Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-07-05
MARK MERIDEN.

| tme-a pretty wife a pretty thing, Mark,
and pretty house is a pretty thing-but
hang it one must have little of life"
Mark Meriden stood at his desk, giving
a last look at his books, while Ben SAM
ford-the roguish-the merry-the song
sinEing-the Ben of all Bens, was thus
urging on him the claims of projected
! frolic that evening Now Ben was pre-
cisely the messenger for such an embassy
there was fun in the twinkle of his blue
/ eve. and a world of wacgery in the turn
of his head and in a pair of broad roguish
| dimplcs that went merrily dodging in and
ont of his cheeks every time he spoke,
and he had hold of Marks arm to drag
him away But Mark shook off his hand,
and finished summing up column of
| figures--put the hlottng paper into the
| book, and the book into the place. wiped
his pen-all with an air of great thought
fulness-and, at last, turning to Ben, said
-" think | won't 90 this time"
| Now, why not?" said Ben eargerly.
Because-because- have
an odd fancy that | should like Mrs Mer-
iden's company better this evening" said
Mark smilingly
Hang Mrs. Meriden-beg pardon
hang myself for saving so, but one hates
to see fine fellow buried alive; come
take real wake up with us"
"Thank you, Ben, but not having been
asleep | do not need it. SO I'll 90 home
and see my wife" thereat Mark
turned a resolute footstep homeward, as a
welltrained husband ought
Now" said one of our readers, d" wEo
was Mark Meriden p
You would not have asked. good read
er, if you had lived in the town Of
when his name first appeared on the out
side of one of its most fashionable shops
Mark Meriden-surrounded by those
waving insignia of grace and fashion that
young bellies need to have their ewes
turned off from beholding. Everything
in the tasteful establishment told of well
arranged business, and Mark himself the
mirror of fashion, faultess in every arti-
Gle of costume, quick, attentive. polite,
was every day to be seen there winning
golden opinions from all. Marks shop
became the resort of high tone-the fash
ionable exchange, the promenade Of beau
~ and wealth. who came there to be en-
lightened as to the ways and means of
diSposing of their surplus revenue, to see
and be seen.
So attentive. polite and considerate was
Mark, so bright his ewes. so unexception-
able his whiskers, that it might have
proved dangerous resort for the ladies,
had not a pretty house going up in the
ncighhorhood, been reported the future
residence Of an already elected Mrs Mer
iIen, and in a few months, the house be
ing finished and neatly furnished, receir ed
very pretty lady who called herself to
that effect She was as truly refined and
/ lovely woman as ever formed the centre
flower in a domestic boquet, and Mark
might justly lie pardoned for having been
fortunate enough to secure her
Mark had an extensive circle Of bus
mess and pleasure acquaintances, for he
had been one of the sociable companions
hle sort, whose money generally found its
way out of his pockets in very fair pro-
portion to the rate it came in In short,
he was given to clubs, oyster suprers,
and now and then a wine party, and var
ious other social privileges for elevating
ones spirit and depressing ones cash,
that abound among enlightened com
mnnities.
But, nevertheless, Mt the bottom Of
Marks head, there was n very substantial
stratum of certain quality called COM
mon sense, which, although it was meyer
set down in any chart of phrenologv, may
very just he called n faculty, and one,
! too, which makes a very striking differ
ence among people as the world goes. In
/ consequence of being thus constituted,
Mark, when he found himself in love and
engaged to very pretty girl, began to re-
| fleet with more than ordinary seriousness
on his habits, ways and manner of life
/ He also took an accurate survey of his
/ business, formed an average estimate of
+ future income on the soberest probabili-
/ tics, and determined to live a little even
within that He also provided himsef
with small account book with which he
intended TO live in habits of very close oc-
I duaintance, and in this book he designed
to note down all the savings consequent
upon the retrenching of certain little ex-
tras, before all, ded to, IN which he had
been in the habit of pretty freely indul-
gin- himself
Upon the present occasion it had cost
him something of an effort to say no, for
Mark was one of your easy, ''clever fell
lows" to whom the enunciation of this
little syllable causes rs much trouble as
all the cu,terals Of the German. How
ever. when he came in sight of his parlor
windows. through which bright fire wa:
shininr-when he entered and found the
10,