Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1862-07-17

oNSoSN w
ed by everybody concerned with very little eff.
fort on my part.
She's treasure |" Mrs Lppesley would
sometimes exclaim with burst of emotion
She's my own darling child Don't think to
take her from me-don't dream of parting US
don't, you wicked, cruel, Lard hearted man.
should hate You should indeed-oh =
and then, happily, tears would come to her re-
lief. Perhaps it was only natural that after
this | should look out for an opportunity of
stating to my Louisa how fond of her | sup
posed myself to be. 1t did not occur to me
then, though | am fully awake TO the matter
now, that perhaps, upon the whole, Mrs. Lippes-
! ley was not precisely the sort of woman one
would have desired for son nlaw, supposing
one to have had any power of selection. l
deemed her to be simply a good, kind, fond
mother, of rather poetic temperament and
extremely etfectionate toward me personally
Whatever do you do" she would cry, as |
left the house" whatever you do, always
wrap up. Mind and wrap up-theres nothing
like it. Ny poor H" and then again
emotion interposed. The impression left upon
my mind was of course that the late Mr. Lip
pesey had met with death from his DegIecting
TO wrap up in secure manner aud the conclu-
sion l found subsequently to be literally cor
rect. | learned one day, from Flukew wood that
his uncle died of deiirium tremens and [ was
aware that it was often part Of that malady
for the sufferer to abandon and destroy bis
clothes and wander about without them in
truly alarming way.
1t was not difficult to obtain an opportuni-
| ty for making Il disclosure of my sentiments to
Louisa IippesIey. / had great doubt, howev-
er, about finding her in a state of mind appro-
pirate to the purpose. | remember ma king a
first attempt at declaration, aud utteriug
about quarter, say Of proposal, one Sunday
evening III the summer time. Louisa was eli.
gagged IN eatl"g green apple in the garden
too much engaged for she appeared to take
no notice whatever of my remark Perhaps
1t ao0S rather leebIy put and not very nteli-
glbIe and SO | was compelled TO abandon
| the effort until more favorable Occassiou-
| 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 fragmentarily expressed. On the
next opportunity | declared myself as sudden
| Iy and thoroughly as could Louisa said
simply, III tell ua !" and hurried away.
could hardly decide whether the observation
was tc be interpreted as an acceptance or a
rebuke whether SLe was about to invoke
mothers blessing or mothers vengeance
was soon relieved however, if it conld be
called relief, by Mrs LppesIey's falling heavi-
ly upon me, and faintlng in my arms, with the
word murmuring on her lips, Take her.
Bless you-you cruel creature. Oh, how
could you Be happy. 0 my own sweet
darling pet-my treasure-my dear, dear Lu-
ey," &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 atten-
ton, to thoroughly impress and mhue US
not to say bully uS-wth it, and make our
lives burden to Us in consequence | knew
| always felt somehow as though were brand
ed like itOn, and the word engaged"
| stamped upon my forehead and ! did not
feel near so comfortable as had expected -
Certainly had a good deal Of my Louisa's
sOcicty-perhaps, indeed, rather too much of
it, The family made quite business of bring
Ing US together. The back drawing room was
especially devoted to the tentncy of the en-.
gagged couple" everybody seemed deter
miued to call US There we were expected to
each other for hours together With every
desire to be charmed with my Louisa began
TO discover eventually that her strong point
was decidedly not conversation. In fact after
one had got through, and knew by her heart,
and thoroughly the wtcheries of her blue
eyes, her amber treSses, her delicate complexion
aud her red button-hoIe mouth, there was not
much else Of my Louisa that was worth dwell.
ing upon. These advantages were quite unex-
ceptional but felt after :me that per-s
haps there was something more required.
had all the SENSATIONS of having dined of a
SoH67et, very pretty and delicate and nice, but
dreadfully deficient in substantially. 1t would
have been as well undoubtedly, if had dis
covered all this before | thought of avou ing
my love tor Louisa ; and of course | could
not breathe syllable of my ideas Oh the sub
ject to any one, and meanwhile the family
seemed to be doing all they could to prosecute
the unhappy young creatures who had made a
dreadful mistake about their feelings. "sThere
is nothing like people k0owing each other
thoroughly before they marry" Mrs Lippes-
ley would say " 1T saves ever so much troub-
lie afterwards. Bless you, Lucy, darling =
Bless you, my dear son j. and so she drove US
together to sit for hours in the back drawing
room, wondering what We ought to say to each
other, aud We ought to do to pass the time
How my Louisa yawned during those utter
views and Pm sure was very often Oh the
verge of sleep. | had always to sit next to
her at dinner, at tea, at church If | accom-.
panied the Lippesey's to an evening party,
was chained to my Louisa's side all the even
ing. " Of course you must not think of dane
ing with anybady else!"-so Jane, Ann, Char
lotte, aud Amelia Lppesley in turn exclaimed
to me. " You must not thind of such thing
0: Lucy will be SO angry p and | believe
poor Luey was threatened by them with my
dspleaSure if she ventnred to solace herself
with the society of others. So we were to-
hor LII IL