The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-05-15
The Story of an Old Young Man.


Joseph Hannaiord was an old Y Dung
man. Care and responsibility had come
to him early 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 Vigilant superintend-
ence to make it profitable. This super
intendence he gave faithfully and will
liOgly, and never once complained that
to do so forced him to resign sundry
secretly cherished personal ambitions
OF his own. But all this responsibility
wrought its own work upon his ma
nature-made him provident, thought
full, calculating, thrifty-precisely an
old young man.
This state of things continued for ten
years. Then his sister married, and re-
moved to the next town. His'mother
desired to accompany her, and was
only prevented by the difficulty which
attended obtaining a suitable house.
keeper for Joseph.
You perceive therefore, that at TWEEN
ty-six MIR. Joseph Hannaford was just
in Il position where marriage became
convenient and desirable. Otherwise.
rather think, he was quite too we'll dis
ciplined to have cherished any idle fam
Whether before this epoch, he had
ever suffered any truant thoughts to
wander in the direction OF Miss Carrie
Fay, who had been growing towards
her sweet womanhood not very far
away from his door, cannot conject-
ure. l only 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 these
things in some discreet fashion of his
own and she-he was her first lover,
and the right of discovery has gone for
u good deal in all ages.
Every one said he was making great
mistake. The neighbors thought they
knew what he wanted a great deal bet.
ter than he himself did; and were sure
that H good, strong, thrifty girl, used to
working and saving, would be just the
one for him. Carrie was pretty and
fanciful and dainty. She was an Or
phnn; but an uncle, who had no chill
dren of his own, had kept her from
feeling any sense of loneliness or desc
lation by his constant and fatherly
Kindness. Under his roof she had
grown up to seventeen years, and at
that period the old young man came
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
10 make a working bee out of golden
winged butterfly. But, on the other
hand, Carrie was evidently in love with
her sutton; and Mr.. Hannaford was
certainly weIl-to-do-quite able to mar
~ TO please himself, and make his wife
comfortable in her own way after
wards.
So, in due time, tho wedding took
place, and Carrie HannafoTd went away
to her new home, where before very
long, IL change came over the spirit OF
her dream.
She had begun by first idealizing, and
then adoring her lord and master. he
was, certainly, we'll looking, In a 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 saw 1t,
but he would never be ruled through
his senses. His features were we'll
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 we'll
knit frame; and, in short, he possessed
IL good many of tho attributes which go
TO the making up of "a girls hero. But
Mistress Carrie reckoned without her
host when she proposed TO make post
matrimonial lover of him.
He evidently did not believe in con.
nubial love-making. Philandering, as
he called it, was not to his taste. Court;
ing was very well in its way. 1t had
not been without its shy delights, even
for him. But they were married now,
and 1t was time to settle down, and be-
gin life as they could hold out. Their
Wedding day was in September; and
when the late October winds blew
. TyiI
felt as it her hopes, which had boss
omed so fairly, were blowing with the
leaves, aud withered as they, down the
wind.
she was a conscientious, we'll
toned little creature, and she tried her
best to put aside all these feelings, when
she taught herself to believe was NOR
hid and ungrateful. She was constant
Iy striving 10 justify Joseph, 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 ne
loved her: why else would he have
married her? What goose she was 10
EXPECT of q big, strong, busy man the
little softnesRes which belong to and
daIi0ht women, Then she would try
to be brave; make pretty llttIe tollet,
nerhaps: wear the dress and ribbons ne
had praised six months ago; ana meet
him. her eyes bright with nope her
cheeks pink with expectation. was ne
blind to all this-such an olo youns
man that the sweet devices OF youtna
had no longer for him any languageT
At auv rate he made no sign.
How dull, and prosy, and comuon-
place were the long winter evenings
which they passed together. Ihey got
through supper, and were seated DeioFe
the Franklin stove in their little slttlnR
room, at six o'clock, punctuaIly; anu
| there for three mortal hours they sat
in uubrOken q uiet, he reading his news
papers through and through, ana she
watching him, and wondering, wonder
| ing, wondering whether life was to go
on at this dead level forever. Pnnctu :
| ally as the clock struck nine, he would
get up, light his lantern and go his
nightly rounds among cows, and oxen,
| and horses. Then he would come in,
take of his boots, leisurely warm his
feet at the open fire, and go to bed. She
grew to Late the precise epoch at which
10 nnlled off his boots. 1t seemed to her
that lust up to that pass she could bear
~ silently. but as il then she must ut
| TOR some OutcrY, or silence and con-
Stroint would choke her.
Snce or twice she made some few for
,orn attempts TO better the condition Of
differentiation them up, II possible
Once she planned the Requirement Oh 9
little supper. Having mace al ieau
| beforehand, while he was OUT upon .at ~
evening round, she steWed soLne oox.
and brewed some coffee, IonuIJ IaOy
ing her small feast would DC su SUI ~
hnt the wise old man would not see Int
Fnn He did not believe in oysters
nod time: they would disagree with hlLn
| tSI..orv 40 for coffaa. he was 9uT0