Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1862-06-28

| OF mlnd appropriate to the purpose.
remember making a first attempt at decla-
ration, and uttering about quarter, say of
proposal, one Sunday evening in the sum-
in.t time. Louisa was engaged in eating a
green apple in the garden too much cnga-
ged for she appeared to take no notice
whatever of my remark Perhaps il uds
rather feebly put and not very intclligiblc I;
and SO | was compelled to bandon the eff
fort until more favorable occasion When
| commenced again, my Louisa looked
so much as though was teasing her, and so
strong an inclination to cry was expressed
| in her face, that | again broke down, leaving
my feelings only fragmetarily expressed
! On the next opportunity | declared myself
as suddenly and thoroughly as | could
Louisa said simply, 'Ill tell ma ~ and hur-
ried away. could hardly decide whether
the observation was to be Interpreted as an
acceptance or rebuke; whether she was
about to invoke mothers blessing or a
mothers vengeance. | was soon relieved
however, if it could be called relief, by Mrs.
| Lippeslcy's falling heavily upon me, and
! fainting in my arms, with the word muir
muring on her lips, Take her. Bless you--
you cruel creature. Oh, how could you p
Be happy. o my own sweet darling pct
my treasure-my dear, dear Louey," &C.,
&c.
OF course, after that event. my Louisa and
myself were formally considered as engaged
and people seemed to me to do all they could
to force this fact continually upon our at
tcntion, to thoroughly impress and imbuc US
not to say bully us-with it, and make
our lives burden to us in CONSCIENCE. !
know I always felt somehow as though were
branded like felon, and the word "Cn.
gagged" stamped upon my forehead and
did not feel near so comfortable as l had
expected. Certainly had good deal of
my Louisa's soeiety-perhaps, indeed rather
too much Of il The family made quite a
business of bringing us together. The back
drawing room was especially devoted to the
tenancy of the engaged couple" as every
body seemed determined to call us. There
we were expected to sit and talk and make
ourselves agreeable to each other for hours
! together. With every desire to be charmed
with my Louisa, began to discover eventu-
ally that ber strong point was decidedly not
conversation. In fact, after one had got
| through, and knew by heart, and exhausted
| thoroughly the witchcries of her blue eyes,
her amber trcsscs, her delicate complexion
and her red button-hole mouth, there was
| not much else of my Louisa that was worth
| dwelling upon. These advantages were
quite unexceptional; but felt after a time
| that perhaps there was something more
required. / had all the sensations of having
| dined off soHffct, very pretty and delicate
and nice, but drcadfully deficient in substan-
tiality. 1t would have been as well mdoubt-
edly, if l had discovered all this before !
thought Of avowing my love for Louisa
and of course could not breathe syllable
of my ideas on the subject to any one, and
meanwhile the family seemed to be doing all
! they could to persccute the unhappy young
creatures who had made dreadful mistake
about their feelings. There's nothing like
people knowing each other thoroughly before
they marry" Mrs. Lippesley would say; "it
saves ever so much trouble afterwards
Bless you, Loucy, darling! Bless you, my
dear son!" and so she drove us together to
sit for hours in the back drawing room
, wondering what we ought to say TO each
other, and what we ought to do to pass tho
time How my Louisa yawncd during thosC
interviews; and I'm sure l was very often
on the verge of sleep. / had always to sit
next to her at dinner, at tea, at church. i
| accompanied the Lippcsleys to an evening
party, was chained to my Louisa's side all
the evening. "Of course You must not think
of dancing with anybody else $50 Jane
turn exclaimed tome. "Ycu must not think
of such thing, or Louey will be so angry =
and believe poor Louey was threatened 10y
them with my dispeasWc if she ycntured tC
solacc herself with the society of others. S.
we were together all the evening, dumb and
sulky and wretched; pointed ut by every
body as an engaged couple" and giggled
at by young people accordingly, and TESTED
at freely by elderly folks who had too thor.
oughly enjoyed their suppers, and in an
entirely false position, and ashamed. The
love we had imagined lasting as an editicc
of stone seemed to be melting away like a
snow image, and my Louisa and myself grew
to be very sick indeed of each other.
OF course this is looking at the thing in
its worst possible light. There were times
when we were rather less bent upon being
so mutually disagreeable. There must now
and then be sort of pleasure in being in
the company of a young and pretty creature
such as my Louisa, even though she had
mental deficiencies and an inclination to be
peevish. / did, confess, often enjoy the
fact of walking about Highbury with my
Louisa on my arm,-the white chip bonnet,
with its lining OF amber ringlcts, close TO my
shoulder, and the button-hole mouth cooing
pleasant nothings, merely Noes" and
| y 1cses as ruic,-uSlng 70 belIcNe tnat
adored passionately, and was so fortunate as
to be about to marry eventually, the woman
of my choice. Still this was quite in what
may call the honeymoon of my engagement.
There were afternoons very much less
lucious in quality.
In time too began to understand better
Flukewood's observation, TO the effect that
| should save him some trouble. He did
not pay near so many visits at his aunt's
house after as he had paid before my engage
ment to Louisa. "The fact IS" he said,
laughing, 'my aunt wants rather TO much
attention. / knew in the end too well
what this meant "You're quite one Of the
family now, you know, my blessed boy
Mrs. Lipposley said to me once; "wo shall
not treat you as stranger, we shall not
indeed" At first / felt rather tlattered ty
such cordial abandonment Of all formality
but soon found it was not quite so agreea
bic thing to be regarded wholly as male
member of Mrs. Lippesley's family as had
been anticipating, don't know how III,
late Mr. Lppesley might have been viewed
but l found myself considered in the light
of a superior servant TO the family, out OF
livery, and unrecompensed by wages Twas
lperpetually required to be in attendance on
NJ I;,,noclav lIhareNpr .Shp desired T.