The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1864-03-17
THE PERsEvERING BACHELOR

: or, in other words, had failed to come tt
time, and one day his heart was lacerateC
by receiving an envelop of cards, announ
cling that the delightful Lucy was about
to become Mrs. Jimmerson Crooks.
1t was terrible blow to Peter, but he
staggered up from it and still loved the
object of his early passions-at distance
Mrs. Timmerson Crooks revelled in the
delights of matrimony, leading Fashion,
her husband, and Peter-at distance
by the nose for five years, at the end OF
which time Mr.. Jimmerson Crooks chose
to depart for another sphere, leaving Mrs.
Jimmerson alone to mourn her duty.
Once more Peters heart sprung up from
dust and ashes, and looked forward to the
time when the allotted period of mourning
should be over, and he could pour forth
the pent up agonies of five years, and ask
compensation in the hand of the fair wild
ow. One year, thought Peter, is surely
enough of time. Twill give her one year
Month and month rolled away until he
could stand it no longer. \ sickish mis-
! giving of the evils of delay drove him to
precipitate the asking. When the tenth
month came he sought the widow at home,
and with all the ardor of long pent up
love poured forth his tale The widow
heard him-heard him calmly unto the
very end, and then, with her delicately
pertumcd handkerchief pressed to her
blushing checks told Peter that she had
only the week before promised her hand
to DIR. Stickelback and oh ! why did not
her dear friend speak before
4 second time was Peters heart torn
into minute fragments a second time was
he sent into the world to admire-at a
distance
Time sped on, and once more Peter be-
gan to encourage hope Perhaps Stickel-
back might die; he certainly had an ap-
plectic look and sure enough Peters
perhaps turned out certainty, and Mrs.
Doctor Thedosius Stickleback was once
more a mourner. Peter had learned too
bittery the dangers of delay to suffer any
such cause to stand this time between
himself and success. He would
not give the widow a year, nor yet ten
not even six but the third
month he would 20 to her with his tale of
love deferred and so he did. We must
the widows own words when
the question was popped:
''Oh !! Mr. Robinson, why did you not
come before You know my esteem for
YOU? You know that | would have set
aside all other offers for you; but oh how
,an | tell you-that only last evening l
Captain Hawkins Poor, dear, ,
sweet Hawkins he's your intimate friend !
know; I've heard him speak so highly
If you! Oh. why did you not speak be- ! !
ore 2"
And so Mrs Doctor Theodosius Stick 1
pack was transformed into Mrs. Jonathan
Hawkins; and Peter was once more left
o admire-at distance.
Still Peter waited and hoped. Some
hing might turn up, he argued, and then
lie would not allow himself to be too late !
nd something did turn mp, the something I
eing nothing more or less that the re-
oubtablc Captain, who turned up miss :.
nc, having fallen overheard from the Il
while out On target excursion ',
With his company, and sunk like stone,
wing undoubtedly, to the ponderous ma . .
ure Of his responsibilities. L
The suddenness Of this exit, as Peter Il
rgued, most certainly act with depress- -,
ng force on the widow, and though he u
yould not give her again time to recover 0
nd be admired, still etiquette demanded :
little time to intervene. Accordingly =
,hen, upon the tenth day after the mel ="
ncholy bereavement, Peter knocked at P
he widows door, bent upon his enand G
f love, he rather chuckled to himself .
nat he was taking time by the forelock. " ',
he business on which he came was qui- =, =,
tly told, and once more the widow was u
! a torrent of tears. p
"Oh, Mr.. Robinson" she exclaimed, a. a.
iding her face in her cambric, ''why are =, -,
GU so unfortunate, and why am !? "You =;
now my esteem for you, but you are too ~
tie. / am already engaged. You know II
ounselor Ketcham my poor, dear, i,
cad and gone Hawkins most intimate =,
lend. He was with him, you know, - =,
hen he was called away, and was the "
rst to communicate to him the awful in
lligence He was such comforter and
have promised to have him this day two
onths"
This time Peter was crushed. lie had &C
} words to express his broken hearted in
ess, but to rush from the house and go slt
/ as before, admiring at distance 70
1t was months before Peter even offer TO
to encourage hope, and even then it
ckered. One day he was walking in
'spondent mood through one of the up &c
II avenues, when he heard a sudden ~
out and started. From half-fnished a. a.
Hiding just in front Of him he saw, as W. W.
, raised his eyes, stout Milesian ma ~
ng gyrations in the air, from height ~ ~
three stories, in company with coping ~ =,
one weighing somewhat less than half a 10
n-the swo having slipped together from
'cafolding at that height He saw both
f,n Al