Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-10-05
EEsNERISA AND MATRIM0NY.
BYB. P. sHILLABER-

estate" of matriuony, until the fire OF
youthful passion YVES all spent, and matn-
raory had become problem to him IS
dry and formal as one in old Walshs
arithmetic. to be ciphered out for an an
swer, as much as that proposition about
carving the fox, goose and Gag OF corn,
across The creek, that everybody PROB
lemly" remembers. Being sphrenologlst
he left the province OF hearts altogether,
and went to examining heads, to ascertain
By genealogical developmea Is womans
fitness for the position of wife TO Marun
Speed, ESQ.,, as letters came addressed 70
him at the Speedwell postofice. The
town of Speedwell Yves named for an an
cestor of his, aud boasted Of several thou
sands of inhabitants, and, as it was fac-
tory place it had goodly share OF good
looking, manageable girls.
Martin studied Combe and SpurZhelm
and Gall, and grew bitter as disappolnt-
ment saw him enter his forty first year
bachelor. He looked back on the past,
and saw the chances he had neglected, and
| the bappiness of those who had started
| with him, and were now portly people,
| the heads and fronts of families; and The
delicate damsels he had sighted, respected
mothers in Israel, and exemplary and ami
able wives. He sought every opportunity
| for examining the heads of such as would
submit themselves to his hand with hope
of catching the bachelor; for they knew
his weakness, and he was well-to- do and
| an eligible match But In vain he looked
| for perfection. The bumps would not be
|! AT .uyr,i ~ ne wished them. II he took
| liking to a pretty face, phrenology i'm
| pertinetly gave it the lie straight, and he
at once avoided it.
1t was at this juncture that a biological
lecturer-a grave professor in that sclt nee
came to Speedville and gave series OF
exhib. tions. These Martin attended, and
biology at once became an intensity"
| with him-a new emotion" He attended
| all the exhibitions; saw men porsonate
| roosters, and crow; hens, and scratch !;
SILVER with cold or burn with heat, at the
will of the operator saw {. niser endeavor
to clutch an eagle held out to him while
| under the influence Of the wonderful spell,
and the tongue Of woman stilled who
| for twenty wears had been the pest of
| Speedwell by her loquacity.
This put the mind of Martin on new
track. He sold his old chronological works,
| ard devoted himself to the study of the
| wonderful science through which such
marvels were performed. The professor
| was a fine teacher, and Martin placed him
self under his tuition. He succeeded ad
| mirably. In short time he surpassed his
| instructor and had more than his powers
| in influencing the susceptible among his
weak brethren and sisters.
He formed a resolution to himself, that
| through this means he would gain wife.
Could he find one that his science could
control-one that at a glance he could
| transfix, like The man who was stopped by
tn mesmerizer half way down, as he was
falling from the roof Of house-he would
marry her for the reason, dear reader,
that Martin had not married, was that he
had heard of wives wearing the - au-
thority over their lord, and he was timid
man.
In this new science he saw security, and
sedulously sought for one of the right de-
scription. At every party where he was
invited, at every sewing circle, at every
krot Of factory girls In which he mingled
in the summer evenings, he tried the art,
but without success At last, when on
the point of despair, accident gave what
he had failed of obtaining by earnest seek
ing.
A widow-dangerous to bachelorlc
peace, as edged tools are TO the careless
hands of the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES to the
village on visit. The weeds had not
been removed that marked her bereave-
ment, and the merest touch of melancholy
rested on her brow; but her eye Was
laughing, and a sweet curl strayed away
and lay Ike chissled eddy upon the mar
BILE of her cheek. She had jewel on her
hand, and the black dress she wore was
cut judiciously, the DIRE; shaker that cut
it had been a widow herself, and knew how
to manage such matters showing beau
tiful white shoulder, and revealing bust
of rare lovliness.
Martin met the widow at the residence
of friend, and liked her. He had never
seen SO progressing woman, he thought.
But she had buried one husband, and
that was rather a drawback. One visit
led to another, the liking still increasink,
until he preached the subject of biology,
with a wish, fervently felt, that this might
be the woman he sought She WAS fully
acquainted wi it, and, in answer to his
question Ii she was susceptible to its in
fuence, she replied that she didn't know
but was willing TO have the fact tested.
What position for Martin! Seated by
her side on sofa, with her hand laid in
his, her rich dark eyes resting upon his
with look equ,l to that hich The widow
Wadmsn poured into the ears Of the un-
suspecting Toby in the stillness of SUM-
mer evening! Bat science held him
secure, and his nerves were calm as the
summer day of that evening. BY and by
the beautiful lids dropped, the head bent
gently forward, and the widow, with
sweet smile upon her lipa lay fast asleep
Martin could have shouted Eureka" in
his delight at the discovery. Now his
pulse quickened and he stopped to kiss the
lips that lay unresistiDg before him; but
he didn't. By the exerc Sc of his power
he awakened her, and she was much sur
prised at being caught mapping, and blush.
ed at the strangeness of it; and blushed
more when Martin told her how he had
been tempted, and how goriously he had
resisted; and laughed q little when she
slapped his cheek with her fingers as he
took pay from the widows lips for his
self denial, aud went home half crazy with
JOY at his new-found treasure, more like
boy of nineteen than matured gentleman
of flrty.
Every night found him a visitor at
the widows, and every night the success
IF the science WAS nruvpd until hv q vnoro