Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-04-06

gave utterance to my love, my words
fell on willing ear, and soon obtain
ed permission to ask her hand of her
parents. Great was theirastonishment
when they heard their girlish daugh'
ter demanded in marriage. They had
seen my attentions it was true; but
they had looked on me as so much her
senior-she was but twenty, l beyond
thirty-that they had never imagined
the possibility of my becoming a lover.
However, when they found that she
really loved me, they offered no object
ion, STIMULATING, however, that our mar
riage should be deferred for one year,
and if at the expiration of that time
we both remained unchanged, they
promised that she should become mine.
I pleaded in vain for speedy mar
riage feared that the prize had
won might possibly be lost to me, and,
with all my natural impetuosity of tenn
per, I sought to secure Immediately
what hoped would perfect my day
dream of happiness but they were
firm. Their daughter, they said, was
very young, and might possibly have
mistaken girlish liking for serious at
tachment. 1, too, might be influenced
by passing fancy.
/ yielded to what 1 could not con-
| troll; but there was source of salts
faction mingled with my disappoint-
ment l saw that my wealth had no
influence in their decision, and the
fear. which had always haunted me of
being married from mercenary motives,
was destroyed at length / was loved,
fondly and devotedly loved, and for
myself alone.
The year passed away more rapidly
than / had anticipated. Oh, what a
happy year was that! Even now,
friendless and alone, a stricken
old man on the verge of the grave, l
look back upon that period as the
sunny side of my existence. In my
dreams / recall it, and once again those
happy days, with their bright hopes,
their blissflll realities are mine.
Daily my betrothed grew nearer and
dearer to me; though modesty restrain
ed any protestations of love, her 81
lence was more eloquent than words.
When my wedding day arrived would
have made it the occasion of grand
festival; wished the world to witness
my prond Joy; but my bride looked
on marriage as too solemn, too serious
a thing for mirth.
A prouder, if not happier man, was
L, when, after we had finished the
bridal tour, she was at last installed as
mistress Of my magnificent mansion.
Fete after fete was given to her, and
we plunged into the vortex of fashion,
able matrimonial gayety. Fanny, how
ever, preferred the quiet pleasures of
home to the gay scenes into which she
was introduced and so, in truth, did
/, but my vanity rejoiced in her tri-
umphs Secluded as she had been
from society, she had none of the faults
of the initiated, and l was proud to
contrast her artless, unaffected mein
and modest dignity, with the stately
pretensions of those around her.
At length the bridal parties We're
over, and in the quietude of our home
our characters began gradually to I'M
fold themselves to each others view.
l found that | ;,as not mistaken In my
estimate of my wife's love. She loved
me with all the ardor of her warm, i'm
petuous nature; her faults were not
called into action, and she was radiant
with all those good qualities which 50
delight man. How very happy we
were how very happy we might have
remained My moon of perfect love
was at it's full. All was Joy, all was
brightness but the shadow descended
on my hearth. l brought it there, l
fed it, / nursed it. until the light of
JOY was entirely extinguished, until
the sun of happiness had departed for
ever.
l have said that my temper was nat
urally violent; that l was obstinate;
that | was selfish Previous to my
marriage circumstances kept this in
trinity of disposition in check, and, for
some months after controlled it. 1t
had but slumbered, it was not quench-
ed and /, who had undertaken to cor
rect this very fault III another, now
myself became its slave. The bonds
were soon broken; the first unkind
words were spoken, the words which
are so easily repeated after they have
once been uttered. The first quarrel,
that sad event in married life had tax
en- place between us, and both felt that
henceforth, that perfect love which we
had hitherto enjoyed could return no
more. Could we ever divest ourselves
of the memory of those cruel words
d" But we might still be comparatively
happy, if this evil occurred no more :"
so said my weeping wife, when after a
passion of tears she offered me her
hand.
Things passed on smoothly for II
time. but the bonds were broken. and