The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-05-25
A Legal Tender.
BY JUDGE Clark.

L hOeiui tSStCiSsti Woo thS Pdi VI
bachelors. His age was a puzzle in
chronology. If yon Judged, as jock
eys do, by the teeth. you would set
him down at about thirtyTT77for they
were perfect. pearl-white, and not one
missing. His glossy chestnut locks
granting it wasn't a wig he wore
bore testimony, which was further cor
federated by a, figure. whose. symme-
try spoke well for the handcraft of
! Nature-or of 4,f-whichever was
entitled to the credit of it. r.. -.
4 He boarded with Mrs. Northermann,
| respectable widow, who furnished
Accommodations to few frst-class
single gentleman, parity for the sake of
society, and parlty--not. a.. -. II
! Mr.. Sereleat was man of steady
habits, He had taken up his abode
with the widow on first coming to the
: place, and had never since thought of
changing. Indeed, neither party had
any reason to be dissatisfied, Mr.. SIS
loom was always tidy, the widow chat
I ty, he affable, and his bills never a
day in arrear. What more was want
ing to make things pleasant -
After q. time, Mr.. S. got to be the
senior boarder. Others had come and
gore, but he remained permanent =
To sit facing the, widow at table, say
grace, carve the beefsteak, and lead
1 the conversation, were prerogatiyes
4 more :trmly his, by prescription, than
! they had ever been of. the dead, and
4 gone Northermann, by martial right.
! - It was Mr., Sereleaf with whom the
4 widow counsslled in her trials and in
d whom she reposed her confidence. He
CONVEX sed with her, read to her, and
accompanied her to church on Sun
days and any little difficulty in the
sermon, or ltaohy point in the trim
ming Of a lady's bonnet, he would
clear up on the way home, in q man-
ner equally charming and instructive
| Whether the twain, in time, wonld
+; have been. more-er less---te each 9TH
er, had the widow adhered strictly to
her rule to receive none but .''singie
gentlemen" as boarders, Is one of those
; questions always unsolvable, touching
! what aoou1 have happened, had some:
: thing else taken place that never did.
Enough TO say, Mrs. Nothermann,
!. yielding to influential references, and
the offer of attempting price let her
best suite of vacant rooms-they were
| next to Mr.. Sereleafs-to a family
| composed of gentleman and his wife
and baby. 7ul ''9
Il Babies were Mr.. Sereleafs ahomi-
nation. He looked upon them as tod
t ding monuments of original sin. He
: had no patience With them, or any.
!, body that had them. The sight ui
one gave him a turn, and the SECOND
t drove him frantic. s'.' .a-i. ..as.
In this particular baby, all Mr.
, Sereleaf's objections to 'babyhood In
: the abstract, were summed up in the
concrete. 1t was subject to Group
e and when it hadn't Group, it had collie
e and when it had neither, it was troub
: led with teething. d" '.H"- ao Hoila
The first night Mr.. Sereleaf stuffed
D the blanket in his ears, but he .miglE
: as well have lattempted.to stiffe thun
/ der. He tried to count himself t.
.jisleep, but the squalls put him out
e and when he stroye to. couut them
i, they became confuent and undlstin
r, guishable. 80. -, ,.....-- = r.-.- -
Z, The next night it, was worse. III
s couldn't even say his prayers7--in fac
j didn't feel like it. He paced tn,
D room in sleepless agony. Something
S had to be done. He had been .
9 Iiboarder in, the, house for five years
; land had never yet uttered a com
j plaint. l.. He was very 10th to do j
: now; but needs must, when certain
person drives. =, ,-+ - -,
""I'll propose TO Mrs. Nothermann'
g land he smote his fist upon a table
4 By way of emphasis -"I'l propose t.
y Mrs. Nothermann," he exclaimed, ''t'
e Eput me in another room, come wha
1 win of it p: . -, ....a -
4 The air. of moody melancholy, will
[ which Mr.. Sereleaf Jmoped through tht
0 following day caused the widow mucf
concern, Nor was her trepidatfoI
4 abated when, after tea, he intinated
> desire to see her alone. =. -
f Z at is with much hesitationj" bt
began, IN an agftate1 vOiceAwheI
!, they had reached Mrs Nothermann'
4 back parlor-'.it is with much ihesi
tatiion that I venture. to speak. VI
: Here he quite broke down, and the
!, widow turned very red and trembled
! 5ilisI am sure, Madam" Mr.. Sereleal
, resumed, eff you only knew how
: much have suffered" =. -2h. -ia
cob! Mr.. SereleafP' sighed The
t widow. } u. 70 .5i27'T - a'';l fiz
. 7f"Mrs.. Nothermanni" said Saul
p making desperate effort to come t.
t the point, 81 have come to propoze-'
But before he could explain wha
lit was he had ''come to propose" the
! lady gave little scream, and started
Q to fall. He caught her. of course
n and shouted for help. The first t.
e ! appear was the mother Of the execra
q BILE baby. 4+-fl<t g 5tt-..>' 80
3 "What's the matter n she exclaimed
: bursting into the room as if discharges
t from catapult. sosl.a55 ,ss5ss
It 81 was only proposing Saul com
5 4 menced. 3aa.4 4iia 81 --a1rf af,s I
r "And a pretty mess you've made o
it p':5the lady CUT him short, at tn
It same time relieving him of his bur
L den and advising him to leave In
y room-advice which he gladly fe
e lowed. -aI 51..ss OF rts59s az Ta7s'l 10
S Mortified q and confounded, Sai1
W packed his trunk, called porter, an
" sneaked from the, house, like > a thie
1t i'm the night. From tho hotel s
ID which he took up temporary quarter:
r he dispatched note inclesingthe ba
{ ancc due to his landlady, and osom'
III thing over. in lieu Of notice, but NAL