Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-10-16
Ten Years of Prudence.

y
place. An inn orter of dry goods Uncle
Oliver was when l WAS II.
No one called me " Prudence Pa'ter-
son " then. 1t would have been in sar-
C, SIN if they had, Tor prudence was not
a part of my la urc. l was impulsive,
romantic, ana All sorts OF silly thin $,
and | was very happy. l have my
miniature still by me, taken at that
time. highly lmpfLd ;nt, by the way,
for IL young fellow with my salary to
LAY $40 1or II miniature OF himself.
/ supl ose 1 was battered, for it was
veiy handsome, but L had apple red
cheeks, and slly-blue eyes, and golden
Blown lair then, l know. Well, no
matter. The red faded in my cheeks as
soon us went into Uncle divers estaD-
Iishment.
Your great fault" said Uncle Oliver
to me il. his fist p. 'ate lecture 'yOur
great fault, Paul, IS imprudeEce. You
act on impulse. Never act on impulse;
always take time to think. Would
have Irospered as l have, otherwise
MOI"
Uncle Oliver was the great man of our
family, 20 listened with reverence.
wv, 5 II 1t so iml ulsive or 50 i'm rudeEt
when, five years after, | met jesse Ash
burton.
1t was holiday time for us, and 1 had
Il week at Saratoga. She was seventeen,
and was there with her grandfather for
MS heath. He came to the spring mot
Tor fashion, ana boarded with widow
in a pretty cottage, not hotel. She
and Jessie l mean-were the only
young people.
She was the prettiest creature l ever
saviour first always is, l suppose.
Her hair was black hereyes were black;
she had r.ch brunette skin, and lips of
vermilliOn. Oh, her dainty waist, and
her tiny hands and feet! On her smile,
am boy aga II, when l think OF it.
fell in live with her, and ST e knew it +.
1 felt sure that she liked me.
AS we parted, if l had been the i'm
pulsive creature that l was five years be-
lore, | should have dropped on my
knees on the porch in the moonlight
and asked her to decide my fate.
The words were on my lips. l had
her hand in mine; feltlt tremb e.
II shall be gone before you are up to-
morrow" ! said, ~ must say goodbye
now"
She said Good bye, Mr.. Patter-
son."
wanted to kiss her. She did not
look as though she would be very angry,
but y uncle's lectures on prudence had
aad the effect
relinquished her hand and put my
or n in my pocket for safe keeping.
such talering waists rs hers are a
temptation.
~ may call upon you when you re-
turn, to S, if your grandpa is better" 1
said.
And then we spoke of many other
things.
AS 1 whirle1 cityward next dry, I
thought of here INSTANTLY. At least she
was very young. She, believe, had no
1--we. We could wait. l could until
circumstances warranted an offer of
heart an hand.
| went to see her as soon as her parlOr
shutters other grandiather's house were
opened, and she received me with pref
ty smile, which was OIL of her greatest
CHAINS.
In month I felt quite sure that 1
should never be hap y without her, and
that, with her, / should be the happlest
fellow in the world.
Prudence could not quite obtain mas
terry. did nct make love to her in
words, but wooed her with my eyes
and voice, l know. l saw her color
changed at my coming. l knew she
liked my society.
AT Christmas time, when the old-fash-
Toned home gathered troops of frieids