Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1859-04-14
For the Yorkvnle Enquirer.
LOVE, C0URTSHIP AND MARRIAGE
By J. FORREST CONAN.


the mind. 1t is seldom, If ever, that the man of
towering intellect fixes upon literary woman as
the object of bis affections and the world has
long since learned the truth of the statement that
women of splendid education, refined tastes, and
liberal accomplishments have bestowed their hands
and hearts upon even less than ordinary men.
Men, the Development of whose physical parts
might we'll htthem for the performaucsof Falstaff,
ore continually leading to the marriage altar the
smdliest specimens of "the sex whose presence
civilizes ours" while on the other hand, men small
enough to crawl through the space between a
pitcher and its handle, areever found in the soce-
ty of feminine giants.
Cupidl use that 'heathenish name with due
disgust and contempt-aims his little shaft at
our hearts from almost every imaginable quarter.
Sometimes he let's fly IN arrow from behind we'll
turned ankle sometimes he covers his rosy limbs
beneath pretty head of clustering curls, only to
star. from his hiding place and thrust his barbed
arrow into our hearts. He makes use Of dimples
as loop holes through which be may direct his
shafts; and now and then takes aresting shot from
fair shoulder. The little archer sometimes slips
the head of his arrow between the fingers of
dainty little hand, so that when you take that
"dear hand" within your own, and press it go
fondly, you may be sure to feel the painful wound
which the owner of the hand can only heal.
Men are continually failing in love-" and ever
will do so as long as the world lasts, or human
nature continues to be what II is. But casting
aside oil nonseusical humbuggcry, and mellifuous
sentimentalism, let Us talk plain common sense
about Love, Courtship and Marriage.
Old man, there sits "the old poman"-you love
to call her so-with whom yo1 have lived and been
happy for lo1 these many years. Put on your
spectacles and open the family Bible md search
for the page, upon which is recorded the date of
your marriage. Fifty years ago! Go dreamingly
back into the beautiful long ago, when Julia
your "oM ,roman" now-was breathing the fra
grant air Of her sixteenth summer.
You were at preaching in the old meeting house
by the roadside you were young man Of about
twenty one years-you went there to worship God.
The holy man delivered the benediction-the wor-
shippers arose to leave the sacred spot-but did
you? Why did you remain seated?
All you look tearfully upon the ''old woman
yonder-I see your old heart is busy with that
long ago May morning, when she, who now sits
by the log fire. knitting hose for her little grand
children, was the beautiful Julia Esterling--the
pride of a doating fathers heart, snd the belle
your once little village. Her soft blue eyes met
yours and, without knowing why, you felt the
warm blood rushing to your cheeks, q choking
sensation was felt in your throat and an indefna-
Bile feeling swept over your entire heart, and you
could not account for it. You were never o SEN
timentalist-never read novel-and yet, you
went away alone in the woods, after preaching
was over and rhymed dops with love, and "bright
skies" with "JIue yes.". You never dreamed Of
dinner that day; and when you took your seat at
the table, supper time, you buttered your bread
on both sides, sweetened your coffee twice, cut
your mouth With the knife, and made yourself
generally ridiculous. Your dog came up to You
for his accustomed pat on the head, and though
the poor brute put bis nose upon your knee, and
paved upon your boot, you did not notice him.
All you remember it all very well, old man.
You went up to your room-threw yourself up
on the nearest chair and went off into O long re-
verie-didn't you, now? You were startled from
that reverie by the clock bell striking twelve and
you arose with sigh-retired to your bed, and
tossed about until the dawn of day. What head
ache you had when you walked out into the gar
den !-how little desire you had for the smoking
breakfast and how you started and colored,
when the old house. keeper asked if you were un-
well. All, me! was not this.y your experience for
days and weeks together!
But friend-how your heart blessed him -
found out your secret sorrows and offered to in
troduce you to Julia E.terling All! old man
you cannot have forgotten how nicely you adjus.
ted your hair-how many times you arranged
your neck-tie-how carefully you brushed your
best coat, and then returned to the mirror to take
yet another view of yourself Before that time
you cared very little how you looked, or what
people said about your outer man but now-well,
let that all pass!
Your friend came for you ;and, with wildly
beating heart, you stepped into the carriage and
enveloped yourself in impenetrable silence. Don't
you remember what rush Of feeling came over
your heart when the carriage wheels ceased to
revolve, ord the driver said, "Here is the house,
gentlemen ?"
Old, white haired man, what would you take
for the memory of that moment, when you hesita-
tingly, treublingly clasped the proffered little
hand of Julia for the first time? What was it,
that came over your conscious nature that made
the skies look so bright, the flowers so beautiful?
What made thoughts as beautiful as the stars, and
feelings, plumed like birds of Paradise, come
singing into your bosom: What influence was it
that stirred the depths Of your heart with new
melody, and sent wave of beauty over your soul
as sweet as the fragrance of flowers that bloom in
dreamland? 1t was nothing but Hiss Esterling
for the next month-there was no body in the
world (your world) but her! Nobody had such
sweet voice-nobody played such beautiful music,
aad of oil the hands in the world hers was the soft
est, prettiest and most beautiful! 1t was 80 soft
so rery small so exquistely moulded, that you,
somehow or other, could not touch it unless a
thrill of rapture went through your heart. Oh
it was such dear little hand
Months passed away, and now you ventured to
n Lo, I,,J;o Won tnnk 1on0 vyo1,