The Portland daily press., 1867-04-13

70 leave . I,ie rei"n of Elizabeth had scarcely
80 ,honoht to my outside apparel, tor that
Salln,t Soman had had a general
enees;cIt over my gear; and it now
occurred to me that l was allowing
mvselt to fall TO wreck and ruin. l felt an in.
cIination to seize my hat and run. but, sum-
moning all my manhood, resolved to have If ont
and make myself as agreeable as possible
Miss Wilcox, with true poiiteness soon set
me at ease, and in the course of halt an bonr
was converslng with her as unrestrainedly
aS IL we were Old acquaintance and had
come lor a social call. She had known my
'a!e wle she said, had seen her graduate
WIN nigh honors at the Academy. Herself a
mere child, she had been brought out of sever
al small troubles by Miss Vennebals kind
ness, and remembered her with gratitude as a
peace-maker. Yes, it was SC characteristic OF
Elizabeth to betriend the little ones. AT length
l asked Miss Wilcox to play forme, and found
her music as charming as her conversation
In short, | owned to myself that 1 had not
! spent so delightful an evening for years.
The time came when l must reluctantly
| take my leave, yet all this while i had not
once remembered my errand. When l aid
think of it, it was with swelling at the
throat. 1t would surely be felicity to have
such an accomplished creature to preside over
my house, it only 'for while, just to accom-
modate," as my neighbor had expressed it,;
| but how could ask sucha favor? l review
ed Miss Peters's words: "Mehetabel hadn't
been used to living out much" SO it seemed
| she had occasionally done so. There was no
| accounting for the democracy in small cOun-
| try places. Those white hands not only made
| the bread at home, but did it, on occasion, in
the houses OF others. Probably Miss Meheta-
| bel, with all her refinement, had in her COM
| position tincture OF the strong-minded. And
| INV, 1 cd, oh ,ot Iad
chen-work for distracted families as well as
| write poetry for thankless editors? 1t is the
| mind that dgnlties the employment. "Act
| well thy part, there all the honor lies"
Fortifying myself with these reflections,
| began with the meekness of Tom Pinch to
| describe the desolation and anarchy of my
home. told Miss Wilcox had always sup
| posed children were as easily trained as pea
vines, and not liable to send out tendrils in
any peiverse Or inconvenient directions, but
found myself utterly mistaken. "Now there
was no king in Israel and every child did that
| which was right in his own eyes,"
She seemed sorry for me. L went on to de-
scribe the incompetent SER ants we had had,
and the state of complete despair at which /
had arrived Presently L observed she was
smiling, not derisively, but because the details
which related were irresistibly amusing
Encouraged by her manifest sympathy, will
l
Wilcox to come and do my housework? Woe
to the insane impulse which prompted -
| Woe to the malicious Miss Peters who had
| sentme hither on purpose to make game Of
me, and at the same time to humiliate the
| high-bred "Mittie."
"My dear young lady," said + clearing my
throat with NOW or never'' fesot hilton, 1T is
true have seen you but a short time, yet you
| already seem like an old acquaintance; and
even batOrp / hapa this + E,ao,
| you by reputation"
Here L hesitated. Miss Wilcox was evil
IDENTIFY wondering what meant to say next
wondered myself. "lwill put it on the score
Of humanity" thought l. e
Gas was about to say, my dear Miss VIII
cox, will you, whom l justly deem the--the
very person most fitted for the position
will you-with your woman's heart, seeing me
| as am-as IA suppliant as l may say, at
your mercy, will you take pity on me and"
Here paused for want OF a word which
should be sufficiently inoffensive and at the
same time convey nay meaning. l looked at
Miss Wilcox, who seemed to be bracing her.
self to meet some kind OF a shock. How
could |, though with gentlest courtesy, ask
| the exquisite young lady to be my cook and
chambermaid? But it was necessary to pro-
| coed.
Il hardly know what you will think of me"
said /, with CHASTITY smile, ''for seem to be
| tongue-tied, CT partially so, bur Lift you
would condescend, as l said before, to take
pity on poor bereaved man with helpless
little family, motherless as you may say, feel
| i know-that your presence at my iireside
would make me happier, would make"
Miss Wilcox looked aSitated.
| Mr.. Pratt" replied she, seeing had come
| TO long dash, you have taken me entirely
| by surprise. 1t is true you are not unknown
to me by reputation, and l remember your
wife,"
"Ah, yes" exclaimed /, resolved to make
an appeal to the better feelings OF Miss VIII
cox, Who was, feared about to slip through
my fingers. "And my sainted Elizabeth, if
she could look down upon us, would, am
sure, bless you tor trying to soften the lot OF a
struggling man. Only say yes and name IT, e
day.
/ was intending to say, "Set your own
price" but the mention OF wages to the ex-
quisite young lady before me seemed absolute
| ~ impairment. In my embarrassment quite
forgot that had not yet stated what wished
her to do for "a struggling man." But my
unconnected words had evidently conveyed
to her some sort OF meaning, for she had be-
come very pale and was leaning against a
chair for support. She saw l was awaiting
an answer.
mr.. Pratt" said she in tremulous voice,
"allow me to say that regard your PROPOSE
ton as a little il-timed. Why this desperate
haste? / thank you for the honor you do
me. but at least allow me little time to be-
come acquainted with you. You cannot ex-
| pect me to bestow my affections upon an ut
| ter stranger, who has not even proiessed any
! regard for me-"
Imagine the situation! 1t came over me
| like lightning, flash ON flash. Here had been
stammering and suffering proposal to this
nj Oh a. III L
should do? What could / do? The per-
piexity may have been ludicrous, but am
sure it was very, very embarrassing! How
could tell her that what she had mistaken
| Tor an offer OF marriage was only a request
for her services in my kitchen?
| No, If had to burn at the stake couldn't
do it, A man of expedients might have crept
| out of such a noose-not 1. Moreover, |
didn't feel half so wretched as should have
expected. My heart gave double beat
half fright, half joy. The fact that I had by
pure accident taken fatal step and covld not
retrace it, struck me then and there as
special providence. 1 had done it with nv
eyes shut, but, in Cupid's name, what better
could have done with my eyes open? Here
was superior woman, acknowledged even by
the envious Miss Peters to be capital house
wife, and to my knowledge a charming COM
panion. What more could ask in a wife ? [
thought very fast, but the more thought the
more certain was that had only anticipated
matters little; for l was already in love, and
must inevitably have come to aproposal soon
er or later. 1t was over, and l hadn't had to
dread teither-some consolation this to diff
fident man! -.e H=A
So without any very prolonged pause took
Miss Wlcox's hand, and this is what 1 said
to her as l was leaving the honse:
Ny dear friend, do not ask you to take
etc hoo