The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-01-29
raked in oysters had he remained at Var
mouth,

raked in oysters had he renamed NJ III
mouth.
JosHUA's FIRST ROMANCE.
During the FIRST forty years of his Inf
Joshua seems to have ignored entirei.
the sentimental side Of his nature, II d
had such side.
AS he grew prosperous and developed
from plain Josh" into Mr.. Sears in com
mercisl circles, he began to be looked up
on with some interest by the female sex
which has always been q pretty strong
element in Boston society. But all fem
mime Establishments bestowed upon Josh
Sears fell upon barren ground. and BY
degrees he came into the reputation OF be-
ing an incorrigible woman hater. Many
amusing anecdotes are told Of the efforts
made by the female cohorts to tame and
capture him, but space only to mention
q case which was crowned with partial
success. The captain of one of his ships
having died, Joshua not only made him
self useful in settling the estate, but put a
graceful finish upon the transaction by
making an offer of his heart and hand to
the widow, and who accepted him on
the spot. A house was bought and fur
nished and preparations were made tor
a quiet, wedding, but at the last moment
Joshus's courage gave out, and the wild.
ow retired in high dudgeon to her home
on Cape Cod, and made preparations for
war. The great merchant prevented q
breach OF promise suit by despatching his
confidential man to Cape Cod with book
of blank checks under his arm and in
structions to make the best terms be could
with the indignant widow but it was
only after a stormy scene that her larcera-
ted affections were healed by the applica-
ton OF generous pecuniary douceur. 1t
was currently reported that Joshua paid
$4,000 for this first successful love at
fair.
This episode occurred when he was 55
From that moment Joshua became an in
veterate enemy of the sex; if he had
failed to admire women before, he cordi-
ally hated them now, and there seemed
not to be the slightest chance of his ever
meeting with another romance. Church
corporations, missionary societies, and
charitable Institutions marked him for
their own, and watched with eagerness
the steady growth of his large estate. The
general surprise may be imagined when
at the mature age of sixty-two he won
and welded woman OF half his age, and
set up as a married man on Cape Cod,
the scene of his early fishing exploits.
His wife, who was an amiable lady, was
Phrbe Snow; the daughter of Deacon
Snow, of Brewster, Mass. She died
within a year of her marriage, leaving
an only child, Joshua Montgomery Sears,
who reached bis twenty-frst birthday
last Christmas Day, as already mention
ed. The father lived two years longer
and died at the age of 60.
THE YOUTHFUL HEIR.
passed the first eight or nine years of his
life at Yarmouth, in the charge OF his
fathers relatives. He was then placed
under the care of the Hon. Alpheus Har-
DIV of Boston, who was one ct the execu-
tors, and has from that time to the pres
ent had the supervision of the young
mans education. Mr.. Hardy had sever
al sons who were passing through the
academic course at Andover, in Massa.
chusetts town whose famous old school
has given it the name of 'the Rugoy OF
America" Little monty Sears" as he
Was then called, passed some years there,
and as he had at the same time the al
vantage of frevuent visits at the refined
home of Mr.. Hardy in Boston, twenty
miles distant, and the watchful care OF
mis- guardians family, who spent much
time at Andover, he could hardly fail to
develope into a cultivated and accom-
plished young men. Alter leaving An
dover he spent some time in Europe, be-
fore entering Yale College two years ago.
In person young Sears is we'll made
and vigorous, with fresh complexion,
good features, blue eyes, (which he knows
how to use), and bright red hair. In
spite of his hair he is said TO be amiable.
1t has been stated that during his MI
nority he had been always kept IN lgLo-
rance of his pecuniary prospects and that
his first intlmation was the newspaper
announcement of his great wealth which
he read IN the Boston Journal on Christ
mas morning as he sat at breakfast.
This is not true. The executors very
iudiciously avoided having the
subject of his great wealth men,
TONED to him while it could be prevent
ed; but when he was about twelve years
old he was told of it by some OF his
school mates at Andover, and he Is said
to have assumed for u brief period some
unbecomirg airs.
But Mr.. Hardy, learning of this, inn
mediately took care to correct the false
value he was putting upon his fortune,
and he is said never since then to have
shown any disposition to make golden
calf of himself.