The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-10-25
From London Society,"
A SPINSTER'S SWEEPSTAKES,
AND WHAT CAME OF II.
AN INDIA sY ETcH.

| ana TOWARDS WnOm nave also
thought your feelings were more than
those of friendship. She will make a
wife of whom any man might be
proud, IL would be we'll ii all those
who want to marry could get such a
one-there would be fewer bachelors
in that case, / think"
That's the very point" said
Buckley; II don't want wife
Twelve hours ago / had no more idea
of marrying, and no more desire to
marry, than the man in the moon.
But above all, tie miserable circum-
stances Of the lottery and the bet
mixed up with it make me so dis
gusted-confound it ali"
In short, you begin to think that
there are, after all, objections to the
study Of moral philosophy through
the medium Of spinster sweepstakesY
You try to provoke me--you hit
man when he's DOWN."
My dear Buckley, | don't sympa-
thize with you, because sympathy
would be out Of place. Would you
have me sit down and weep over the
matter and encourage me to do the
same2-to moralize feebly on the sub
ject of hasty and imprudent engage
ments, and their miserable endings?
to offer you all sorts Of commonplace
consolation; in short, do my very
best to make you believe yourself to
be the most miserable wretch in the
world, with nothing before you but
wretched future or suicide? The
thing is done and cannot be undone.
Even supposing il possible to undo it;
it would be done again ere the next
three months are past. Don't blame
the lottery for it; all It has done has
been to bring about the crisis a few
months earlier, for you were on the
high road to an engagement with /
Garry Wharton"
l believe you are right. / believe
/ have cared far more for her for
some time than have admitted even
to myself" ~ t~ttt8f D'in i'l
"Of. course you have, | went on.
4" | have seen it for long time. Sym
pathy and comfort, indeedl You
will never need either on ao-
count OF this. have too much
faith in her. And God forbid that
she should be in need of them; but /
have 20 fears for either of you in
future
But then the bet aud the lottery"
said Buckley" People will mix them
with this"
Why should they? It was pretty
shrewdly suspected why you had been
so much interested in croquet at the
Jurtons of late, besides, you have
neither won the bet nor the sweep
yet. Who knows but one or two
weddings may come off before yours?
Perhaps" | added, with a smile, !"
may be surprising you one OF these
days soon by throwing myself away.
| almost think it would be dangerous,
confirmed old bachelor as | am, if
there was second Garry Wharton
here, continued more seriously,
and feeling very much inclined to
sigh as | stopped. However, good
night! | congratulate you most sim
cerely and heartily"
He returned my pressure of the
hand warmly, and with smile said,
Good night" and turned to leave
the room.
But, selfish fellow as | am, he
said coming back with the old gay
look upon his face and the cheerful
tone in his voice again, was for
getting to tell you your fate-you are
quite out of the coach; you drew the
she gorilla of the place
can guess who you mean" and
we both laughed. LET us spare the
utterance of the lady's name, though
only the walls would hear it. Yes, as
you truly say, / am out of the coach"
It was clear that the name of Grace
Thompson had fallen to my lot, girl
most decidedly plain, and to whom,
unfortunately, one could not apply
the alternative djective--amiable. 4
Good night, once more"
Time, the mighty old clock, went
on ticking, ticking-marking off upon
the dial of the year the days and
weeks and months. Wonderful old
clock never to have needed any wind
ing up, nor oiling of wheels, nor
cleaning of mechanism: since Ithe
works were first set going, nor ever
likely to, to the very end of its4exist-
ence. Marvellous old chronometef!
never varying with season or with
place, in summer the same, In winter
the same, Ia all ATTITUDES and longi-
tndes the same-at the equator or at
the pole, ON meuataiA submits or
deepest valleys needing no regu.l-
ting andyet never having its DEGREES
questioned.
The middle of September was past;
sick leaves and privileges leaves were
drawing to close; grass widowers,
who had been kept down IN the plains
at their courts or with their regiments
during the tedious summer months,
began to look, for the return of their
wives and children. 1t was clear
that the long Summer carnival was
near its end. Camels and. mules, 4