The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1867-12-06

actually into the drawing room, having
deposited coat and hat in the hall, bear
ing under his arm huge brown paper
lparcel, which he hastened to lay in my
lap, announcing in loud voice, while
he blushed a rosy red:
Here's some more peanuts, Henny
for you and Miss vi; 1 thought the old
stock must be out by this time"
! Dulcimer Doodles had actually risen
to shake hands with him, and was ad
vancing at square shouldered amble
from the further side of the apartment
for this purpose, when these words me
his ear. He actually turned pale, shud
dered, stared sadly at me and the parce
in my lap, gave a grin of defiance a
Johnny, and subsided. Johnny follow
ed, for he had seen the first intention
and being innocent of guile, supposed
it still held. Before poor Dulcimer'i
weak, light-colored eyes took in thu
meaning of his movements, he wal
shaking the poor, helpless hand vigor
ously, and inquiring if its owner were
sick.
Dulcimer went away after that, and
left Johnny master of the situation. v
cried, and scolded me and Johnny. We
had ruined her prospects, she Informed
us We had covered ourselves with
disgrace, was the next count in the
indictment. l need never expect tc
get married, was the next statement
while, for Johnny, he was informed that
it was a piece of impudence for 8
grocePs clerk, an errand boy, TO ster
his foot inside drawing room. o.
course he could not be expected to know
that no lady ate peanuts-openly, al
least-but l was fully aware Of the
vulgarity, of my conduct. l fared uE
here, and added: Yes, and of yours,
too, and offered her a handful, nicely
Drowned, of the peanuts
And then l sided with Johnny, and
we two adjourned to the dining-room,
and left vi to cry and scold to the end
of that chapter
Johnny, abetted by me, and asked by
my father stayed to tea. We ate all
the peanuts we chose to, and talked
confdentially about many things.
Among others, l heard the plan of his
future, and learned that somehow,
quite inexplicably [ was mixed up with
every phrase of it. When Johnny went
out the front door that night, he carried
my heart with him.
vi gave it to me when l went up
stairs, and Dulcimer Doodles and his
characteristics received a graphic de-
scription and criticism from my tongue.
All this had the usual result. 1t was
Doodles Versus Ray, and Ray was the
victor.
Doodles ceased his visits. Our COM
pany was to low for him, he said, and
the next month he gave an illustration
of his social theory by marrying his
mothers chambermaid. vi lost this
luminary, but she married a luminary
of the church, which was better, l sup
pose.
I. Johnny and continued to be allies.
Johnny improved greatly, left the er-
rand-boy period far behind, and an
uncle from the South being propitious
and rich, he soon far outstripped Nc
Gregor, who was only common grocer
after all. AT least l concluded so when
l saw the beautiful store Johnny had
opened on Broadway, with its elegant
windows filed with every kind of good
things that grocers sell. Even vi con-
triyed to renew her acquaintance with
him at that period, for she was reason
ably fond of many other nice eatables
beside peanuts, and especially such very
costly ones as ecclesiastical luminaries
are seldom able to buy. m ~
l did not feel ashamed of my peanut
lover then. Papa was not very rich,
and since Wis marriage had ceased to
try to appear so. Johnny had improv-
ed greatly, as L think remarked be
fore. He was now as gentlemanly as
he was handsome, courteous, easy, we'll
informed. Every one who knew him
liked him. He had scores of friends
business friends and social intimates.
Free from all low vices, he was good
fellow in the best meaning of those
often abused words. And he was to
me the best and dearest of friends,
more trusted than my sister, closer to
my heart than my widowed father, be-
tween whose life and mine the tie of
sympathy was always weak, and weak
ened by every year.
It was the Spring of 1851, and we
all know what red and horrid clouds of
war burst over our doomed land then.
The excitement was in its height, when
Johnny came to me, and told me that
he must go. l dared not resist the fate
that was developed for me, in those
words, and l said:
go then, if you must. We have no
right to withhold our best in this day
of our country's peril .c
If l wept, only the silent walls of my
chamber testified to it, till the farewells
were uttered, and l saw him march a.
way.
There are volumes in the history of
the war that might be written-vol-
umes that every woman's heart might
believe were told for her. But | need
not touch upon them, nor tell with
what pride and patience, what anxiety
and gladness l watched his course.
Was he wounded? Of course he
was, for his soldering was not play,
nor of the fairweather sort. And |
done my fighting with death, and not
with rebels, and kept him at bay. And
when the war was over, welcomed
home my handsome, my glorious
Colonel=-not the manned, white wrath
of himself, but as noble in person as
in bravery and courage.
To me he was ever the same. My
peanut lover still call him, at times,
welcome in every drawing-room where
draft-escaped, puny efigies of MEN,
whose lives are so poor beside his own,
ever ready to receive him are and vie
with each other in ready honors at
mention of his name.
l wonder if l should have been hap
pier as the wife of conventional gem
tleman? think not. No smell Of sat
isfaction ever arises at sight or thought
of my peanut lover To me he is as
good, noble, handsome as man can be,