The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-09-22


In horse flesh as her tender suitor. Once
with his victim seated by his side, he
would regale her ear with a history of his
broken vehicles, overturns, and hair
breadth escapes with the same auadru-
ped, and take, all the time. particular care
so to drive, and over such uneven ground
as to infict upon Edith the horrors of an
overturn, in every thing but the actual
occurrence of it, at every step. If, in
walking with Edith, he saw her step aside
to avoid an ant-hill, he would take par
ticular pains to go back and grind it lev
el with his ugly heel. He would coun-
terfeit drunkenness so naturally as to
bring the foolish child Into tears; and,
indeed, there was no conceivable enormi-
ty. short of knocking her down with mal-
ice prepense, that he did not practice
All this, he assured her was "in joke; "
and when he wound up his obstreperous
feats with fit of laughter as bosterous
as his jokes, Edith would faintly laugh
too, while tears stood in her eyes
Poor Edith! She wondered if all men
were like Jack Robinson-but she dared
not ask Others treated her with defer
ential civility; and soshe remembered did
Jack once, but that was before he was a
declared and accepted lover; and she more
than half wished that she nad always kept
him on terms as distant But just as
she had reasoned herself into half hating
him, he would always regain his stand
ing bv some real proof of affection, un-
studied and perhaps unrc6ned on his part,
aud unexpected on hers. What could
she do with such an awkward cub of low
cr? Hate and dismiss him she could
not; for his very gaucheries had become
toIerable aud even pleasant to her. The
match was something like the affection
Of the bride of the bandit for her lord
Jack was bandit in manners, and be
hanged TO hin, with not half the refine
ment that real gentecl romance or stage
free booter throws into his love passages.
The Ide, Of being yoked for life to such
an unr,formed <. itfin would seem terrible
to her, in spite of ali her efforts to the
contrary. 1t certainly did to her friends;
but when they began to tell her so, Edith
showed all the woman-declared that
Jack was great deal better than those
who maligned him-that unpublished
worth and sense was better than varnish-
cd villainy-and that she would marry
him were he twt nty times Jack Ruhin-
SOU. To ills there was no answer, and
the dear friends of Edith only sighed
ard shrugged their shoulders, while she
s'ru;ted out of the room like stage bou1-
Ger. Gentle women CAN show IRE some
tiues-and when they do Let those
who know. speak.
Jack was a great lover of aquatic amuse-
ments Besides his membership Of a
boat club, he boasted the possession Of
various descriptions of small water craft,
his pride in which was on ly second to
his toudness Of his horses, if even to that
Just at moment when Edith had been
resenting the interference of her friends
in Jack 5 disfavor, that worthy made his
appearance. and invited her to take a
water excursion with him. This, which
was standing invitation in the boating
season. she always resolutely declined.
She looked up, as Robinson put the
question, and saw the malicious smiles of
her friends, which plainly intimated that
they knew she dare not accept. To stop
to thiuk-to crafty them by moments
hesitation, her pride would not permit !;
and to Jack's surprise and pleasure, she
accepted his Invitation at once. She
only intimated to him. as they passed to
the water side, that she acceded to the
jaunt, to show he friends that she was
not afraid to trust herself to his guidance,
under any circumstances. The rascal =
not to heed this delicate and maidenly
appeal to his generosity to spare her
fears.
10 do Robinson justice, he intended
to respect her tiuldity, and to forbear,
for once, to make it the butt of his rogue
Il ry. On the very point of embarkation,
the temptation to break over his good
resolution almost mastered him. His
man Friday, who was in waiting on board
regarded them, as they stepped into the
boat, with such confident anticipation
of " fun" that Jack regretted his good
resolution. AS the sail was spread tc
the breeze, and the little barque careened
under it, his determination to spare Edith
became weaker and weaker, as she beg
god him to return, or " sail slower.
She clung to the windward side will
the agony Of drowning woman, and
Jack, who would have laid down his life
for her at that moment, had such /;
sacrifice been necessary, made 20 scruplt
to laugh at her misery-for what is more
miserable, more tormenting than tear
Step by step they advanced, Jacl
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