Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1869-05-27
ADVENTURES OF A BASHFUL
YOUNG MAN.

Harry Gordon Singleton made his
debut into the world on Friday. We
deem this fact worth chronicling, since
it was an event of Importance to our
hero, and because we hope to show to
unbelievers that the old saw about the
unluckiness of Friday is correct
From his very birth, Harry was stig-
matized. He was an exceedingly pref
ty babe, fair complexion, brown haired,
plump and rosy; but he was endowed
with heritage far worse than hump
back, club foot, or squint eye-he
was bashfull When the ladies came
to look at him in his cradle, and to call
him "little beauty-the express image
of his pa" the little "sweet" would in
variably put his little fat fist into his
mouth and hide his interesting face in
the pillow.
Mrs. Singleton-a fair faced, hand
some womaf regretted very greatly
this unfortunate -lEait in the tempera-
ment of her beloved first born, and
used every endeavor to break him of it,
but without success, and Harry grew
up to youth the most bashful and re-
firing of human beings. He was, also
singularly unlucky. No child ever
received SO many thumps and bumps
since the fall of Adam; his forehead
was populous archipelago of blue,
yellow and black bruises, in various
stages of coloring.
When there was company at the
house, Harry generally retired to an
unoccupied room in the attic, where,
having ensconsed himself in the bed
which stood there, he passed the day
reading some old novel or book of his
tory, picked out of the great chest in
the garret used for the repository of
rubbish; or, by way of variation he
somssimes took refuge in the barn, and
snugly hidden on the haymow, spent
the time in silent meditation on his un-
fortunate destiny. He would walk a
mile around through the fields to avoid
meeting young lady; and when in the
street if he heard the sound of wheels
he would leap over the wall or fence
and lie prone on the ground until the
vehicle had passed oy.
AS he grew older he lost none of his
peculiarities, and before he was sixteen
years of age, his mothers chief diff
Guilty was the fear that he would live
an old bachelor Hundreds of silver
dollars could not have induced him to
speak to girl of his age, and his faith
er was obliged to forego his purpose of
sending him to the Whitestown Acade-
my. and have him educated at boy 8
school.
But notwithstanding Harry's exces-
sive bashfulness, he grew up to be a
fine fellow-brave, generous and hand
some, and there was not girl in town
that would not have felt honored by
his preference. Harry, however, stood
aloof from all the female sex, and as a
natural consequence he was the sub
ject of numberless practical jokes and
the hapless occasion of continual gig
Cling among the gay girls at the sing
ing school. m
When Harry was nineteen Rosalie
Waters came to Whitestown to pass
some time with her aunt, Mrs. Judge
Flanders. Rosalie was pretty bright
eyed, mischievous fairy of seventeen,
and if the truth must be confessed, she
took quite liking to Harry Singletoni
but of course she was too much Of q
coquette to allow Harry to guess it.
He, on his part, thought himself dead
in love, though he dare not raise his
eyes to the peerless face of his guiding
star. For whole days he racked his
brain, planning how he should address
her, but without deciding upon any
thing definite. One night at singing
school bold idea flashed across his
brain; its very boldness made it seem
very practicable. He would offer to
escort Rosalie homei
1t was an audacious act, and Harry
trembled in every limb at the thought
of it; cold Precipitation started out of
every pore; his hair nearly stood erect,
and his face flushed hot as the bo-
som of Vesuvius. He attempted to
sing, but his fine tenor voice broke
down; he coughed, hemmed, aourished
his handkerchief, and was Obliged to
sit down in despair.
The exercises Of the evening closed.
Harry seized his hat and rushed to the