The Tipton advertiser., 1876-06-01
STORY TOLD OVER
COUNTER.

\
ward. had in the meantime, beer
nursing sick child.
"Wcll.' a, swered, "you were
busy, and | had stopped short in m,
narrative Just at that point Of my life
where fiction ordinarily ends, ant
such a flood Of recollections came
over me as l stood leaning alone
against your counter, tha. | did no,
feel inclined TO disenchant even my.
self.
"Iou see, Mrs. Chap, e!i," | went
on, "When an elderly woman's mem.
ory goes into the dreamlana Of her
courtship and honeymoon, she does
not like the iolting journey back tc
common life. So when you left me
thinking of Oliver Marbury as he ap.
peared in his short wasted. tight.
fitted, claret. color coat, his white
satin stock and wais.coat, pale stone
colored trousers, and patent leather
boots, and myself in my pretty white
satin drawn bonnet and blonde faiIe,
my white book muslin dress and
satin sash, my small white Paisley
bordered Norwich shawl, and san
daled slippers, | was so full Of that
happy marriage morn in our old
church at s., and the dinner
afterward, when my father astanished
Amos and Leah by giving me the
thousand pounds, that did not care
to shut out the picture, and took N.Y.
self off instead"
"Then did your marriage turn out
SO badly" questioned Mrs. Chappell,
with one eye on the shop door the
while.
BADLY! 1t was an unfortunate
day when David Beech allowed him
self to be talked over, and let his pet
daughter become Mary Marbury.
Better, ten thousand times have re-
mained Beech to the end Of my days!
"Yet, as | went with Oliver inside
the hired chaise to the new home |
had not yet seen, and his arm held
me close to him all the way, and he
stopped now and then to whisper,
my wife, and tell me how much he
loved me and how happy we should
be, ! thought that that one word
wife comprehended all that was &C.
static and sublime, and the visits of
the future held not cloud.
1.-TWO things struck me about our
house, which had been his fathers.
The unused, dusty look Of the library
A room like an of-shcot at the back
crammed with books; and, secondly,
the hunting whips, the gig.whips,
spurs, racing calendars framed and
glazed, the guns, shot-belts and
powder-nasks, the gloves and foils
hung up Or littering about the whole
house.
Then, too, there were cigars and
pipes, cards and dice in the drawers
and boxes; and the first faint, i'm
palpable shadows of doubt crept over
me-"
SOLVER will forego these things
now that he is married, said | to my.
self, and l will make that delightful
old library quite snuggery. 1t is
the most cosy room in the house."
cat first he drove me about here
and there, and one or two of his
fathers very old friends called upon
ME; but his own acquaintance were
mostly men in Newmarket coast, like
his own, who talked slang, smoked
necessarily, stared at me, or made
freer than l liked, and who walked
in and out of the house, ordered the
servants, drank beer and brandy,
went and stayed with freedom very
foreign to my notions, and altogether
upset my theories Of the privacy of
domestic life.
There was one, Capt, Thornton,
especially disliked, and told Oliver.
He will ruin you if you continue to
associate with him. said.
Oliver laughed, patted my cheek,
and replied knowingly, my dear, he
might if | were not too deep for him.
| mean to make fortune out Of the
captain before long
! had heard from my father that
divers property was not large, and
little as ! knew of such matters, !
could tell my thousand pounds would
not 60 far to support such a mode of
life. But he only laughed when /
said captains and country squires
were not associates for him-sNeyer
you mind, Mary, l know what Pm
about
And then he grew angry when l
spoke on the subject, so | desisted.
Frequently he was away for week
OR two together, and then the whole
tribe went with him-not that at
other times we always had the house
full, but it was seldom quite empty.
We rarely had a quiet evening to
ourselves. He was away when my
baby was born, and l was partly glad
of it, for the house was quiet.
Oliver had insisted upon a christ
ening feast, and gave his orders as if
Potois had been at his command.
Hang the cost! What do l carer
was his reply to my wish to keep ex-
penditure within bounds.
OF course there were friends of his
own invited, and, Of course, there