Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-08-04
WINNING A WIFE.
rur sroRY or Az OLD 1orSo MAN.

WINNING A WIFE.
THE STORY OF An OLD YOUNG MAN.
Joseph Hannaforl 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 vigilant superintendent to make it
profitable. This superintendent he gave
faithfully and willingly, and never once COM
planned that to do SO forced him to resign sun
dry secretly cherished personal ambitions of
his own But all this responsibility wrought
its own work upon his nature-made him
provident, thoughtful, calculating, thrifty
precisely an old young man.
This state of things continued for ten
years Then his sister married, and removed
company her and was only prevented by the
difficulty which attended obtaining a suitable
housekeeper for Joseph.
You perceive, therefore, that at twenty-six
Mr.. Joseph Hannaford was Just in posi-
ton where marriage became convenient and
desirable. Otherwise, l rather think, he was
quite too well-disciplined to have cherished
any idle fancies or importunate longlngs.
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 away from his door, l cannot con-
lecture. | 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 bossomed with q
sweetness which he longed to taste. lie told
her these things in some discreet fashion OF
his own, and she-'he was her frst lover and
the right of discovery has gone for good
deal in all ages.
Every one said he was making great
mistake. The neighbors thought they knew
what he wanted great deal better than he
himself did; and were sure that a good
strong, thrifty girl, used to working and saw
ing, would be just the one for him. Carrie
was pretty, and fancful, and dainty. She
was an orphan, but an uncle who had nc
children of his own had kept her from feeling
any sense of loneliness or desolatlon by bus
constant and tatherly Kindness. Under his
roof she had grown up to seventeen years
and at that period the old young man came
along, and woed and won her.
Her uncle felt secretly uncomfortable tol
he understood just what Carrie was better
than any one else did and he knew that Il
would be no easy matter to make working
bee out of golden-winged butterfly But
on the other hand, Carrie was evidently II
love with her suitor; and MIR. HannaiorC
was certainly wel-to-do-quite able to mar
ry to please himself, and make his wife com
Portable in her own way atterward,
So, in due time, the wedding took place
and Carrie Hannatord went away to her new
home, where, before very long, change can't
over the spirit OF her dream.
She had begun by first idealizing, and thel
adoring her lord and master. lie was Ger
tainly well-looklng, IN a kind oil regular
massive way. His face had in it not mucl
suggestion of sentiment. His eyes wer
clear aud shrewd, though kind, and his lip
were firm and rather thin. lie knew beaut,
when he saw it, but he would never be rule'
T through his senses. His features were well
shaped. There was power IN his face. Ii
was man who knew how to say no to hun
self and to others There was manly vigo,
and symmetry in his well-knlt frame and
in short he possessed good many OF the at
tributes which go TO the making up OF girl
hero. But Mistress Carrie reckoned withou
her host when she proposed to make post
matrimonial lover of him.
He evidently did not believe in connubla