Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-14
A F Family in Love.

| am the elder brother of family in love.
The fact dimly dawned upon me, widening by
degrees, ever since | came home from India
last year, and took myself the charge of NV
live sisters, aged from about. But Martha
might object to my particularizng Good
little Patty! what merry creature she was
when she went nutting and fishing with me.
And what ugly caps she has taken to wearing,
poor dear! And why can't she speak as
gently, when scolding the servants, as | re-
member our sweet-yoiced, pretty mother used
always to do? And why, in spite of their
mutual position. will she persist in calling Mr.,
Green, with kind of frigid solemnity, TMr.
Green?' But he does not seem to mind it;
probably he never was called anything else.
lie is very worthy person, nevertheless,
and have great respect for him. When
my sister Martha-Miss Heathcote, as she has
been called from her cradle-by letter an
nounced to me at Madras that she intended to
reEnqush that title for the less euphonious
one OF Mrs. Green, | thought for various
reasons of no moment now, that my eldest
sister wac not likely to marry rather hoped
she would not. We might have been so com
Portable, poor Patty and /. However, | had
no business to Interfere with either her happi-
ness or her destiny; so when the first Sunday
after my arrival a cozy carriage drove up the
avenue, and bald, rather stout little man got
out, to be SOlemnly introduced to me as ''Mr
Green | submitted to the force of circum-
stances, and to the duties Of a brother-in-law
He has dincd with us every Sunday since.
lie and | are capital friends; regularly, when
the ladies retire, he informs me what the funds
have been at, day by day during the past
week. and which is the safest railway to buy
shares IN for the week following. A most
worthy person, | repeat: will make kind
husband, and | suppose Martha likes him;
but. However, poor girl, she is old enough
TO judge for herself, and it is no business of
mine. Some time, before long, | shall give
her away at the old parish church-quietly,
without any show shall see her walk down
the church-aislc with old Mr.. Green-he in
his best white waistcOat and she in her sober
gray poplin which she insists in being married
Mot the clear soft muslin and long lace
veil | quite well remember seeing Patty work
ing at and blushing over, we won't say how
many years ago Well, women are better
married they say but | think | would rather
have had Martha an old maid.
My second sister, Angelina, was fifteen when
[ left England; and the very lovelest creature
! ever be4eld. Everybody knew it, everybody
acknowA4S ed it. She could lot walk down
| the streeC&ithout people turning to look after
her; she could not enter a room without
treating q general whisper: ''Who Is she?'
The same thing continued as she grew up to
womanhood. All the world was at her feet;
| every one said she would make a splendid
marrage-become a countess at least and |
do believe Angelina herself had the fullest
| confidence in that probability. She refused
lovers by the dozen every letter got told me
IF some new slaughter of Miss Angelines.
But, like most cruel damsels, she paid the
,,er,aIt,, Of bar I
home l found Angelina Heathcote, Angelina
Ieathcote still Beautiful yet, beautiful ex-
ceedlngly; walking picture, a visible poem;
It was q real pleasure to me to have such q
handsome creature about the house. Though
people did say, with d mysterious shake Of the
head, that handsome as she was, if | could
only see my sister two or three years agol
And Angelina herself became tenacious on the
subject of new gowns, and did not like it to be
generally known whether she or Charlotte was
he elder Good, plain, merry Charlotte, who
never thought about either her looks or her
age!
Yet Charlotte was the first who brought me
| into trouble-that trouble which | am now
| called upon to bemoan. | had not been at
| aome three months when there came young
rentleman-a very lively and pleasant young
gentleman, toO-who sang duets with the
Younger girls and made himself quite at home
IN my family circle. | myself did not much
| NEEDLE with him, thought him good natured
lad, and no more-until one fine morning he
astonished me by requesting five minutes
conversation with me in my study.
was very kind to the young man when
he blushed, | looked another way; when he
rembled, | invited him to take a chair. [
istened to his stammering explanation with
he utmost patience and sympathy; l even
tried to help him out with them-till he came
o the last clause.
Now, do say that man who asks you for
,our purse, your horse, your friendship, after
only four weeks acquaintance, has considera-
Die courage; but a man who, after that brief
oeriod since his introduction, comes and asks
iou for your sister-why, ones first impulse is
kick him down stairs.
Happily, ! controlled myself. | called to
ny mind that Mr., Cuthbert was an honest
Dung fellow, and that if he did choose to risk
lis whole future upon the result of a month s
lughing, and singing, and dancing at balls
artainly it was his affair, not mine. My
BUSINESS solely related to Charlotte. | was
asst dispatching it in the quickest and friendlest
manner, by advising the young fellow to go
ack to college and not make a fool of himself
4 vain, when he informed me that my consent
MY was required, since he and Charlotte had
cen a pIighted couple for the space of three
hole days!
have always held certain crotchets on the
aramount rights of lovers, and the wrong of
.terfering with any apparently sincere VOWS !;
| u [ sent for Lofty, talked with her; found she
IS lust as foolish as he That because he
IS the best Walter, the sweetest tenor singer,
d had the handsomest moustache she knew,
II lively Charlotte was quite contented to
nee through life with Mr.. Cuthbert, and
cidedly proud of having his diamond ring
her third finger, and being considered
gagged as, indeed, they were likely to
e aain, if their minds changed not for the
It ten years.
so, what would l do? Nothing, but deal
,1h the young simpetons, if such they were,
,cording to their folly. If true, their love
ND have time to prove itself suchi II 1alse,
.ay would best find out that fact by It's not
eng thwarted [ kissed away Lofty tears,
/ Nv child. and next Sunday | had the honor
carving for brother-in-law elect No. Z.
FfnavnT rains but it pours Whether Ange-
, was reused at once to indignation and
/ .,pdescension by Charlotte's engagement, or
.,bather, as was afterwards reported to me,
lie was influenced by a certain statistical
,vspaper paragraph, malciously read aloud
Mr.. Cuthbert for general edifcation, that
mans chances of matrimony were proved
the late census to diminish greatly between
.e ages of thirty and thirty five; but most
.ssuredly Angelina demeanor changed. She
stopped to be agreeable as well as beautiful;
10 more than one sutton whom she had OF old
3wept haughtily by, did she now gracllously
incline; and the result was-partly owing to
The gaieties of this autumnal electon.that
Iiss Angeline Heathcote, the beauty of the
.ounty, held general election on her own
Alas for me-! In one week had no less
IAN four hopeful candidates requesting the
| honor of an interview" in my study.
To be continued