Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-07-28

THE MAN OF MY CHOICE.
lcoNr1NuED FROM YEsrxRpAY.l

lCoNT1NuED FROM YEsrHRDAY.1
One day-it was the 18th Of August
my father being In the shop whilst he was
buying penknife, he expressed bis ad-
miration Of our cactus, saying he had new
er seen it surpassed, either IN size or the
splendor of its rich scarlet blossoms (they
were as large as an orange when fully
developed.)
That cactus was my fathers pet vanity
after myself. Mr.. Marbury was invited
to closer inspection of the plant, and as
| occupied my customary seat behind it,
transition to conversation with myself,
whom he Thought he had the pleasure Of
seeing with Miss Delamere's pupils in
knutsford," was easy and natural.
Introduction had not been thought of by
my free-and-easy father; be was pleased
to find that the young gentleman remem-
bered me; and when he was gone, rxll Cd
me on having "picked up beau in my
school days." but in saying so he had no
thought except to plague me with pass
ing joke. 1t was = very serious jest to
me.
My father. whose long purse and extea-
sive trade made him feel on an equality
with men OF higher rank. seemed rather
proud of the attention / excited, and
would listen complacently while played
and sang for our new visitor, and when
Mr.. Marbury invited me to take . walk,
said cheerlly-
"Put on thy bonnet, lass, an be of with
thee-never mind Leah" for Leah at first
shook her head and frowned at the impro-
priety.
Very delightful were those rambles in
the sweet autumnal time, when the tints
of vegetation were almost as rich and va
ried as the hues of the sunset skies; and
very soft and tender was Oliver Marbury's
tone and manner, as we wandered to-
gether over the common towards Holmes
Chapel, or up the hill, or through the
fields; and l was scarcely conscious that
he was love-making, or how strong . hold
he had on my affections-that is, not until
he went away at the end of the month.
and then began to NOPE, and grow low
spirited, and burst into tears without any
assignable cause; and Leah. bouncing
about the place, declared she .'had no pa
tience with such maundering work."
In about a fortnight came a parcel by
the coach-a present Of book for me,
with "Oliver Marbury's kind regards"
No thought of sending it back occurred
to me-no thought of writing to accept it.
A letter to him would have been formid-
able task to me. But locked the volume
up, and paid my devotions to it in secret.
We saw no more of Mr.. Marbury for
several weeks after that. and my father.
patting me on the shoulder, would say
Poor lass. thou'st lost thy sweetheart!
mum look out fresh one for thee"-lit-
tie thinking what pang he caused me.
But my book only fed fever it could
not allay. My melancholy returned. l
lost all appetite, and was threatened with
serious illness,
Then my dear father, thrusting his arms
into a great-cOat, went out, and without
saying word to any one, mounted the
Knutsford coach at the upper end of the
town, and came back in couple of days
with the intelligence that Mr.. Marbury had
had an accident of some sort, and had not
been out Of the house for q month.
To me he made light Of it, but - was
coming down the enclosed stairs, heard
him tell Leah
He's a wildish sort of chap, the Knuts-
ford folk seem to say. but that steeplechasc
is like to be the end OF him-his horse fell
atop OF him. l only wish our Mary had
never lit on him. It's like to 90 hard wi tn
poor lass"
'Oh, she'll get over it, never fear" was
Leah's reply, as crept back to my Cwn
room, where l was found few minutes
later in dead faint. with my head in an
overturned straw beehive. one of pile
slowed away there.
scarce know which looked the worse
when we did see him. His leg had been
oruShod opA hsa hpnInn and
damage done to his ribs. But. i'll as hs
tion of delight when he walked into our
parlor, and took me by surprise and then
went of into one of my old fits OF crying.
and there was no stopping me.
l hardly know what had transpired my
sofa by my side, with his
shoulder, and of him Whispering
Then you would have been sorry to
lose me. Mary. dearP"
Sorry l would have given my life to
save his in those days, and l think al
most told him so.
He held me 10 very close embrace. and
was kissing my willing lips when Leah's
sharp abrupt MARY! I'm surprised at
YOU StaTtltu Us UOtu. AS IL AmOS uau
never kissed her for the first time!
She professed to be very much discon-
certed when Oliver proposed to make me
his wife. and take me away to Knutsford.
but happened to overhear Amos and her
decide that l "should be best out Of the
way. there would be more for them; and
if l got married, they had been got mar
ried too"
Father, hover, seemed most reluctant
to part with me. Something which he had
heard in knutsford made him 10th to give
his consent; and as l was under age, I
could not well marry without it. Then,
when he held back, Leah protesting to be
moved by pity for me, "poor young
thing" added her petition to ours. and ac-
cordingly we were married. and my faith
er generously gave me thousand pounds
on my wedding-day
1t was an unfortunate day when David
Beech allowed himself to be talked over,
and let his pet daughter become Mary
Marbury. Better ten thousand times have
Mary Beech to the end of my
days.
Yet as | went with Oliver inside tha