, 1864-01-16
Tha rers;evoring Bachelor.

had been bestowed upon Miss Lucy Pop
plcton but, alas! Peter had failed to e1-
press his passion at the proper moment ;
or, in other words, had failed to come to
time, and one day his heart was lacerated
by receiving an envelope Of cards, announc-
ing 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 OBJ
ject Of his early passions-at distance.
Mrs. Jimmerson Crooks revelled in the de-
lights of matrimony, leading Fashion, her
husband, and Peter--at great 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.
0noe more Peters heart sprang 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 COM
pensation in the hand Of the fair widow.
One year, thought Peter, is surely enough
Of time. l will give her one year. Month
and month rolled away until he could stand
it no longer. A sickish nisgiving Of the
evils of delay drove him to precipitate the
asking. When the tenth month came he
sought the widow at her home, and with all
the ardor of pent up love poured forth
his tale. The widow heard him-heard
him calmly unto the very end, and then
with her delicately perfumed handkerchief
pressed to her blushing checks, told Peter
that she had only the week before promised
her hand to DIR. Stickleback, and oh /! why
did not her dear friend speak before?
A second time was Peters heart. torn
into minute fragments, second time was
he sent into the world to admire-at dis
tance.
Time sped, and once more Peter began
to encourage hope. Perhaps Stickleback
might die; he certainly had an apoplectic
look and sure enough Peters perhaps
turned out certainty, and Mrs. DR.. Iheo-
dosious Stickleback was once more mour-
ner. Peter had learned too bitterly the
dangers of delay to suffer any such cause
to stand this time between himself and suc-
cess. He would not give the widow year,
nor yet ten months-nay, not even six but
the third month he would 60 to her with
his tale of love deferred; and so he did.
We must transcribe the widows own words
when the question was popped. IN
IN M iVoiIon, "ny u'u yoa ros Ivy
come Deiore lou KNOW my esteem ~. loI
you ioI Nnow ti,a1 ! woulu nasc se'
usiue al o'ner onsrs ior you pu' on now
can +! 'eh you-'nIs ony NAS' e'ohilS 4
promised Ieptain nawklhs. foor, eea5'
sweet naTklns ne your inthaie I.lenu:
| knO" ve hcard nun SPEAK 30 hlgnly 5 =,
you on, why uiu you ho' sPeaA Os.ore
anu ~ AIs' Coc'cI ..eouvslouS Ns oN.nie-
u pscA was 'ransiorlieu T ln'o A's' co1aI,iall
I,awNins anu Ieter was ohce iiore iei' 10
auHll1n' Hl.v ulstsnee'
S.n 1.el ". Maiseu anp noReu. a, 'ome. s
.h'ns m,sns turn W, re I,guc9, anu ,len
nc "ouiu nc1 allow himself 70 pc too nue.
ana soinethnhg ulu turn up, tne soine'hlng
Ielns ~" nD'1ns 'horo u lcss man 'ne re-
uOuD'aple Sap'nn, VINO 'u.ucu " missing
navIhs iaiien overDoaiu from .ne s'e'tlI- ..i
! poa. wnIie ou' oI %'gvS excursion win
ns company, anu SUNK like s'one' owing
unuOuoseg!y 70 'ne pOhuerous nature ol us
responsiDiIl.ies'
The suddenness Of this exit, as Peter ar
gued, must certainly act with depressing
force on the widow, aud thought he would
not give her again time to recover and be
admired, still etiquette demanded a little
time to intervene. Accordingly when, upon
the tenth day alter the melancholy bereave.