The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-08-31

York to her prim and spectacled mai
den aunt in Boston, will be read with
curious interest by tho moro onlight-
cned reader:
My DEAR AuNr.-Although. you
told me, when T invited you to my
wedding, that I was too ypung to
marry, and not capable of choosing q
mate for life properly, and with due
consideration, l know that you may
now. feel that was wiser than you
thought. In selecting dear Orlando
I have gained a most affectionate and
attentive husband, and one who has
neither fault nor vice. Heavens!
What must q girl suffer who finds
herself united TO q dissipated person,
ncglcctful Of her, and disposed to seek
the society of unworthy persons, who
drink, smoke, and do all sorts Of
dreadful things!
Thank Heaven, Orlando is pcrfec-
tion!
To-day is my eighteenth birthday,
and we have been married o year.
We keep house now, and l can make
pretty good pic, only the under crust
will be damp. However, think that
must be in the oven. Once I put
peppermint in tho pudding sauce in
stead Of lemon favoring; but then
Orlando was trying TO kiss me, right
before the girl, who didn't much like
either Of US going into tho kitchen at
all. q. .- ~.
The flowers are coming up boauti-
fully in the back garden. We sowed
a great many seed, but hardly expcc-
ted so many plants. Among the most
numerous is one variety with q very
large leaf that scratches ones fingers,
and don't smell nico. Iwondcr what
it is. Orlando frightens me by talk
ing about weeds; but weeds always
como up, don't they?
Dear Orlandol come back to him
again-so excellent, temperate, and
true. Tell all the girls to marry as
soon as they can, if they can find q
husband like mine.
i havo but one trial-.business takes
him so much away from me. A law
yer must attend to business, you know;
and sometimes they carry on tho case
until two at night. Often and often
he has examined witnesses until half
past twelve, and como home perfectly
exhausted. And the nasty things
will smoke, so that his dear coat quite
smells of it. And rs it makes him as
i'll as it docs me, l have TO air it, and
sprinkle the liuing with cologne wa
ter before he darcs to put it on again.
l had q terrible fright tho other
night-drcadful. Orlando had told
mo that .business-I think he said it
was case of life and doath:-would
dctain him late. So I sat up as usual,
with u book, and did not worry until
one o'clock. After that [ was littlo
anxious, l confess, and caught cold
in my head pecping through tho up
stairs window blinds; for, d'ar aunt,
it was not until three o'clock that L
heard a cab driving up the street and
saw it. stop ut our door; then |
thought l should faint, for l was sure
some dreadful accident had happened
10 Orlando.
ran down to open tho door; q
friend of Orlando's who is not, | con-
fess, very much to my tastc-such IL
rcd faced, noisy man-was just sup
porting my dear boy up the steps.
"Oh, what has happened2" cried l
"Don't be frightened, Mrs. White!"
said Mr.. Smith. "Nothing at all /;
only White is little exhausted. Ap-
plication to business will exhaust u
man, and thought I'd bring him
home" .-
Gall right Belle" said Orlando,
"Smith tells the truth-I'm exhaus-
ted"
And, dearest aunt, he was 80 much
so that he spoke quito thick, and
couldn't stand up without tottcring.
Mr.. Smith was kind enough to help
him upstairs and he lay upon the
bed so prostrated that thought he
was going to die. Then 1 remem-
bcrcd the French brandy you gave
me in case Of sickness. [ ran to get
it out.
Havo little brandy and water,
dcar?" said.
"The very thing. Smith is exhaus-
ted, too. Give somo 10 Smith," said
he.
And so 1 rcproach myself for my
not having thought of it before Mr..
Smith was gone. But | gave u 6 lass
to Orlando, and, under Providence, I
think it saved his life; for, oh, how
bad he was!
"Bellc," said he, quite faltering in
his speech, 'sthe room is going round
80 fast that I can't catch your eye
And besides there's two Of you, and !
don't know which is which," ...
knew thcso nero dreadful symp'
toms.
"Tako drink, doar," said I, "and
I'll try to wake Mary, and send her
for the DOCTOR" .r.
"No," said he, "I'll be all right in
the morning. I'm all right now
Here's your health. You're a brick
T." And over he fell, fast asleep
Oh, why do mon think SO much Of
money-making? Is not health bet
ter than anything else.
OF course he had laid down in his
hat, I took that off first. And man
aged to divcst him of his coat. But
when it came to his boots-dearcs'