Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1859-09-02
An amusing 5torp.
MY FRIEND JOSHUA.

Did you ever see bashful man, read
er? If you have, you have seen one of
the most awkward, ungainly creatures
among the human bipeds. Now, there
may be something very attractive and
interesting in the shrinking timidity Of
a blushing girl, though | confess | have
my doubts in regard to it; but bashful
man, who ever pities him? Though,
despised by one sex and laughed at by
the other, always doing what he never
ought to have done, and saying what he
never intended to say, he is one of the
most pitiablo objects in existence.
To be sure, in these days of brass and
assurance, when everybody thinks him
self as good as his neighbor, and a great
deal better, they are very rare. But
still they are to be met with occasional
ly, though they are fast disappearing,
and probably in few years there will
be no trace Of them left.
My friend, Joshua Wheat, was one of
this unfortunate class Of people l say
,cas, for he has considerably improved of
late years But | will not anticipate
No one could have seen Joshua enter
room where there was company, espe-
cially ladies', without being aware of this
popularity of his. He generally either
blundered along, looking red and foolish,
or shot hurriedly in, with a white, scared
face, hiding himself as soon as possible
from observation, behind a door or in a
corner. If there was chair or stool
anywhere in the room, which was very
apt to be the case, he generally managed
to stumble over it, which was not at all
calculated to increase his self-possession
or add to the grace of his entrance. If
pretty girl spoke to him, be stammered
and turned all sorts Of colors, looking as
frightened and ashamed as if he had been
convicted Of shecp-stealing.
Poor Joshua! There certainly never
was man who had higher opinion of
the better part of creation, or was more
capable of approaching the blessings of
matrimony; yet he had reached the age
Of twenty-eight without being one step
nearer towards realizing them than be
was eight years before.
He had five brothers; but though none
of them had half his good looks or
sense, they possessed what he did not,
plenty Of assurance and tact Of show
ing all they did know, and we're all mar
ried and happily settled in life, while he
remained fOrlorn, dsconsolate bachelor
1t was not from the want of means to
support wife, for he had plenty of this
worlds goods, a well stocked farm, a
nice new house, bcsi4rs some money in
;he bank 1t certainly was not for the
want of girls, for there were scores of
them in the town where he lived, of all
sorts and sizes. black-eyed, blue-eyed,
and grey-eyed, and eyes of no color at
all. No, Joshua Wheat remained I'M
married merely because he had not the
moral courage to look any one of the
girls in the face and say, II love you
will you marry meY
These words arc very simple, and to
the uninitiated very easily spoken yet
| have known many a mans courage fail
him at the thought of saying them, who
would have ridden into the front Of the
iercest and hottest battle without the
shadow of fear.
at last all the girls Of Joshua's ac-
quaintanee were married 10 brayer, if not
better men-all but one, Mary Dearborn,
the prettiest one among them all, and as
good and sensible as she was pretty. -
Mary had plenty of suitors, but she
turned cold shoulder to them all, being
firmly determined in her own mind that
if she married at all, she would have
nobody but Joshua Wheat.
Joshua had taken a great shine to
Mary ever since they were children; they
used to 60 to school together in the little
red school-house on the hill, he drawing
her to and from school in the winter on
his little sled. and bringing her apples
as red and shining as her rosy checks.
When they grew older he sill exhib-
itel bis preference for her, though in .