and
. won,t!' That's what told her: and was
SO worked up about it guess laid 1t down
to her pretty strong.
What'l everybody say?' says she.
. sNever mind what every body'll say says
t /. think of Enos. Think of bein' married
, to a man you don't like, and the man you
do like breaking his heart about ye! WhaFh