The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1870-11-01

mary anu her TRENT came toward Jne
house, leaving Harry to drive round to the
stable, and as they stepped onto the ver-
anda, Mr.. Judl1ins, who had thrown down
Christian" came forward to meet the new
guest.
go father,' said Mary, "this is my dear
friend Jennie Gushington, whom I have
so often spoken of to you. We were
school-matcs you know, at Madame De
Vinchy's."
"Ah, indeed And so this is Jennie {?
Well, my dear, how do you do?' and Mr..
Judkins held out both of his great hands
and took both of Jane Louisa's little hands
and he squeezed them, and he looked, for
all the world as if he was ticllled half to
DEATH
Well Jane Louisa said she was "pretty
well, thank you, SIR" and then Mr.. Jud-
kins released her hands, and Mary conduc-
ted her into the house, where she had to be
introduced to Florence and Mrs. Mugworth,
and then they went up stairs, and Jane
Louisa was seen no more until tea time.
Meantime Mr.. Judson Judl1ins walked
UP and down the veranda, holding "Tris-
tam Shandy'' before his eyes, with a cigar
in his mouth, and smile on his face,
dreaming with his eyes wide open.
Yes, Mr.. Judson Judkins was dreaming
of love. To state the case plainly, he was
in love, and that was what tickled him so.
Now Mr.. Judkins wasn't like some
widowers that you've seen. He wasn't
the man to fall in love with the first pretty
face that crossed his path. I should rather
think not. He had married once to please
somebody else, and now he was going to
marry to please himself-that is, if he mar
ried at all, which he really had no notion
of doing, until he saw Miss Jane Louisa
Gushington.
The moment he saw her, he felt that he
loved her. He fancied that she was the
woman for whom he had been waiting all
his lfe-his spirit-mate," you understand; ;
and he didn't stop to think, or bother him
self about disparity of age, though of
course he knew that she wasn't more than
twenty-five, while he was over fifty-two.
But pshaw what are years to man in
love? Mr., Judllins looked young. There
wasn't gray hair in his head, and hardly
a wrinkle on his face, and he felt as youth
full, as a boy of fifteen.
Miss Gushington was bewitching enough
in her travelling dress, but when she ap-
peared at the tea-table, in 1ilmy muslin
| am sure she was lovely enough to have
melted the heart of stone, to say nothing
about such very soft heart as that which
beat in the capacious bosom of Mr.. Judson
Judkins.
He led her to the piano, and turned the
music for her, and he sang an old love song,
and he looked whole volume of love songs,
and he .feH himself the very personifcation
of love. And she sang, and Mr. Judkins
believed himself in some enchanted land.
He was entranced, bewitched, intoxicated
with melodious sounds, and sweet imagin-
ings.
Toquote the words of his son, "The old
gentleman was fairly bedeviled."
You would have thought so could you
have seen him shortly afterwards. Mary
was at the piano, and Jane Louisa and Mr..
Judkins were out on the veranda, waltzing
by moonlight. He hadn't waltzed before
in twenty years. and he never had been q
natural waltzer. He whirled about as
gracefully as a clothes-horse might be ex-
pected to, should the kitchen furniture be
suddenly seized with mania for watzing
and he grew dizzy and Jane Louisa sup
ported him-but that was rather agreeable,
Of course.
The courtship Of Mr.. Judlzins, thus hap
PLY begun, went on smoothly. Gradually
he gave Miss Gushington to understand the
state of his heart. She was just little bit
surprised at first, but that was all She
confessed to herself that she could have
loved Harry better than Judson, but Harry
wouldn't give her chance to love him,
and so She concluded that she might as well