Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-12-08

| asked. Me OF whom you know nothing
whatever ?'
And what do you know OF me?' she
asked
More, perhaps. than you think an
swered. See here, .Goldenbeam, 1 will
make bargain with you. One year
from-it will be Thanksgiving day, then,
you know-you shall tell me whether I
make as good husband then as you
think now that [ will, and I will tell
| you
Yes (! What?'
why married you, and what I knew
about you. before I asked you to be my
wife. ~
1t was a bargain, and we sealed it with
kiss.
The next day we sailed for Europe, and
within year did everything that could
| reasonable be done there within that time.
We had been SO aceur ate and punctual in
following up the various routes which we
had planned for ourselves, THAT on the
day preceding the next Thanksgiving
day we landed in New York and repair
ed to the same hotel which he had stayed
at the year prev iously.
If ever there was an artless and unaf-
fected little woman, THAI little woman shame
was Goldenbeam. There was no cant in
her piety, nothing lachrymose in her ex-
preston of religion. But on Thanksgiv-
ing day she took me devoutedly to the
church, and when we came home and
prepared to have early d inner, she clasp
cd her arms around my neck and sal 4:
DO you know what is the one thing that
l feel thankful for more than for any
thing else ?
For the last sweet things, you brought
from Paris, [ presume
you know it isn't that. It is for YOU.
You know it is, and you just want me to
say so. | am so tn ankful that
troke all my five engagements, and tied
myself down to a dear old thing like you.
There; I've kept my part of the bargain.
Now you keep yours. Why did you
marry What attracted you towards me
III such an incredible short space Of
time?
Have you never tn ought 2 I asked.
Never had the dimmest suspicion New
err immagined that. after all, | was not
taking a leap in the dark, but in reality
knew all about you, and had made up my
mind that you were just the little angel
of a wife ought to have? Think for a
moment
Godenbeam did think for a moment,
and then shook her puzzled head.
L can't make it OUT she said. L
never was good at guessing riddles. I
give it up
Then let me refresh you memory.
Do you remember couple years ago,
your visiting a friend for a couple of
weeks in this city p
% certainly. 1t was-'
Never mind who it was That don't
concern the present question. Do you
remember that on the evening previous to
the day Of yonr departure for home, the
lady at whose house you were staying
gave little company
4 remember it perfectly we'll. wore
Precisely. I know you did. For I
was there
- You there? 7 never saw you
Very probably not Or If you did I
certainly did rot obtain place in your re
membrance as you did ia mine. Through
out the whole Of that evening something
a series Of petty accidents reveted my
being introduced to you, though heaven
knows I sought an introduction from the
first moment I laid my eyes upon you.
What attracted me Not your beauty,
miss, though you looked as fresh as a
bunch of June roses.. You looked as pure
and sweet as some delicate red and-white
flower with human breath blown into il.
The evening passed, the little company
came to an cad. l had to go, and the in
PRODUCTION had never taken place The
next day you were gone l heard from
your friend tn at you were the neice of an
old acquaintance ofmyself I knew his
address. and did som ething that I admit
was not, strictly speaking. honorable, l
wrote :oyou. You were hardly more than
= little girl I was matured man. I
wrote to you, but the same mail that bore
the letter to you also bore one from me to
your uncle, in which I told him the state
of feeling you had awakened in me, and
begged him, If he approved, to help me in
a harmless deception
Winnie suddenly raised her head aud
caZed at me with flushed cheeks and snark-
ling eyes.
You don't mean to say that you are
Cyrus MorrisF That nay aunt and I'M.
Gle were in tho secret, that there was no
at all about it, and that it was all
So
"A put-up job?' asked. venturing up
on ulgarism. yes, my darling little
Gondenbeam- that's precisely what it was.
Our marriage wasn't the result Of love at
first sight upon your part, but it was the
result of love at first sight upon mine.
From the first moment saw you in your
friends parior, thatevening two years ago,
| thought you we're just the girl for me
God knows what prompted me to take the
step Of writing to you. Your
uncle did me the favor to think | was not
a bad sort of a man. and so the correspon-
dence went on. You wrote me %, those
letters 1.-The ink in which they were writ
ten might have been made OUT of dew and
starlight, such tender little poetic epissles
they were! They ANONYMOUSLY showed I
me SO much of your character that I fell
more in love than ever. and when a wear
came to an end, l found I could contain
myself no longer, AID l went to Richm>nd,
under pretence of business, but for tie ex-
press purpose of discovering wh<fher It
was possible to get you to be my wife
You didn't have to try y,ry hard, dil
you? asked Winnie.
/ don't mind your iavipg loved Eu-