The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1865-04-13
The Widow and the Peker,
OR, WILL WOODH0USES
COURTSHIP.

Mr.. William Woodhousc was natur-
ally very timid man. Not that he
was lacking in moral or physical cour-
age, but that lie was afraid Of the wo-
men. On all other occasions we was
usually equal to the emergency, be it
whatever it might bat place him tete a.
tcte with woman, and to use a vulgar
but expressive phrase, he wa3 done
for.
His mother had long ago settled down
to the uncomfortable conviction that
William would never marry and the
girls had arrived at the same conclu.
sion; it had become quite the thing to
say, in making comparisons, "As great .
fool as Win Woodhouso.
For-take note. tqsLful gentlemen---
however much ladies may admire mod
esty in the other sex, they Invariably
dcspise man who has not heart enough
to say to he girl of his GkQice, II love
you"
Will admired all the girls in his way,
but he looked upon them very much as
sensible people do upon horneIs nest
as Il curious piece Of architecture, but
not safe TO be familiar with.
So he kept his distance, and in the
meantime arrived at the mature age Of
twenty-three. Then he met, for the first
time, at a picnic party, Adelaide Browne
We believe people with the stoniest
hearts fall in love at picnics, and from
that hour poor Will had no comfort of
his life. Sleeping or waking, his dreams
we're full of the beautiful Miss Browne
Surely there never was another OF the
numerous Browne family like her. Blue
eyes, white muslin dress, with knots Qf
pink ribbon-brown hair, red lips, pearly
teeth, snowy hands all danced togeth-
er in miscellaneous "all hands round"
before his distorted vision.
Adelaide, all unconscious of the troub-
lc she had caused, went her way, break.
ing the hearts Of most of the young
gentleman in Highbridge, and trying
hard to fracture th2 feI that remained
whole
She was visiting her aunt Hooper,
and it is an unGeniable fact that ladies'
always take best where they are not
known. This is no libel on the sex
no, indeed for with gentleman this
truth is still more applicable.
Mrs, Hooper was widow lady of no
small personal attractions in her own
estimation, and if she was not so young
as she might have been, she thought
she was, and behaved accordingly. She
still affected short sleeves and profuse
Singlets Of glossiest black-though en-
yious individuals PERSISTED in it that her
curls were made at the hair. dresser's.
The same persons also believed that she
was anxious to supply that place of the
dear deceased as soon as possible.
For week after meeting with Ade'
lade, viii bore up bravely. The sec
ond meeting destroyed all the stock of
composure he had been boarding up.
He took desperately to the Muses., and
walked the whole night away, to the in.
finite destruction of shoe leather and the
infinite disgust of his practical papa.
He met Adelaide now frequently.
Highbridge was very gay. There was
singing school, a lyceum, a Society -
aud then the folks got up excursions to
the surrounding hills--for it was yet
. early autumn, and nature was in hel
robes Of state.
; There was an excursion to Mount
= Giblo, one fine day, and there Will had
the ecstatc pleasure of treading or
Adelaide's dress, thereby throwing hel
headloug into pile of brush, and Will,
Laura Blake picked her up and helped
; her pin her fouuces, he stood by fright
ened out of his wits, and moWeptqrily
) expecting the mountain to open qnd
, swallow him up.
From that time he pined rapidly
His appetite was a thing of the past
} His mother thought hin in a quick de
cline, and dosed him with Loar hounc
= aud DR.. Perkins patent pills. He grew
S worse and worse.
, At last, thinking himself gear bis enc
he confessed to his mother. She wa,
thuuder-struck at first; but afterwards
G like a sensible woman, she advised hin
: to put on his st other clothes" and 90
e right over aud lay the case before Mis-;
4 Browne. 1t couldn't kill him, she
, said, and then if she refused him-yhy
there was as good fish in the sea, etc.
= Will took three days to consider, and
at the end of that time his mind was
made up. He swallowed double dose
Of blackberry cordial donned his fame
D colQred vest and black and plains, brush
5 ed hair ill it shone like ebony, covered
5 his head With his fathers ten dollar
c beaver, aud made the best of his way tc
S Mrs. Hooper's. Not that he intended
!. to ask Adelaide-but Mrs. Hooper. L
9 he could only get the aunt won over t
cause, and employ her to state the con