Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-12-30
EOr tIlG MUNI
MY COURTSHIP.


portant epoch in everybody's history.
And, if others are allowed so much space
in the literature of the world to tell
about the days when they went courting,
is it any more than fair that |, who have
but one such day to talk about, should
have the privilege of pouring my brief
experience, among the many, into the
ears of a (perhaps) sympathizing public
1t happened on this wise. We had
dramatic club in our village, 'Our''
village, by the way, contained four
dwelling houses and few shops, and
'we' lived within some two or three
miles of them This "club" had name
to live for. Two or three of us had cotton
together and learned and acted a dia-
logue, and on the evening which intro
duces my story we had succeeded in
agreeing on an evening when we should
meet together for the rehearsal of an
other Among the actors was pretty,
light-hearted, good-natured, exc affec-
tionate Miss A, who had struck me
as being about as loveable a piece of
humanity as could be found | am nat
urally bashful, but was possessed of a
desire to show my devotion to, and ad-
miration for, the fair sex, and this little
angel among them in particular. Now,
thought l. is my time. So, timidly, l
approached the object of my admiration,
and asked if she was coming to the re-
hearsal. She replied that it depended
upon whether she could persuade her
father or brother to come with her.
I Would she come with me if l were to
happen along about the right time with
a team Yes. Wasn't l happy ?
Didn't l walk upon roses as | went home
that evening? Well, if not, you can't
prove it by me,
The next question was for team.
Our old mare would-yes-she would
answer, if only | had sleigh; but GER
tainly | wasn't going ON a courting trip
in the old pung! After looking around
little | engaged one of neighbor S.
which | afterwards paid for in chopping.
The old mare was carded blanketed, and
cared for in way which astonished her
and on the day appointed, in order to
kill two birds with one stone, | took a
grist and proceeded to mill, some ten
miles away, passing the residence of the
author of my felicity on the way. I
had to wait at the mill until late in the
afternoon, and must needs make pretty
good time going back, in order to be in
season for the rehearsal; and the way
in which ''Old jim" flew over the road
was, for her, not very slow. [ reached
the house little after dark, and q few
, minutes suficed to transfer the bags Of
-four and meal to place of safety, and
/ soon experienced the much desired
pleasure of having Miss A. snugly tuck.
ed up in the robes beside me.
But ''the course of true love never
runs smooth, and ] soon began to ex.
perience an unexpected trouble. The
old mare had held her own finely on the
homeward trip, from the mill, but the
unusual speed lad been too much fol
her, and she now began to show evident
signs of exhaustion. The whip, which
t | had congratulated myself upon not
5 having been called upon to use, was re-
sorted to. and in tolerable season We
reached the village, where [ was com
forting myself by thinking my horse
would have an opportunity to rest before
t making the return journey. Imagine
my CONSERVATION on discovering thai
| the school l-house was unlighted and un
warmed. 1t was bitter cold night anC
the other members of the club had prob
=, ably thought it too tedious night t
turn out to the rehearsal. Well, here
a was, three miles from home, and with
e tired horse. My wit, like the Irish
o mans came too late, and the thought o
calling into some house in the villag
and warming up before resuming tn
a journey never entered my head unit
we were some distance on our way back
n and beginning to shiver with cold.-
It Slowly we made our way back, urgin
the old mare on by vigorous use of tn
whip, and, at last. after vowing doze
:. times to myself never to be caught i
:. such scrape again, my companion i
IS tribulation, half frozen was set down b
her fathers sitting room fire. How m
d list of woes would have terminated
le ! difficult to imagine, had not the lady
- 'big brother been friendly, and invite
me to put my horse in the barn an
re spend the night with him,-an invit;
Of tion which l was not slow to accept |
m N the morning | took my grist and wei
- home without waiting to see how Mi
A. came out after her ''chilling exper
~ ence," but afterwards found that 81
~ suffered from a severe cold for son
be weeks in consequence.
70 1t required two months of caref
" nursing and doctoring to cure the ma
= of the effects of that one courting tri
ii and she has never been called upon
he 60 on another by me- The world