The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-07-15
Ny Prophet.

it in some way"
do you still count birthdays. sadi ?''
SAID Mrs Obenreiser
Certainly. This is the twenty sixth. ="
Hush, my dear. speak low. You look
very young still; you need not own to
more than twenty-five for some years"
NV hy should hide il ?"
"One would think you desired nothing
better than to be an old maid. staying at
home all the time, rocking Your mothers
babies, and tying yourself down As If you
were already Il married woman, or never
meant to be one"
"ierhaps | don't"
| THAT amt natural OF course YOU
want to get married, but you never will
unless you 90 half way I've been mar
ried twice. and nothing to boast of in the
way OF looks | didn't run alter the men :;
but il they wanted to find me, did not
wear out their patience looking for me
II a girl is an old maid, it's her own fault );
that's my doctrine"
II have never seen any one in this place
that liked better tnan my brothers and
sisters
"Make visits, then Go out Of this
place"
But have no inNtations-n
Well, at least you could 90 huckleber
rying into the next town"
| Il laughed, and yielded that point will
| lingly Aunt Desire had knit into the
middle OF her seam needle by this time,
and now laid down her stocking. She
then took of her glasses, wiped them, and
smoothed down her apron. As she never
did one thing at a time, these were we'll
known signs that she was about to give
| us "a piece of her mind"
Il am an old maid, as everybody knows.
and perhaps my doctrine would not have
So much weight as a Woman's that had
been married twice; but seventy years
will gather some wisdom, if only by rub
blng against people so long. My doctrine
is that it is no use running round after
beau You may get one that way, but he
won't stick, or won't be good for anything
if he does. If Il girl has u husband wait
ing for her anywhere in the world he'll
most likely find her sooner or later The
men who are best worth having don't look
for their wives in public places, where
they have on their best bbs and fuckers
They like to surprise a girl with duster
in her hand, or a baby brother in her lap
ii has more effect on them than lluttering
1t i'tii ''h 'tithiuto y 70 ~ liCiil .llI tstD
"Men were more sensible in your Young
DAYS, " said Mrs ObenreiSer
mot a bit They are always sensible
enough if women don't spoil them"
''lpo you think every woman can marry
ii she chooses. Aunt Desire p
''Io be sure; | should have married
Years AGO if | had had time; but | was
always so deep in other folks troubles
thut | onn1l oi,- M, mind fD II "
Tell Us about it" said Mrs Obenreiser
What ," said Auut Desire, with touch
of that complacencc which every woman
shows when she counts her scalps.
"l'he last Offer
ooh, that was this winter, when | went
to New Bedford (Susan's children had
the measles, and she sent for me) Her
husbands father lived with them, a fine
old gentleman, smart as a cricket (only
Susan says he does have the rhumatism
awiully) and may be he liked the way |
tended the children, tor he asked me all
OF a sudden one day to marry him. | con-
fess that thought for just u minute how
nice my tombstone would look with Mrs
Desire So-and-so, beloved wife Of So and
so, on it; but then | thought of that
worthy woman who lived with him so
many years here, and was perhaps wait
| ing for him now in the other world
"What did you tell him aunt ?"
Il told him | would have had him in a
minute, if he had only thought of il fifty
| years sooner"
But you didn't know him so long ago
| did you ~
"Oh, yes, | did, and had no thought
OF tombstones then"
A rosy flush spread over Aunt Desire 5
| sunken cheeks, and took at least twenty
| years from her age tor an instant.
| "NoW tell us about the first Offer" said
| Mrs Obenreiscr
That was the iirst-and last" said
| Aunt Desire, laughing at Mrs. Obenreisers
eNpectant face TIL tears ran down her
| cheeks.
| lyon have proved my doctrine that a
girl does wrong to herself down through
all her best years"
"No, have only proved that every
woman has at least one chance to marry
IF Sadi's chance does not come till she
is seventy, it might rs well not come at
ALL
| IL don't think so,'' said Aunt Des re,
| with a faint, sweet smile, that reminded
me Of the perfume Of flowers long pressed
in Il box. let Sadi sit in her chimney
corner, and make smooth the way for my
old feet and the little ones to tread She
is fitting herself to be u good woman,
which is a better thing because less sell
fish than good wife. Her lover will
come some time
IL wonder how he will look ?" said |
''lf he is the right man." said Aunt De-
sire, ''he shonld have light halr and blue
eyes, because yours are black. He must
be of a hopeful and sanguine temper, be-
cause you are inclined to look on the dark
side
"lt he comes with a glass slipper in his
hand, you will he the fairy godmother,
said |.
"Ihe Prince did not come" said Mrs
Obenreser, It'll the grandmother had
taken Cinderella TO the ball. He didn't
see her first in her chimney corner
80, thou of little faith - said Aunt
Desire. "Sadi's lover is to be thrown
from his horse, or more likely his carriage,
in front of this house, and brought in on
board, and laid at her feet When he
opens his eyes and looks up into hers,
filed with sublime pity and sympathy
The rest Of the story is to be found in
the next NUMBER" said /, suddenly, put
ting out Aunt Desires prophetic fire
"Matrimony is the one god of woman,
and you are its prophet"
When Mrs. Obenreiser was gone, Aunt
Desire sat long time smiling over hel
knitting.
Fifty years was a long time to wait, ii
| said, after a while.
II was not waiting at all | was hard
| at work all the time | had NV litfla die
appointment, and buried it decently, and
from that time l took more interest in
mems wives than in themselves. Those
few pleasant weeks. when the sight of my
wrinkled face began to stir up the embers
of his old regard for me, were sort OF
reward of merit-something to make a
little glow in my heart when thought OF
it, but it was free Gift from above, not
asked for nor expected