The weekly standard., 1869-09-08
SELECTED STORIES.
Winning a Wife.
THE STORY OF AN OLD YOUNG MAN.

THE STORY OF AN OLD YOUNG MAN.
Joseph Hannaford was an old young man.
Care and responsibility had come to him ear
ly in life, for he was not more than sixteen
when his father died, and left his mother
and his young sister to his keeping. There
was property enough for them all, to be
sure, but it was chiefly in land and stock,
and needed Joseph's Ylgilant superinten-
dence to make it profitable. This superin-
tendence he gave faithfully end willingly,
and never once complained that to do so
forced him to resign sundry secretly cherish
ed personal ambitions ofhis own. But all this
responsibility wrought its own work upon his
nature-made him proyident, thoughtful cal
culating, thrifty-precisely an old young
man.
This state of things continued for ten
wears. Then his sister married, and re-
moved to the next town. His mother
desired to accompany her and was only pre-
vented by the difficulty which attended
obtaining a suitable housekeeper for Jo-
seph.
You perceive, therefore, that at twenty-six
Mr.. Joseph Hannaford was in position
uldITld2C
sirable. Otherwise, 1 rather think, he was
quite too well disciplined to have cherished
any idle fancies or importune longings.
Whether before this epoch he had ever
suffered any truant thoughts to wander in
the direction of Miss Carrie Fay, who had
been growing toward her sweet womanhood
not very far from his door, cannot con-
lecture Ionly know that about this time
he began to discover that her eyes were
blue, and her hair golden, her cheeks were
flower o. the peach, and her lips blossomed
with sweetness which he longed to taste.
He told her those things in some discreet
fashion of his own, and she-he was her first
lover and the right of discovery has gone
for good deal in all ages.
Every one said he was making a great
mistake The neighbors thought they
knew what he wanted a great deal more
than himself did; and was sure that good
strong, thrifty girl used to working and
saving, would be Just the one for him. Car
rie was pretty and fanciful, and dainty. She
was an orphan, but an uncle who had no
children of his own, had kept her from
feeling any sense of loneliless or desc lation
by his constant and fatherly kindness Un-
der his roof she had grown up to seventeen
years, and at that period the old youg man
had come along and wooed and won her.
Her uncle felt secretly uncomfortable, for
he understood Just what Carrie was better
than any one else did; and he knew that it
would be no easy matter to make working
bee out of golden-winged butterfly. But,
on the other hand, Carrie was evidently in
love with her suitor; and Mr. Hannaford
was certainly well to-do-quite able to
marry to please himself, and make is wife
comfortable in her own way afterward.
So, in due time, the wedding took place
and Carrie Hannaford went away to her new
home, where before very long, a change
over the spirit of her dream.
She had begun by first idealizing, and
then adoring her lord and master. He was
certainly well-looking, in kind of regular.
massive way. His face had in it not much
suggestion of sentiment. His eyes were
clear and shrewd, though kind, and his lips
were firm and rather thin. He knew beauty
when he sawit, but he would never be ruled
through his senses
His features were well-shaped. There was
power in his face. He was a man who knew
how to say no to himself and to Others.
There was manly vigor and symmetry in
his wellknit frame; and in short, he pos
sessed a good many of the attributes which
go to the making up of girls hero. But
Mistress Carrie reckoned without her host
when she proposed to make post matri-
monial lover out of him.. rEHtt I
Heevidently did not believe in connubial
love-making. .Philandering, as he called it.
was not to his tastes. Courting was yery
well in its way. 1t had not been without
its shy delights to him. But they were mar
ried now, and it was time to settle down,
and begin life as they could hold out Their
wedding was in September; and when the
late October winds blew away the sapless
withered leaves, Carrie felt as if her hopes
which had blossomed so fairly, were blow
ing with the leaves, and withered as they,
down the wind.
She was a conscientious, well-intentioned
little creature, and she tried her best to put
aside all these feelings which she taught her
self to believe were morbid and ungrateful.
She was constantly striving to Justify Jo-
seph, and making little pleas for him at the
bar of her heart. He was nine years older
than she; it would not be natural for him
to have so much romance. Of course he
loved her; why else would he have married
herr What's goose she was to expect of
big, strong busy man the little softnesses
which belong to and delight women. Then
she would try to be brave; make pretty lit
tie toilet, perhaps; wear the dress and the
ribbons he, had praised six months ago;
and meet him, her bright eye with hope, her
cheeks pink with expectation. Was he
blind to all this such an old young man
that the devices of youth had no longer for
him any language? At any rate, he made
no sign. 3'i'-i'- 't+'-i 's-7H laf
How dull and prosy and commonplace
were the long winter evenings which they
passed together. They got through supper
and were seated before the Franklin stove in
their little sitting room, at six o'clock. !
punctually and for three mortal hours they
sat in unbroken quiet, he reading his news
papers through and through, and She watch |
ing him, and wondering, wondering. won
dering whether life was to 90 on at this dead |
level forever. Punctually as the clock |
struck nine, he would. ..getiup flight his Ian |
tern, go his nightly rounds among the COWS |
and oxen and horses. Then he would come
in, take off his boots leisrrely, warm his
feet at the open fire and 60 TO bed She
grew to hate the precise epoch at which he
pulled off his boots. 1t seemed to her that |
if Just up to that pass she corlld bear on si-
lently, but as if then she must utter some
outcry, or silence and constraint would.
choke her. s,5a ns,dI sgom .stsaa{c- y,qr
Once or twice she made some few forlom
attempts to. better the condition of things,
brighten, them up if possible. Once she
planned the .beguilement of little supper.
Having made all ready beforehand, while he
was out upon his evening round, she stewed
some oysters and brewed some coffee, fondly
fancying her small feast would be a success;
but the wise old young man would not see
the fun. He did not believe in oysters at
bedtime; they would disagree with him
he knew. As for coffee, he was sure sin
gle cup would keep him awake all night /;
but if Carrie would take such things at nine
o'clock, and not have them hurt her, he had
not the slightest objection. 30 with no
heart to taste it herself, she carried away
her little treat and If few tears cooled the
coffee she had poured out for him in vain,
he was none the wiser. ftg1Ja
Slowly the winter wore away, tine long
season of SHOWS and SINS" BIRDS came
back from over the seas and began to sing
Violets opened shy blossoms. Green-blades
sprang up greenly and even Carrie Hanna
ford frightened with the Frightening OF ma
ture, and began to remember that she her