Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-12-02
Hl siftlla
How I Won my Wife.
AN ENGLISH STORY.

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ever existed--at least, | thought So
though perhaps l was not an impartial
5sdge. as | must confess that | was deep.
y il love- and, in fact, | don't believe |
could remember OF timo when l was
not in love with her. 1t certainly was
not when a youngster OF twelve l took
her under my especial care, feeling then
prouder OF my curly.hcadcd charge than
l could now Of mine Of gold nor
when tall, awkward boy Of sixteen, |
first vsntured tc ask for her company
bone from chuch; or still later, when,
uhsr four years absence | returned TO
my native town and set up asa surgeon
10 the house where Dir. Moore's name had
been since my earliest recollection.
Oakdale was remarkably healthy
place, Or else the good people felt little
afraid Of trusting their lives in the hands
of such 4 young scape-grace As they had
known me to be, for somehow my horse
and gig found more employment in carry
ise Jessie Hale to ride than in auy more
profitable business and it is certain more
Of my time was speut in Mr.. Hales
pleasant parlor than in either study or
practice Of medicine. Some of the neigh.
bsrs silly remarked that | must have a
very sick patient there to occasion such
frequent visits; aud was certain that if
had no patient there, all the patience |
ever had was required there at times; .or
Of all the taptalizing little wretches that
ever fascinated and provoked poor fell
low-until he could not have told wheth-
er he was in the body or out Of it-Jcssie
Hale was the worst.
And there Was William Tremaine,
standing six feet two in my stockings, big
enough to have known better, that is
ssrs, led about by that little elf coming
and going at her every beck and call, as
il l we're great simpielon. as in truth
Dust have been, for after playing yours
mes, dcvotedy" for six months, | was 10
nearer winning than at first. Open
hearted and candid she was on every
other subject bat just let ae speak Of
love or marriage, aud | might a. wen
talk 10 = stone val, fer all the ssnse |
could get FROM her. No matter how eau
sieusiy | might approach the subject, SIC
Was always ready with some of-haud az
swer. rs far froa what | wanted a. the
cqsator fsoni the poles, ultl WAS al
most in despair. bat more eager ai,er
every failure. "Ali is i.ir IN 1--we AMI
war :" or at least thought SO, aui Ie.
solved to tr. the result of strategy on
my little lady.lovc.
One Gne noru!ng, as we were about
starting for ride GU horseback, | was
assisting Miss Jessie into the saddle, her
horse commenced rearing and kicking at
an alarming rate; of course the jagged
bits Of iroa that had eau iously inherited
beneath the saddle had nothing to do with
it. BY the time she was fairly seated he
had become perfectly uumanageabe,
throwing her violently from the saddle !.
Of sourse l caught her before she touched
the ground. No sooner was she in safety
ihss, with dssp groan, staggered back
against the fence, my right arm harging
hslplsssly by my sds. 1t took nicely,
for Jessie was beside nc in Inomelt.
30. WILL" .he said pi,cou,Iy, that
terrible harse la. broken your arm; and
yhst will you do? Poor VIII, poor
Win!
How like rascal felt at the sight Of
her distrsss but | MAS not going to give
up then; so | answered, with another
terrible groan, at is nothing doay Jessie;
l would suffer thousand times More to
feel that had saved your precious lille. =
But Oh, AIN 80 sorry! What eau
Be- done for you :" she said, in such touch
ing accents that | half repented.
1.-The end justi6es the means" tho't.
The end accomplished certainly did. My
answer VAS in q lew faint voice, as if |
was just dying.
"Ouly tell INC that you love me, Jes-
sic. darling; it will soothe my pain more
than anything else in the world And
then like the great simpleton that was,
l put that right arm around her, and
never discovered my mistake until she
sprang suddenly away from INC.
Wouldn't little Brandy md water
do 40 we'll Mr.. Tromsine ~ she said
archly. "Thers don't seem to DO any
bones brokes; the injury Was Internal, |
should think"
Wouldn't | have sold myself for ssix-
pence? But there was no help for 1t ;
90 l had to own the trick, aud went home
wishing had broken my arm. or neck. |
didn't care much which. Aisor that for
awhile, l Was rather shy OF the love sub
jest, for did not fancy heaing OF ny
last attenpt; but ''out of the abundance
Of the heart, the mouth spcakcth,' aud
ny heart was so full Of ny love Tor Jes-
sic Hale, that | could not force my tongue
to keep silence very Iong. 30 one morn,
ing. after losnging in my study until l
was tired of evsrything-myselt in par,
ticular-l went over the way, resolved
thai thc matter should be decided before
l returned. Jessie WAS sitting ny the
parlor window, busily sewing. aud hum
ming some merry tune to herself when l
entered. She was looking prettler than
ever, thought; and found 1t terri is
hard work 70 talk on commsnplase SAB
jsets. when my mind was 30 full ot the
ose - important to me. .,
AT last l broke in upos some of hei
careless noaseuse with,--"Why IN Inc
world. Jessie, don't you say whether you
love me or not? What is the use IL
c.liow in sns.ensa forever? l