Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-11-16
MY BIG ELJNDER.

AZ the age Of twenty-five the life of
London bachelor il seductive to q hca-
then Imagination, but afterward IL grows
less pleasant to contemplate. One gets
selfish, aud selfish man deterioratcs
rapidly. 80 il was shock TO me to
brush gray hair one morning out of
my celibate wbiskers. Abnormal? No:
careful investigation showed that there
were more where that caric from sat
down, Il brush in either hand, and con.
tsmpIated. When rose 20 complete my
toilette ] bad determined 10 marry Sarah
HGyy az soon as possible.
Slrah vas n superior girl, there can
be Dodoubt abOu. that men called her
stronaminded, eccentric. and were ratll.
or afraid Of her, not but what there
were pisnty OF them ready to brave any
danger Mere might be. She preferred
historical, biographical, and even phiio.
sophical lsoks TO novels. She bad found
out siinl's style Of dress which suited
her. and keft To IL, only allowing such
modification ~ were necessary 70 avoid
an appearan.e of affected indifference
TO the prevailing fashions The instinct
was true one, for her principal beauty
lay in certain classical grace, soft
dignity, which cannot attempt to de
scribe, but wbics would certainly have
been married by torid dressing.
Though ! knew that other men Ina i
tried and failed, felt fairly confident.
"Sbe has more head than heart" said
Maurice, for example, land II viii take
& clever fellow To get round her tx
actIy; but was a clever fellow frcadcr
gasps i'm my own estimation. Ion,
that Is different r')
Very different indeed | have found
ID out since. But, to confess the truth
more conccited coxcomb than your
humble servant, al the time am speak
ing Of never leaned over the rails Of
Rotten Row. There were no fewer than
five young ladies whom thought could
have for the asking, and Sarah Ieryy
was one OF them. | was on very init
mate terms with her, IL was true; but
directly | tried positive Irritation found
that she would not drop into my mouth
quite 50 readily as | had anticipated,
She was intelligent, friendly, lively, con.
fidcntial even To q certain extent, but
most difficult to make love 10. For cA-
ample, we were engaged one day in art
criticism, counting the leaves on II Pre-
Kaphacli,c iyy-bush TO see whether il
had a realistic allowance, when took
occasion to draw her attention 70 Il
spoony couple, intended by the artist to
be the most prominent objects In the
picture, and tried to make use of them.
"Wliat would painters and poets do
without love y began.
81 can not imagine" said she; chow
strange it is that the most unpleasant
things in nature, lovers and pigs, should
be 40 pleasing in art ~
"You arc hard on the poor things,
surely" said /.
"Am II" she continued. "Well, fond
as / am Of Wards pigs, never could
look ut the real animals without disgust"
"Oh, grant you the pigs" said |, feel
ing clumsy II meant the lovers"
"Well, can there be any spectacle
more idiotic than couple in THAT con
dition ?" she asked, pointing to the pic
ture
"Thc question sounds cruel, coming
from one SO calculated TO reduce u man
to IT,"
"There |" she said, with frown. and
pctulant tapping of the FOOT THAT Is
the worst Of being girl; one can not
talk freely without being suspected OF
fishing for compliments"
or course | knew that Miss Sarah's
sentiments would become modified
when the right man turned up; but l
was evidently not the right man--at
present, at all events. She was not to be
carried by assault, as l had hoped
must attack according TO the rules Love
must be disguised as friendship; flattery
must be implied rather than expressed.
Above all, must maintain the opinion
which knew she had OF my abilities
for she quite worshipcd talent.
/ learned the "AthenRum by heart
every Sunday. l did. My memory was
wonderful In those days. And Miss
Hervy, who did not see the journal,
credited me with having read all the
books, heard all the music, formed an in
dependent Judgment on the plays and
pictures, mastered the Astronomical,
geological, philosophical discoveries
chronicled in its pages from week to
week.
My plans were Disconnected by the
Hcrvys going out of town. Mr.. Hervy
was a director of hundred boards;
Mrs. Hcrvey was not Sarah's mother, but
the second wife, with tendency to
which sent the family to