North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1865-05-10
Selett Storp,
THE PERHVERIIG BACHEROR.

Mr.. Peter Robinson was bachelor, stout,
rosy, and almost forty. Peter had never
loved but once, and the alteration of his heart
had been bestowed upon Miss Lucy
Robinson but, ala Peter had failed to
express his passion at the proper moment, or
in other words, had not come to time; and
one day his heart was lacerated by receiving
an envelope of cards announcing that the de-
lightfnl Lucy was about to become Mrs.
Jemmerson Crooks.
1t was terrible blow to Peter, but he
staggered up from it, and still loved the OBJ
ject of his early passion-at distance
Mrs. Jemnerson Crooks revelled in the de-
lights of matrimnny, leading fashion, her
husband, and Peter-ata distance-by the
nose, for five years, at the end of which time,
Mr., Jemmerson Crooks chose to depart for
another sphere, leaving Mrs. Jemmerson
alone to mourn his departure.
Once 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 put forth the
pent up agonies of five years, and ask COM
pensation in the hand of the fair widow
"One year." tho1ght Peter, sis surely
enough time. will give her one year."
Month after month rolled away until the
tenth came, and Peter was determined to
wait no longer. A sicksh misgiving Of the
evils OF delay drove him to precipitate the
agEIpu He h.
and with all the ardor of pent up love
poured forth his tale, The widow heard
him heard him calmly unto the very last
word, and then, with her delicately perfum-
ed handkerchief pressed to her blushing
cheeks by the whitest of hands, told Peter
that he was alas just one week too late -
that she had only the week before promised
her hand to DR.. Stickleback who had NO
faithfully attended her dear Jemmerson in
hts last hour; and oh, why did her dear Pc
ter not speak before
A second time was Peters heart torn into
minute frag menis ; a second time was he sent
out into the world to admire-at distance.
Time sped on, and once more Peter began
10 encourage hope. Perhaps Stickleback
might die; he certainly had an apoplet ic
look land, sure enough, Peters perhaps"
turned out certainty, and DR.. Theodosius
Stickleback was within short period of two
years gathered to his fathers, and the fair
widow Stlckleback vas once more a mourner
Peter had learned too bitterly the danger of
delay to suffer any such cause this time be-
tween himself and snccess. He would not
give tie widow year, nor yet ten months -
nay, not even SIX, but even at the third
month he would go to her RRh his tale of
love deferred aud so he did. We must
transcrbe the widows own words when the
question was popped:
''Oh Mr.. Robinson, why did you not
come before? You know my esteem for
you-you know that | would have set aside
all other offers for you but oh how can
tell you, that only last evening | promised
Captain Hawkins Poor, dear sweet Haw-
Slns !! he's your intimate friend, I know -
I've heard him speak SO highly of you! Oh!
why did you not speak before?'
And SO Mrs. Theodosius Stickleback was
'ransfo med into Mrs. Captain Jonathan
Hawkins; and Peter was once more left to
admlre-at distance.
Still Peter waited and hoped. Something
might turn up, he argued and then he would
not allow himself to be too late, And some
thing did turn up,-the something being
nothing more or less than the redoubtabe
captain, who turned up missing, having, fall
en overheard from the steamboat while cut
IN target excursion with his company snd
sunk like stoneowing undoubtedly, to the
ponderous natureof his responsibilities.
The suddenness of this exit, as Peter ar
gued, must certainly act with depressing eff
feet upon the widow and he thought
he would not give her time again to
recover and be admired; still etiquette de-
manded that little do intervene. Accord
inly when the tenth day after the melanchol
y bereavement, Peter knocked at the wild
owls bent upon his errand of love, he rather
chuckled to himself that he was taking time
by the forelock. The business on which he
came was quietly told, and once more the
widow was IN torrent of tears.
"Oh Mr.. Robinson" she exclaimed, hid
ing her Flushing face in her cambria, 'why
are you so unfortunate, and why amI2 o.
Yon know my esteem for you-but you are
too late You know Counsellor Ketcham
my poor, dear, dead and gone Hawkins most
intimate friend. He was with him you know
whom he was called away, and was the first
to communicate to me the awful intelligence.
He was such comforter, and-I have prom
ised to have him this day two months p
This time Peter was crushed. He had
no words to express his Observation-Disclosures
but to rush from the house and 60 on, as be-
fore, admirng-at distance. ~ Ess, ~