The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-04-01

81 will" And sitting there with one arm
leaning upon the piano, and the other
hand resting upon the shoulder of her
friend, she told the following tale:
Ten years ago. Matte, when you were
still in the nursery, my sister Gertrude
and left our country home to make
visit in Philadelphia. We were to spend
the winter with cousin John and his wife.
We at first had little care for the acquaint-
ances we made, for there was any quan
tity of shopping to be done, and it for
time occupied nearly our whole care and
attention. But at length when our ward
robes had been pronounced unexception-
able, our waists drawn in to the proper
dimensions, our hair taught to arrange it
self in the prevailing mode, and the first
edge of onr rusticity worn off, we began
to appreciate cousin Johns kindness in
bringing home with him every evening
some two or three of his bachelor friends
for our entertainment. Bertram was a
small place then, and We were just out of
school, and had never associated with
gentlemen of .uch refined m"nners and
cultivated intellects as we then met; and
/ know we used often to laugh together
after they had left the house, and wonder
what they thought Of the "rustics, and
what cousin John would think of us when
| his friends, satisfied with one visit.
| returned no more. To our surprise,
however, they did return, and the most
! agreeable of them, and those whom we
most admired, came often, and acconpa-
| MED US when we went out and to Cousin
| Alice's great joy we became what she
termed "the fashion" Balls and parties
were made for us, sleigh-rides on the most
expensive scale were gotten up for our Ell
| ,j0yment, invi atoms to the opera, theatres,
| and concerts poured in upon us, and, in
| short, enough aaulation was lavished upon
| US to have turned the brains of older and
wiser heads than our And we enjoyed it
| to the fullest extent. Gertrude was, and
still is, as You know, very pretty and as
for my self, you are said to be the very pic
ture OF what was at that time; SO you
may judge whether / was worthy of a1mi,
ration Or not. (Mrs Grey SMILED quietly
as she thought of the evening of her intro
duction to Mr.. Austin, and his expression
with regard to her striking resemblance to
his "once dear friend. y Suddenly AVA
kened to sense of our manifold charms,
for time we were almost intoxicated with
our triumphS, and actually reveled in the
butterfly existence in which we were living.
At length, however, good sense asserted
her rights, and We learned to regard these
things in their true light Some weeks had
passed in this manner before | discovered
that | was beginning to feel an unusual in
terest in one f our numerous visitors. |
was very young, Matte, scarcely eighteen,
and unusual y youthful even for that age,
| think. If | had been older aud more
worldly-wise, / should have known better
than to havr wasted one thought upon any
man until he had distinctly said TO ,ne, 81
| love you | did not give my love I'M
sought If ever mans looks and actions
| spoke Of love, his did to me if ever man
| Ivy the most assiduous attentions sought for
woman's love, he sought for mine But,
Matte, he sought for it only to cast it
aside when it had served the purpose of
amusing him for an idle hrur His name
was Austin, a man OF unusual acquire
.rents, lawyer, far on the road to fame
| and honor Cousin John had noticed his
devotion to Inc, and was much rejoiced
thereat, as he was very wealthy, and in
every respect an unexcep;ionable peu't
must GO back a little in my story to
tell you of another lover had at this time.
You will think me very vain, but cannot
finish the history You desire to hear
without speaking of him. He was
Mr.. EllwCod, whom l had met the
previous summer in. Bertram - merely
met and been introduced To- him
and had not seen him again until when on
our way to Philadelphia in the tall, he had
happened to be in the Same car with US,
and claimed acquaintance We met with
a detention, almost an accident, during
our journey, and he was most kind and at
tentive, SO kind in fact that when we
reached Philadelphia and found Cousin
John awaiting US at the depot, we could
do no less than introduce him,-upon
which John gave him an invitation to call
upon us at his house. He was not slow to
avail himself of the invitation, and soon
became constant visitor. He was very
pleasant, and at first l liked him vastly.
In fact l dlways liked him. But after a
time when he had singled me out as the
object OF his attentions, he began to claim
right TO my society which was not will
ing to grant him. He was very outspoken
and was willing that all the world should
know of his love for me, not rejecting that
it might not be agreeable to me to be made
the object of such public devotion. He
was very persevering too, and could not
discourage his attentions SO decidedly as l
wished without offending him, which was
DESTROYS not to do. Perhaps encouraged
him more than | thought, or rather did
not discourage him SO much as INTENDED.
l cannot tell, meant right. Certain it is
that one evening when we happened to be
alone in the drawing room he made me
an offer of marriage, which was obliged
to decline.