Daily Kennebec journal., 1875-02-04
nailu Nennebet Somnal.
THE Story OF An OLD Young MAN.
BY LOUISE CHANDLER MoULToN.

,Ioseph Hanualord was an old young
man. Care and responsibility had come
to him early in life, for he was not more
than sixteen when his father died, and left
his mother and his young sister to his
keeping. There was property enough
for them all, to be sure but it was chief
lv in land and in stock, and needed Jo-
seph's vigilant superintendent to make
it profitable. This superintendent he
gave faithfully and willingly, and never
once complained that to do SO forced him
to resign sundry secretly cherished per-
sonal ambitions of his own. But all this
responsibility wrought its own work upon
his nature-made him providcnt, thought
ful, calculating, thrifty-precisely an old
young man.
This state of things continued for ten
wears. Then his sister married and re-
moved to the next town. His mother de-
sired to accompany her, and was only pre-
vented by the difficulty which attended
obtaining suitable housckeeper for ,Io-
seph.
You perceive, therefore, that at twenty
six Mr.. Joseph Hannaford was just in Il
position where marriage became conven-
lent and desirable. Otherwise, rather
think, he was quite too. well disciplined to
have cherished any idle fancics or impor-
tunate longings.
Whether, before this epoch, he had ever
suffered any truant thoughts to wander in
the direction of Miss Carrie Fay, who had
been growing towards her woman-hood
not very far away from his door cannot
conjecture. only know that about this
time he began to discover that her eyes
were blue, and her hair golden, her cheeks
were flower O. the peach, and her lips
blossomed with a sweetness that ellonged
to taste. He told her these things in some
discreet fashion Of his own, and she-he
was her first lover, and the right of dis
covery has gone for a good deal in all
ages.
Every one said she was making great
mistake. The neighbors thought they
knew what he wanted a great deal better
than himself did; and were sure that a
good, strong, thrifty girl, used to working
and saving, would be just the one for him.
Carrie was pretty, and lanciiul, and dain-
ty. She was an orphan but an uncle
who had no children OF his own, had kept
or desolation by his constant and fatherly
kluuutSS. CuuCl Ills lOOl SlC Ittu SlONH
up to seventeen years. and at that period
the old young man came along, and wooed
and won her.
Her uncle felt uncomfortable, for he un-
derstood just what Carrie was better than
any one else did: and he knew that it
would be no easy matter to make a work
bee ont of a golden-winged butterfly. But,
on the other hand, Carrie was evidently in
love with her suitor; and Mr.. Hannaford
was certainly well-to-do-quite able to
marry to please himself, and make his
wife comfortable in her own way after
wards.
So, in due time, the wedding took place.
and Carrie Hannaford went away to her
new home, where, before very long.
change came over the spirit of her dream.
She had begun by first idealizing. and
then adoring her lord and master. He was
certainly well looking, in kind of regu-
lar, massive way. His face had in it not
much suggestion of sentiment. His eyes
were clear and shrewd, though kind; and
his lips were firm and rather thin. He
knew beauty when he saw it, but he would
never be ruled through his senses. His
features were well-shaped. There was
power in his face. He was a man who
knew how to say no to himself and TO
others. There was manly vigor and
symmetry in his well-knit frame and in
short, he possessed good many OF the at
tributes which 60 to the making up of a
girls hero. But Mistress Carrie reckoned
without her host when she proposed to
make post-matrimonial lover of him.
He evidently did not believe in love-
making. Philandering, as he called it,
was not to his taste. Courting was very
well in its way. 1t had not been without
its shy delights, even for him. But they
were married now, and it was time to set
tie down. and begin life as they could
hold out Their wedding day was in Sep
tember and when the late October winds
blew away the sapless, withered leaves,
Carrie felt as if her hopes, which had bios
somed so fairly, were blowing with the
leaves, and withcred as they, down the
wind.
She was conscientious, well inten-
toned little creature, and she tried her
best to put aside all these feelings, which
she taught herself to believe were morbid
and ungrateful. She was certainly striv-
ing to Justify Joseph, making little pleas
for him at the bar OF her heart. He was
nine years older than she it would not be
natural for him to have SO much romance.
OF course he loved her; why else would
he have married her? What goose she
was to expect of big, strong, busy man
the little softncsses which belong to and
,.elight women. Then she would try to
be brave; make a pretty little toilet, per-
haps; wear the dress and the ribbons he
had praised six months ago; and meet
him. her eyes bright with hope, her checks
pink with expectation. Was he blind to
All this--such an old young man that the
sweet devices Of youth had no longer for
him any language? At any rate, he made
no sign.
How dull, and prosy, and commonplace
were the long winter evenings which they
passed together. They got through sup
per, and were seated before the Franklin
stove in their little sitting-room, at six o.
clock, punctually; and there for three NOR
tai hours they sat in unbroken quiet. he
reading his newspapers through and
through, and she watching him, and Won
dering, wondering, wondering whether
life was to 60 on at this dead level forev-
el forever. Punctualy as the clock struck