Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1864-12-06
THE COURTSHIP OF WILL
WOODROUSE.
BY CLARA AUGUST.

BY CLARA AUoUsT.
tz Mr.. William WoOdh0uee was naturally
Q very timid man. Not that be vas lack
ing in moral or physical courage, bat he
was afraid of the women. On all other Oc.
casiOns he was usually equal to the ener-
geDcy, be it what it might but place him
tete-d-tete with q woman, and, to use q
vulgar bu: expressive phrase, be was done
for.
His mother had long ago settled down
to the uncomfortable conviction that Will
liam would never marry and the girls had
arrived at the same conclusion /; il had beA
come quite the thing to say, when making
comparisons, AS great fool as Will
WOndhOuse =
FOr-take Rnte. bsshful young gentle
men-hOWeyer mach ladies may admire
mOdesty ia the other sex, they invariably
desPIse man who has not heart enough
to say to the girl Of his choice, i love
you
Will admired all the girls in his wsy.
Dut be looked upon them very much as
sensible people do upon hornets nest, as
Q curious piece of architecture, but Dot safe
to be familiar with.
So be kept his distance, and in the
meantime arrived at the mature age Of
twenty three. Then be met, for the fret
time, at a picnic party, ADELAIDE Browne,
We believe people with the stunisst hearts
fall in love at pic MICS, and from that hour
poor Will had TO comfort of bis life
Sleeping or waking, bis dreams were full
of the beautiful Miss Browne. Surely
there never was another Of the numerous
60 lxy Ia har
muslin dress, with knots of pink ribbon
brown hair, red lips, psarly teeth, snowy
hands-sll danced together in a uiscsIlas
nsOus all hends round, before his distort>
ed vision.
| Adelaide, all unconscious of the trouble
she had caused, went her way, breaking
the hearts of most of the young gen slenen
10 Highbridge, and trying hard to fracture
the few that remained whole.
She was visiting her aunt Hooper, and
it 10 an undeniabls fact that ladies Away.
take best where they are not knowu.-
This is no libel on the sex-no indeed
for with gentlemen this truth il still more
applicable.
Mrs. Hooper was widow lady of nc
small personal attractions, in her own es-
timstiOn, and if she was not so young al
she might have been, che thought she was
and behaved accordingly. She still az
fscted short sleeves. and profuse ringletl
of gloesiest black-though enviUus individ
usls persisted in it that her curls were
made ct the hair-dresssr's. These samt
persons. also. believed that she was apx-
ious to supply the place Of the dear dcoeas
ed az soon rs possible.
For week after meeting with Adelaid,
Will bore up bravsly. The second meet.
ing destroyed all the stock of composure
he had been boarding up. He took des
2erately 10 the MUSES., and walked tht
whole night away to the Infinite destruo,
ton of shoe.lsather. and the infinite dis
gust of his practical papa.
He met Adelaide, now, quite frequently
Highbridge was very gay. There was 6
singisg-school, lyoeum, . 'society,' anc
then the young folks got up excursions tc
the surrounding hillS-for it was yet early
autumn, and nature was in her robe O.
state.
There was an excursion to Mount GibIC
one fine day. and there Will had the &c
static pleasure Of treading on Adelaide'
dress, thereby throwing her headlong int
pile Of brush, and while Laura Blakt
picked her up aud helped her pin on he
6ounces, he stood by frightened half GU
Of his wits, and mOmeRtarily expecting th,
mountain to open and swallow him up.
From that time he pinned rapidly. Hi
appetite was thing of the past. Hi
mother thought him on quick decline
and dOsed him with hoarhOund and DR.
Perkins patent pacific pills. He grsV
worse and verse.
At last, thinking himself near bis end
he confessed to his mother. She wa
thunderstorm, at first bus afterWard, lik
Q sensible woman. she advised him to pu
on his 'tOther Clothes and 90 right owe
and lay the case before Miss Browne. |
couldn't kill him, she said, and then il sh
refused him-wby, there was ss good fs
in the sea, etc.
Will took three days to consider, and q
the end of the time his mind was made u
He swallowed q double dose Of black
berry cordial, dOnned his fame coIoret
vest, and black and blue plsids-brusheI
bis hair till il shoDe like ebony, covsret
bis head with his fathers ten dollar beav
or, and made the best Of his way to Mrs.
HoopeF's.
Not that be intended to ask Adelaide
but Mrs. Hooper. If he could Only get th
aunt wop over to his cause, and emplo,
her to atate the condition Of bis heart &
her niece, he should be happy. He feI
assured that he never could live through
cOnf0ssing himself to Adelaide; aud if B.
did, and she should say no-hs was satis
fed he should faint away right on th
spot.
AS good fortune would have il, he foun,
Mrs. Hooper alone 10 her best gown an,
her best humOF. She was charmed to ss
him, and treated him to nuts and cider
and seat on the sofa 90 near herself, tina
poor Will was at his wit's end 10 frame th
first word Of his errand.
They talked of the westher and th
crops ill the clock struck ten. The wild
ON tried 10 make him think that it was on
/ y nine but be was not so far gone bu
thar be could still count. He felt that th'
terrible mOment could be no longer de-
Iayod. He must make beginning.
'MTs. Hooper, said he, ! came 6VeF thiI
evening" be h0sitstsd,