Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-06-17

-i"Come. Mark Meriden, don't settle down
1 into an.old grandfather before your ,time-7
a pretty wife's pretty thing, Mark. and a
| pretty house is a pretty thing-but hang it!
Lone must hapea little of>lifep if"u-s1l
| Marx Meriden stood at his desk. giving
last look at his books, while Ben Sanford
| the roguish-the merry-the sOngsinging
the Ben of all Bens, was thus urging on
him the claims of a projected frolic that
evening. Now Ben was precisely the mes
senger for such ,embassy-tbere. was fun in
the twinkle of his blue eyes, and world OF
waggery in the turn OF his head, and in a
pair of roguish dimples that went merrhy
| lodging in and out of his cheekseYery time
he spoke, and he had laid hold Of Marks arm
| TO drag him away.
But Mark shook off his hand, and finishL
ed summing upla column of iigwes-put
the blotter into the book, and the book in
to the place, wiped his pen-alI with an air
| Of great thoUgiIttulness4an at last, turn
| ingito Ben said--.'I think L won't go this
| tlmeI"p- LIT .1fI>lym 4. ual- iH p 'i.,
~, Nov, why not 2" said Ben, eagerly.
"Because-because, said Mark, smiling,
''because / have an odd fancy that should
like Mrs. Meriden's company better this
| EVENING" III iut.. ..'.i.g..... ..t -.y,,.Lusdi
slang Mrs. Meriden-beg pardon. Mark
hang myselffor saying so-but one don't
like to see fine fellow buried alive !--eoIhe,
| take aireal wake up with u.s." Hu ,sunop
'Thank you, Ben, but i haven't been asleep
and don't need it,, So ! will 20 home and
see my wife" and thereat Mark ttirhed a
resolute footstep houleward, hsGwell train-
ed husband Onght,GIi.o9 p. 40 All. -
."sNow," says one of our readers, 'twho
was Mark Meriden?r You would not have
asked, good reader, if you had lived in the
town Of, when hisname first appear
ed on the outside of one OF the most FASH
| ionable shops, MARK Neriden,p surround
ed by those waving Insignia Of grace and
fashion that young Indies used To have their
eyes turned of from beholding. Every
thing in the tasteful establishment told Of
well arranged business, and Mark, himself
the mirror Of fashion, faultless in every ar
ticle of costume, quick, attentive, polite,
was every day to-be seen there. winning
golden opinions from all sorts of people,"
Marks shop became the resort OF high
tone of beauty and wealth, who came there
to be enlightened as to the ways and means
of disposimg of their surplus reyenue--te
see and to be seen, So attentive, polite.
and considerate was Mark, so profound his
bows, so bright lis eyes. so uneXception-
able his whiskers, that it might have prov
ed dangerous resort for, the ladies' had
not neat, tasteful house, going up in the
neighbOrhOod been reported as the future
residence of an already elected Mrs. Meri-
den; and in few months, the house neatly
finished, and tastefully furnished, received
very pretty lady who called herself to
that effect. She was as truly refined and
lovely woman as ever formed the center
flower in domestic. boquet, and Mark
might Justly be pardolied for having as
| Of In mi oAl no vi N
been fortunate enough to secure her. stT
Mark had an extensive circle of business
and pleasure acquaintances, for he had been
1 one of the social, companiOnable sort,
| whose money generally found its way out
of his pocket in very fair proportion to the
| rate it came in. ''u. '.
In short he was given to clubs, oyster
suppers, and now and then wine party,
and various other social privileges for ell
evating ones spirits and depressing one's
cash, that abound among enlightened COM
| munities. 80 sihj ~ >El -.
= But nevertheless, at the bottom of Marks
head, there was very substantial stratum
of a certain quality called common sense, a
trait which. though it was never set down
in any chart of phrenolOgy, may very just
ly be called a. faculty, and one, too, which
makes a very striking difference among
men as the world goes. In consequence of
being thus constituted, Mark, when he
found himself in love WITH and engaged to
| very pretty girl, began to- reflect with
more than ordinary seriousness on his habI
| its, ways and manners oflite. He also took
an accurate survey of his business, formed
| an average estimate Of his future income on
the soberest probabilities, and determined
telive little even with that, Healso proVid-
ed himself with a small account book, with
which he intended to live in habits of very
close acquaintance, and in this book he de-
signed to note down all savings consequent
upon the retrenching of certain little eX-
tras, before alluded TO-, in which he had
been in the habit of pretty freely indulging
himself. d '..' i' '..i3 -.
Upon the present occasion, it had cost
him something of an effort to say mo- for
Mark was one of the easy fellows" to
| whom the enunciation of this little syllable
causes as much trouble as all the gutteral
of the German. However, when he came
in sight of his parlor windows, through
which bright fire was shining, when he
entered and found the clean glowing hearth,
the easy chair drawn up in front, and a
pair of embroidered slippers waiting for
him at their leisure, and above all, when he
read the quick glance of welcome in pair
! of very bright eyes, Mark forgot all about
Ben Sanford, and all bachelor friends and
allhfements whatsoever, and Thought him
self the happiest fellow'on earth.
1.-The evening passed off rapidly by the
help of music, reading. and9a little small
talk, of which married people generally
find a supply, and next morning saw Mark,
at early business hours, with as steady a
hand and cool head as If there had been
no such thing as bachelor fr0lics in exist
ence. Ial THd ElotH-.-s'J j.r pAl 'grr.,
Late in the forenoon, Ben Sanford loung-
ed in to ogle a few OF the ladies, and above
all, to rally Mark on losing the glorious fun
of the night before. y .liyl lr.ff.
"Upon my word, Mark he began, .'we
must have you put up for Selectman, you
are becoming so extremely ancient and
venerable in your ways-however, you are
to be excused, he added, circumstances
considered-female influence ah!-well,
it's fine affair, this marriage" a.egH
"Better try it, Mr.. Sanford" said a
fright, saucy girl, who, with her Laughing
companions, was standing, by while Ben
was speaking. -,
"Ah, madame! the wherewithal :" said
Ben, rolling up his eyes with a tragic ex-
preston SIf some cleverold fellow would
be so obliglng;as to die now, and leave me
a few, thousands-4then, ladies, you would
| seeul i Hdoll Isi1rl TiDI9iii' s vi bells
nsBut speaking Of moneys said Mark,
&henhe saw the ladies busy over some laces
he had just thrown on the counter, "what
did your GLORIOUS fun cost you?'i11 1Iil !,
1Pooh !Anothing !-only ten dollar bill
nothing in my purse, you knoww 10 Aol
'"N0thing in your purse pinot an uncom-
mon incident after these occasions" said
Mark, laughing. --, -iiiiul'l' li"H 20 DlMiia
"Oh, hang It all r'-said Ben, 'too true l
can get no remedyfor this consumption Iof