Ellsworth American., 1876-05-25
Misfellansons. g
Joshua Wheats Courtship and Mar
rage.

Did you ever see a bashful man: II YOU
have. then you have seen the most awk.
ward Uugsiuly creature among human bi-
pcds. Now there may be something at
tractive and Interesting In the shrinking
timidity OF 4 blushing girl, though have
my doubts ia regard 10 i; but ba>hrul
man. who ever pites him Though de-
splsed by one sex, aud laughed at by tho
other. always doing what he never intend
ed 10 do. and saying what he never intend
ed 10 say; he = one OF the most piiiable ob-
ject. IN existence.
To be sure in these days OF brass and a.
surance. when everybody thinks himself
a. good AS his neighbor. and a good deal
better. they are very rare. But siill they
are To be met with occasionally, though
Il ey ate quickly disappearing, and proba-
bly, Ia few years there will be no trace Of
them left.
My friend, Joshua Wheat. vas one OF
this unfortunate class OF people. | say was
Tor lie has wonderfully improved of late
years. But will not anticipate.
No one could have seen Joshua enter a
room where there wa, company, and es-
pecially ladies', without being aware of
this peculiarly Of his. He generally either
blundered along. looking red and foolish.
or shot hurriedly in. with white scared
lsAFH lliI4l4e lA4AHtIl a. SUM lfUs>lB4t
from observation, behind door or in a
corner. II there was i chair or stool
anywhere in the room. which was very apt
10 be the case, he generally managed 10
stumble over Il which was not at all calcula-
TED 10 increase his self pose ssion, or add 10
the grace Of his entrance Ii a pretty gitl
spoke 10 him, he stammered. and turned
all sorts Of cOlors, looking as frightened
and ashamed a. IL he had been convicted OF
sheep-stealing.
Poor Joshua. there certainly never was
a man whe had higher opinion OF the
better part OF creation, or was more capa-
Die Of appreciatlng the blessings OF matGi-
mony; yet he had reached the age of twen-
ty-eight without being one etep nearer
towards realizing them than he was eight
years before.
He had five brothers but, though none
| of them had half bis good looks or sense,
/ they possessed what he did not. plenty OF
| ass france, and tact of showing all they
| did know, and were all married and happi-
| ly settled in life, while he remained a for
| lorn, disconsolate bachelor.
/ II was not from want OF means TO sup
! port a wife, for he had plenty of this world
/ goods, well-stocked farm, a new house.
4 besides some money in the bank. IL Ger.
| talnly was not for tbe want OF girls. ior
/ there were scores of them in the town
where he lived.of all sorts and sizes black
! eyed. blue-eyed. and eray-eyed, and eyes
/ OF no color at all. No; Joshua " heat re.
mained unmarried merely because he had
/ not the courage sufficient 10 look any one OF
the girls in the face, and say,"I lsve you
I will you marry me-"
! These words are very simple. and to tn.
| uninitiated seem very easily spoken; yet
! / have known many mans courage TAI
1 him a; the thought Of saving them, VIII,
would have ridden into the front of the
| Aercest and hottest battle without the shad
\ ow of fear.
! At last, all the girls OF Joshua's acquain-
tauce got married TO braver, if not better
men-all but one, Mary Dearborn, the
prettiest one among them all. and as good
and sensible as she was pretty. Mary hac
plenty OF suitors, but she turned colo
shoulder to them all, being fairly deter
| mined in her own mind that II she married
at all. she would have nobody but Joshut
| Wheat.
Joshua had taken a great shine to Mary
ever since they were children; they USED
/ to go TO school together, 10 the little rec
school house Oh the hill. he drawing her to
| and IRON school In the winter on his liLil
sled, and bringing her apples as red anC
shining as her rosy cheeks.
] " tUty gre" oIuti. ne cAuluittu III,
preference Tor her, though in a somewhat
different manner. Every Sabbath. after
meeting was over. be would post himself
at the church door, to escort her home
aud, in the evening, ,arrayed in his Sunday
best" he might have been seen striking
bee-line for Squire Dearborn's. At abou
niue o'clock, the old folks would 90 of to
bed, leaving Joshua and Mary together
And there he would sit, looking straight
into the fire, and scarcely daring to move
or breathe, with the mementeus question
trembling on the very tip OF his tongue
yet never leaving t;no nearer the object o
his visit when he left the house than wher
he entered il.
Things went on in this way Tor severa
months. but at last an event occurred which
gave Joshua quite start, A son OF DR.
Hale, the village physician, came home
from college, where he had graduated. i
was said, with considerable distinction
He was q tall, laDk. smooth-faced fellow
with more learning than brains. and more
brass than either. He saw Mary i'm churcl
the hrst afternoon, and took great fancy