Smyrna times., 1870-09-28
mise e I/un 2 eOmS
A Legal Tender.
BY JUDGE CLARK.

saul Sereleaf was the paragon Of baoha1ors
! us age was puzzle in chronology. IF Won
Juu%eu' as jockeys do, by the teath Won would
SeI uo"h at abeut thlrty-tor thev were npr
IIect' as white as pearl, and not one MISSING
MS glossy chestnut Iocks-granting it was not
Wig ne wore-bOre similar testimony. which
was further corrobOrated by a figure whose
- mlntIry spoke wei for the handicraft of ma
| tuIG or OF art, whichever was entitled to II
lie boarded with Mrs Notbermann a ros
Pectabe widow, who furnished accommoda-
5lons TO lew first class single gentlemen. part
~ Tor the sake of society and partly-not
IT VT SereIeat was man of steady habits.
lie had taken up his abode with the widow nm
hrSt coming to the place, and had never since
| thought OF changing. Indeed, neither party
had any reason to be dissatisfied. Mr.. SIS
room was always tidy, the widow chatty. he
| aIable, and his bills never a day in arrear
ant? '-i'o' P10"S
After time Mr.. s got to be the senior
boarder. Others had come and gone bnf La
m;In,, rGu,",lco ca = permanent 10 sit facing the
widow at the table, say grace, carve the beef
steak, and lead the conversation. were nrerog
a'lVes more firmly his, by prescription, than
they had ever been of the dead and gone Moth.
ermann, by marital right.
I 1t was Mr.. Sereleaf with whom the widow
| WHOM %
posed her condolences. He conversed with
her, read to her, and accompanied her TO
church on Sundays, and any little difficulty in
'he sermon, or EHOty point in the trimming of
lady bonnet. he would clear up on the way
nome IN manner equally charming and at
tractve. :"
neither the twain, in time, would have
Deen more-or less-to each other had the
"ldoW adhered strictly to her rule to receive
none lIp puIo
one OF those questions always unsolvable touch
ing what coutd have happened had something
else taken place that never dd
Enough TO say, Mrs. Nothermann, Welding
to influential references and the offer of q
tempting. price, let her best suite of vacant
rooms-they were next to Mr.. Sereleaf s-to
FAMILY composed OF gentleman and his wife
Babi's were Mr.. Sereleafs abomination.
ne E looked upon them as toddling MOI uments
OF original sin. He had no patience wit
them, or with anybody that had them. The
sight OF one gave him turn, and the sound
drove him frantic.
In this particular baby, all Mr.. Sereleafs
objections to babyhOOd in the abstract were
summed up in the concrete. 1t was subject to
Group and when it hadn'e Group, it had collie
ana when 1t had neither, it was troubled with
The frs. night Mr.. SereIeaf stuffed the blor-
ket in his ears, but he might as we'll have ar
tempted to stife thunder He tried to count
himself to sleep, but the squalls put him out
and when he strOve to count them, thev he
came continent and undistinguishable.
The next night it was worse. He couldn't
even say his prayers-in fact didn't even feel
like It. lie paced the room in sleepless agony.
Something. had to be done. He had been
border IN the house for five years, and had new.
nj Ila i
to do 1t now but needs must when a certain
person drives.
"Ill propose to Mrs. Nothe-mann"- and
he smote his fist upon the table, by way of en-
phasis-" Il propose to Mrs Nothermann,"
he exclaimed, " to put me in another room,
come what will -
The air of moody melancholy with which
Mr.. Sereleaf mOped through the following day
caused the widow much concern. Nor was her |
trepidation abated when, after tea, he intimat-
ed desire to see her alone.
=" 1t is with much hesitation, he began in |
an agltated voice-when they had reached !
Mrs. Nothermann's s back parlor-"it it is With |
much hesitation that | venture to speak"
Here he quite broke down, and the widow
turned very red and trembled violently
am sure, Madame" Mr. Sereleaf reslm.
ed =" if you only knew how much have suf
fered-"
''Oh Mr.. Sereleaf !" sighed the widow.
Mrs. Nothermann, - said Saul, making
desperate effort to come to the point, i" |
have come to propose"
But before he could explain what it acas he
had "come to PROPOSE, the lady gave little
scream, and started to fall He caught her.
of course, and shouted for help. The first to
appear was the mother of the execrabIe baby
"Wbat's the matter ?" she exclaimed, burst
ing into the room as if discharged from cata-
pult.
Il was only proposing" Saul commenced.
And pretty mess you We made of it |"
the lady cut him short, at the same time re-
lieving him Of his burden, and advising him to
leave the room-advice which he gladly follow I
ed.
Mortified and confnnnded. Saul hacked his !