Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-03-10
SsIett Storp.
THE PERSEvERING BACHELOR.

been bestowed upon Miss Lucy Poppleton
but, alas Peter had failed to express his
passion at the proper moments or, In otner
words, had failed TO come to time, ana one
day his heart was lacerated by receiving an
envelope Of cards, announcing, that the de-
lightful Lucy was about to become Mrs.
Jimmerson Crooks.
n was terrible blow to Peter, but he
staggered up from it and still loved the OBJ
iect of his early passions-at a distance. =
Mrs. Jimmerson Crooks revelled in the de-
lights of matrimeny, 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 sprang from dust
aud 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 compensa-
ton in the hand. of the fair widow. One
year, thought Peter, is surely enough time.
I will give her one year. Month and month
rolled away until he could stand it no lon
ger A sickish misgiving Of the evils OF de-
lay, drove him to preciptate the asking. |
When the tenth month came he sought the
widow at her 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 deh'
cately perfumed handkerchief pressed to her
blushing checks told Peter that she had on
" the week before promised her hand to
Dr. Stickleback and oh why did not her
dear friend speak before p?
A 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 began
to inspire hope. Perhaps Stickleback might
die he certainly had an apopectic look
and sure enough Peter perhaps turned out
a certainty, and Mrs. DIR. Thedosius Stick
leback was once more a mourner. Peter
had learned too bitterly the dangers of delay
to suffer any such cause to stand between
him and success. He would not give the
widow year, nor yet ten mOnths-nay, not
even six; but the third month he would go
to her with his tale of love deferred and
so he did We will have to describe the
widow own words when the question was
popped; popped; NJ. poh;,.o, ,.h,, a;1 ,.o,, 80,
come before? You. know my esteem for
you! You know that would have set all
other offers aside for you, but oh how can
tch you -Ibat olly Iuob bNCuiHB plum
ised Captain Hawkins. Poor, dear, sweet
Hawkins he's your intimate friend, |
know; I've often heard him speak so high
ly of you! Oh, why did you not speak be-
fore?"
And so Mrs DR.. Theodosius Stickleback
was transformed into Mrs Jonathan Haw
kins; and Peter was once more left to ad
mire--at a distance.
Still Peter waited and hoped. Something
might turn up, he argued, and then he |
would not allow. himself to be too late, and
something did turn up, the something being
nothing more nor less than the redoubtable |
Captain who turned up missing, having fall |
len overheard from the steamboat while out
on target excursion with his company, |
and sunk like u stone, owing, undoubtedly, |
to the ponderous nature Of his RESPONSE
bilities.
The suddenness of this exit, as Peter ar
gued, must certainly act with depressing
force on the widow, and he thought he would
not give her again time to recover and be
time to intervene. Accordingly when, up
on the tenth day after the melancholy be-
reavement, Peter knocked at the widow
door, bent upon his errand oflove, he rath-
er chucked to himself that he was taking
time by the forelock. The hebusiness ON which
he came was quietly told, and once more the
widow was in a torrent of tears
ooh, Mr.. Robinson" she exclaimed hid
ing her blusbing face in her cambric, "why
are you so unfortunate, and why am p
You know my esteem for you, but you are
too late. am already engaged. You know
Counselor Ketcham ?-my poor, DEAR dead
and gone Hawkins most intimate friend. II
He was with him, you know, when he was
called away, and was the first to communi- |
cate to me the awful intelligence. lie was
such a comforter and have promised to
have him this day two months"
This time poor Peter was crushed He
had no words to express his brokenhearted
ness, but to rush from the house and go on
us before, admiring at distance.
1t was months before Peter even offered
to encourage hope, and even then it flicker
ed. One day he was walking in despon-
dent mood through one of the upper ave-
nues, when he heard subdued shout, and
started From a half finished building just
in front of him, he saw as he raised hiseyGs,
a stout Milesian making gyrations in the
air, from a height of three stories, in com
pany with a coming stone weighing some
what less than half a tone-the two having
slipped together from scafloding at that
height. He saw both Milesian and stone
fall on the heads of two gentleman passing,
and the whole four were in an instant mixed
in an incxtricable heap. Like all other
spectators, Peter rushed to the rescue, only
to behold, between horror and joy, the last
gasps Of Counselor Ketcham and the gem
tleman who was walking with him, and the
perfect safety of the Milesian and stone.
This time Peter would trust to no passing
of time. Without an instant's delay, more
than to satisfy himself that life was extinct,
he hailed passing hack and then sped to
the mansion of the widowed Mrs. Counselor
ketcham. In words of the most delicate
and endearing nature Peter communicated
his intelligence to the widow, and waited
the result, and then, between her sobs and
tears, claimed her hand for the next act.
"Oh, Mr.. Robinson" sobbed the widow,
show can you ask me such thing? How
could know that you would be the first TO
bring me the news of my dear Ketcham'
deccase You well know how | esteem
and and respect you, butt am already
engaged -, al
Engaged shrieked Peter "to whom?"
IL promised, " responded the widow, be-
tween her sobs.. i promised a month ago
that if anything happened--l would mar
ry Col. snapper
"You did2' shouted Peter, his whole
appearance changing in an instant from that
OF iiend to a look of unbridled joy, "and |
who are you engaged to after that2"
No one, sighed the widow solemnly.
win you swear thisl' said Peter
- ~ rao,Nnnlal a. l..