The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-08-06
COUDERSPORT, PA. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST g. 1873
measure, | tell you.

measure, L tell you.
Before we had been speeding
through the wintry landscape an
hour, | had already built up several
blocks of chateaur d E@pagne, in my
mind.
/ saw my bachelor rooms bright.
ened with her presence.
| fancied myself walking to church
with her hand on my arm.
| | heard her dulcet voice saying,
My dear Thomas, what would you
like for supper tonight? | beheld
myself respectable member of So
eiety-the head of a family.
What would Bob Carter say raoac
i meant then.
Bob who was always railing me
on my state of hopeless old bache-
lorhood; who supposed, forsooth.
because he happened to be trife
younger and better-looking than N.Y.
self that | had no chances whatever.
I'd show Bob!
What did we talk about?
The weather, Of course; the seen
cry, the prospects-all the available
topics, one after another; and the
more we talked, the deeper grew my
admiration.
She was so sensible and so origi-
nal and so everything else, that she
ought to be!
| discovered that she preferred q
town life to the seclusion of coun-
try residence-so did |. Who would
stagnate when he could feel the
worlds pulses as they throbbed?
She loved the opera-so did !.
She thought this woman's suffrage
movement all ridiculous-with a be-
witching little lisp on the last sylla-
ble-I agreed with her.
She thought a woman's true sphere
was home; my feelings surged up
too strongly for utterance and
merely bowed my assent.
Here was a delicious unanimity of
soul-a mute concord of sympathy.
What would Bob Carter say when
he saw this beautiful little robin
lured into my cage. How | would
lord it over him. How | would in
vite him to happen in any time
How l would, fguratively of course,
hold up Mrs. Thomas Smith over
his envying eyes. l uttered an au-
dible chuckle as l thought Of these
things which l had some difficulty
in changing into a cough.
You have got cold said the wi
dow sympathetically. DO, please,
have one of my troches; they are
very soothing to the throat
l took the troche, but l did not
swallow it. l would as soon have
eaten a priceless pearl. l put it in
my left hand breast pocket as near
my heart as practicable.
Her first gift.
a bachelor like me is used to such
things / said in an of-hand man
ner.
~ bachelorn echoed my travel
ing companion. Bless me, then
YOU are not married.?
unfortunately, no.
Its never too late to mend haz-
arded the widow, roguishly.
That is my sole consolation, l
gallantly.
There is nothing like married life,'
sighed the widow, with a momentary
eclipse of the limpid brown orbs. be-
meath the whitest Of dropping lids.
but what's the use of my talking
about it to you? You can't under
stand.'
4 can imagine I replied mod
estly.
You must find a wife as soon as
possible,' said the widow looking in
tently at the hem Of her pocket
handkerchief. You are living only
half a life now. All, you cannot
think how much happier you would
be with some gentle, clinging being
at your side-some congenial soul
TO mirror your own
Instinctively l laid ny hand upon
my heart.
DO not fancy that shall lose an
instant in the search, said. Il
have already pictured to myself the
pleasure of a newer existence
Have your The brown eyes shot
an arch, challenging sparkle toward
me. Tell me all about her.
DO you really wish to knowH
'Of course | do
| congratulated myself mentally