Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1861-03-12
M ISCELL A N Y.
pROCRAsTINATION
"I LOST A WIFE BY IT."

ern tour, and was sitting in my room in the eve
ming, writing to some of my friends, when she
cousin of mine came in and laid a small bundle
on my table 1t was a slice OF wedding cake,
done up very neatly in gold-edged paper.
sab" said I, "what have we here21
wedding cake" said coz.
wedding cake" said [; "a generous slice
truly Vino of my friends have been so foolish
as to commit lnatrimony? and when did this
| melancholy affair happen ~
"Christmas Eve" returned COZ. 1.-THE card
| that came with the cake will answer your first
| question )" and giving me an arch smile as she
pointed to the card, left the room.
"Indeed my old chum married9" said to
myself, as | took up the card and read Mr.. and
Mrs. George Adams Ha, ha, ha? who'd have
thought George would have committed such an
act! Mr. and Mrs. George Adamss! Ha, ha,
really, | should like to see the fellow, just to
bore him bit. But who is this ladyg It can't
be Miss -, nor Miss -; they were no
favorites of his Let me think" continued I,
taking out my pencil and putting on a bit of pa
per the names of our female acquaintances. /
| went on with There's Ellen Rice-can't be
her Jane Green-not her; Mary Willis-not
| her." until had written down the names of a.
| bout twenty girls, without satisfying myself as
| to the right one. $50, then, Adams is really
married" |" said to myself. | felt truly rejoiced
| that it was 80, and could not help thinking
| how comfortable it would be to drop in OF an
evening with my lady, for had serious mo-
| tions then of getting 1narred-as you shall hear
by-and-by-and having social times. | plan
ned out how we would spend our evenings to-
gether in pleasant intercourse. | determined
shat his lady and my lady should be the best
| friends and Mrs. Adams as a sister to me, and
my wife as sister to him. 10 fact, such pic
| & t;a
bright and glowing with all that is delightful
did the future seem in married state-that /
threw my paper one way, my pen another,
jumped up, and prepared for visit to Maria
| Bailey, to whom meant to offer myself that
| very night, and get married as soon as the law
| and the minister would let us. Having put on
| clean dickey-it was cold night and was
| in hurry-I sailed forth to visit my intended
Maria lived at the north end of the town with
her mother, widow lady. While on the way
to the house, will make the reader little ac~
quainied with Maria, and the relation in which
/ stood to her. will not praise her beauty-al
though as beautitnla creature as eye ever rested
on-neither will speak of her amiable disposi
ton, accomplishments, etc., etc.
Maria and myself, from childhood, had known
each other, and were pretty intimate in our
Friendship. When was twenty two years OF
l.
States; and as had been indisposed tor some
time back, with loss of appetite, no sleep, ETC.,
made this my excuse-I Travelled Tor my
health. When made this declaration, there
was nothing like travelling for health-every-
body recommended it. SO started, with the
intention of being absent year or more. Trav-
elpg must say, agreed with me completely,
for at the first stopping place | made as hearty
meal as any of my fellow passengers; and when
| stopped for the night, | slept as sound as q
roach. To tell the truth feigned sickness only
for an excuse to get away from home. The re-
al motive OF my departure was, my feelings to-
ward Maria began to change; always had q
foolish longing to be near her, and singular
feeling of regret when she was away from home
when called to spend social evening; and
then there was peculiar sensation about my
heart when saw her engaged closely in conver-
sation with any of my companions, or when she
bestowed upon them a smile. In fact began
to feel something more than friendship towards
| her. j did not let her know tie state of my
mind, but laughed and frocked with her the
same as ever My affection for her increased
| daily. Not Knowing, however, that my love
might prove only momentary, and wishing to
know whether absence would wear it off-for it
had always been my determination, that when
welded, it should not be merely union of
hands-I determined, without limiting the OBJ
| ject of my journey to Maria, or even giving her
the slightest reason to suspect the nature of my
| feelings towards her-to take the journey, and
if time did not alter my heart when | returned,
to offer myself to her. I went on my journey
visited all noted places- mingled in company as
much as possible-trified with the ladies in a
fashionable way; still, though surrounded with
beauty in every engaging iorm--though latter
ed and caressed-atter all, q thought OF Maria
caused throb, which none of the lovely ones
around me could create. Her image kept fast
hold on my heart, and wouldn't leave it. Find
ing, after an absence OF six months that the com
plant which caused me to leave home increased
rather than diminished, FASTENED my return,
and arrived home on the aforesaid first of Janu
ary.
When | reached Maria's place of abode and
| began to ascend the steps in front of the house,
nv heart quailed little. began to grow faint
| hearted, and to think in which manner should
"pop the question" / regretted that had not
studied my part before left home. hesitated
| "a took hold of the bell knob-my breath grew
shorter and my nerves shook. ! was relinquish-
| ing my hold with the intention of taking short
stroll around the square to think over what to
say-in fact, got halt way down the steps,
thinking | would put off my declaration till an
other tine-when the thought of George and
| his wife. and The pleasant evenings we should
have together fixed my wavering heart So,
| with renewed deferlnlnatiou, turned and ran
up the steps, opened the door, aud proceeded TO
the parlor. a 1G d ,ssGe
As good luck would have it, there sat Maria