The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-08-25
The Way Nav Benton got Married.

The Way MAY Benton got Married.
Why have you never been married
May I? ?-aia,se ait gig bgs. .ssra :,
This question was asked by a gentle
man some thirty five or six years ot
age, who had been for nearly twenty
minutes closely watching the motions
of a lady who sat near him at a work ta
BILE. sT1 s.,l..f-.,...[. a-'
The gentleman was a fine, noble
looking man, with frank, well formed
features and pleasant expression. He
was handsomely dressed, and to judge
by the looks of his hair, you might
have said that he had wife, had he
looked IN other respects like a married
man-which he did not
The room in which the two were sit
ting betokened wealth and taste. Its
occupants were evidently in the upper
ranks of life. a tte,.
The lady addressed was person OF
fair, interesting face and graceful form.
She certainly did look remarkably well
as she bent her head with its abundant
and shining hair, and piled her white
hands in the task which employed her
sight and apparently whole thoughts.
Probably a conviction of her attrac-
tiveness and worth had caused the
question which her companion put in
such hearty abrupt tone, that May
started and dropped the red worsted
work upon which she had been intent.
"What a question:" she cried with
a light laugh-"just as if l cared about
being married ~ st3ast t-alL
"Why should you not care, May
Surely it the best and happiest state for
a man or woman"
"Granted with proviso," said May
&c but Mr.. Rossiter, if you think so,
why have you never married?" ar
You are true Yankee, May, and
answer a question by asking another
but tell me, now, why you are, at thir-
ty years of age, still single %
How dare you say l am thirty
years old? Upon my word, if you
were not brother to my sister-in-law,
I'd not speak to you again for week y
May pretended to pout; and the
pout was quite becoming to her full
arehed lips. s5e1 qa 2i '-49z tl-
"Didn't you yourself tell me Your
age, and that only the day before yes.
to-day? Your memory seems very
short, Miss Benton"
"Well, / didn't expect you were GO
ing to throw it up to me that I was an
old maid, to pay me for my confidence
in YOU" ,3v s 81 se
aOh! May-did say that? And
if did you can break my glass house,
by flinging back my very taunt But
come, now, answer my question"
81 never could get any one to have
me-" said May shortly. care you sat
isfed ?" =.
"No. You need not tell me that a
person so attractive as you are has
never yet had ardent lovers. i know
better, May-so tell me truly why you
are not Mrs. Somebody, now % ts-
May suddenly sobered down and
said nervously-"It's because no man
whose love / could return ever loved
me-" s- ~ Efetfa1 tt
And she resumed her work.
How her face had altered !! There
had come over it stern, hard express
sion as if she were saying, inly-
1t matters not-I can wrestIe down
these yearnings for something worthy
and noble, and strong, against which
to lean; for something winning, and
tender, and loving, which to love. II
there is no heart on earth whose best
love is the love / want, | can do with.
out i'll can walk to the end of life as
| have walked thus far -, .,s a.,s.,s
Rossiter regarded her in long silence.
He had known her for many years, and
had often wondered at her great indif
ference to the attentions of gentlemen.
He had even. on more than one occa-
sion, taken her to task for her manner
toward them.
Y on won't allow them to become
acquainted with you at ALL" he said.
g When you are introduced to. a man
that's the last of it. All the young men
admire, but they are afraid of You.
\ ou chill them to death. / heard one
man say that he thought you beauti-
ful and interesting creature !; but then
he would as soon undertake to warm
into love as iceberg as yourself-eyen
if he had courage enough to make the
attempt" "s:r7.3 -
A skeptical smile had been the only
answer so such questions.
How could May believe that she was
capable of inspiring affections in others
when those who knew her best were SO
lightly touched by it. a. a.yl--e.s
Rossiter had been for three or four
years absent, and had newly returned
whenthe aboveconversationtook place.
He was q comfortable old bachelor,
happy in disposition, happy in possess
ing an independent fortune, and happy
in his sisters home-not to say happy
in the companionship Of May, whom
he honestly believed to be about the
best and most lovely girl in the world.
He had once dearly loved and suddenly
lost charming bride /; and never since