Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-03-08

q widower some years older than myself
and | have been married-let me see how
long why, ii is now six years and seven
months since | was married; so | might
have left out the word young for | was
full fiye-and twenty when l was married
Excuse me one moment. L want to stop
and explain something. You may think
and dare say you do, and very naturally,
tOo-that | have not stated the above facts
with as much terseneSs as | might have
done YOU think might have given you all
the information contained in my sentence
Just as well without saying five times over
that / was married.
EWell, yes l suppose l might; and then,
again, mightn't; for you must understand
that my main object and intent was 10 fix
the idea in your mind at the very outset that
| am married and soma people have to be
told any thing half dozen times over,
/" here a little, and there little" and by
and-by great deal. before they can fully
take it in And although you may not be
one of that obtuse sort-and don't believe
you are-or you may think it is very unim
portant to you, and no sort of matter
whether | am married or not, 1t is of the
greatest importance in the world to me, and
| can't have it overlooked any way. 1t is
the one great event OF my Whole life; 1t Is
before or since. Ny marriage. Why, my
birth was not a circumstance compared
with it in my estimation Besides, the fact
of my being born is mere matter of
record; have TO take it al upon trust,
for / can't be expected To remember so long
ago. But as regards my wedding, that is
all within my own memory. My marriage
1t was the great object of my earnest wish
es while was single, and the great subject
of my fervent gratitude and Selfcongratu-
lstion ever since it took place
There | knew YOU would laugh at that;
Iexpected YOU would. so it does not dis
concert me in the least. You think | was
silly, commonplace sort of girl, seeking
only for adulation, eclat. and wedding
fnery-looking forward to an early mar
riage as lucky chance, fortunate adven
ture-or, worse still, a good financial
speculation. which should release me from
parental discipline and surveillance, and
give me independence of action and
n1uch-covet ID superiority over the IN
married girls -" of our set" But it was
not so. / was not that sort of girl at all !;
| was not, indeed. / just want you
10 wait and hear my account of the
matter and then am sure you will do me
more justice.
| had been a lonely child, and l grew up
a still more lonely girl, the only child of my
parents Ny young mother died at the
time of my birth-her health undermined
as | have been told, by grief for my father,
who had died just four months previous
My grandparents on both sides had preced-
ed their children TO the land of the hereaf
ter" and came upon earth only to ind it
made desolate by the loss of all that makes
earth dearest.
4 hoI vel t. h.,
cousins. Now cousins are very well IN
their way, no doubt; they are great deal
better than nothing. certainly great deal
to be thankful for, any way l think a
great deal of cousins in general, and when
one happens TO be brought up IN the same
family circle. of course popinquity does
great deal, and may elevate them to
brotherly or sisterly place III your affec-
tons for life Yes, YOU may run with the
little chickens, and if the old hen is mother
ly, and does not peck at you, or rudely
pluck out your little pin feathers, you may
almost forget that you are duck, and not
one of the original brood. But this was
not the case with me and my cousins.
never had lived with them they were all
vast deal older and wiser than / was
They were married men and women They
gave me great deal of the best advice
as would lakeland more; but, somehow
or other, did not seem TO fraternize with
them as much as could be wished Nice
people they were, too, and made me splen-
did presents when | was married But
weii-there, you know how it Is
dare say you have met with just such cases
before now.
My guardian and trustee were nice peo-
pie too. believe they did their solemn duty
TO me: had me christened and vaccinated
and photographed from time to time had
my teeth attended to and my hair cut; put
me to the best OF schools, and asked me to
their houses to pass the week at Christmas
time IN regular succession, and managed
my money-matters very judiciously; for l
had comfortable little independence left
me by my father, which, during my long
and inexpensive minority, they had faith
fully nursed, and tended, and rolled ND.
until, at my coming of age, had quite
pretty little fOrtune-mOre than enough to
supply all my wants.
Yes: had everything | could want but
one thing. A home had nol-I never had
had. From boarding schools to boarding
houses this had been my only experience
To have home was the one grand longing
OF my nature. | saw with an intense in
terest, amounting almost to envy / am
afraid, other young girls the objects of af.
fectiOnate and aSsiduOus attention interest |
to father, mother brothers. or sisters: |
saw them the unheeding recipients of a |
thousand little nameless acts of devotion |
and love for which my lonely soul thirsted |
IN vain l saw them sharing in all the holy |
and beautiful amenities of home. appar- |
emily unconscious of the blessings they |
possessed But II had had as the French |
express 1t, no chez moi, no home and |
how could / have? how could Young
girl gather household around her who
had no relations but cousins, and they all |
settled In establishments of their own
L reflected upon the subject deeply |
brought to bear upon it all the powers of |
my intellect; and could see but one REM |
edy- There was nothing for me to do but |
to marry. To marry? Yes, that was Just |
what | must do; but marry achom that |
was the the question. / had beaux enough |
and to spare. / viii not call them lovers |
they were not worthy of that good old |
English word; but / could not marry |
man for his dancing Or his whiskers. l |
would as soon have welded one of the |
waxen-faced gentry with well-oiled mus
tache and faultless raiment, who smile upon
us from the plate-glass windows of some
tailoring establishment. No; / did not
want to spend all my life polkaing or dane
ing the German, did want companionship,
protection and support. did not need to
marry to be free from restraint, to be indie
pendent, to have an establishment; to say.
my horses, or my opera box" instead OF |
my father" On no! was tired of all
that lonely possession, and lonped rather