The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1876-04-17
MY CHOICE

"You SEQ, Mrs. Chappell, when an
elderly woman's memory goes into the
dreamland of her courtship and honey
moon she does not like the iolting jour.
ney back 10 common life. So when you
left me thinking OF Oliver Marbury as
he appeared in his short wasted, tight
fitting, claret colored coat, his white
satin stock and waistcoat, pale stone
colored trousers, and patent leather
boots, and myself in my pretty white
satin drawn bonnet and blonde fall, my
white bookmusln dress and satin sash,
my small white Paisley-bordered Nor.
wich shawl and sandaled slippers, 7
wns so full OF that happy marriage morn
in our old church at s., and the dinner
afterwards, when my father astonished
Amos and Leah hy giving me the thou
sand pounds, thnt 1 did not care to
shut ont the picture, aud took myself of
instead"
"ThNn did your marriage turn out so
ballyi" questioned Mrs. Cheppell, with
ono eye on the shop door the while.
"Badly! It was m unfortunate day
when David Bccchallowed himself to be
taken over, and let his pet daughter be.
come Mary Marbury. Better ton thou
sand times have remained Mary Beech
to the end Of my daysl"
"Yct rs went with Oliver inside the
hired chaise to the new home I had not
yet seen, and his arm held me close to
him all the way, and he steppcdnow and
then to whisper, MY wife, and tell
me how much he loved me, and how
happy wo should be, I thought that one
word fwife comprehended all that was
ecstatic and sublime, and the vista o!
tho future held not n cloud.
"Atfirst he drove me about hero and
there, and ono or two OF his fathers very
old friends called upon mo; but hi.
own ac0uaintauces were mostly men III
Newmarket coats like his own, who
talked slang, smoked necessarily, stared
at me, or made frcer than l liked, aud
who walked in and out OF tho house,
ordered the servants, drank beer and
brandy, went aud stayed with freedom
very foreign to my notions, and alto
gcthcr upset my theories Of the privacy
OF domestic life.
"Thcre was one, Captain Thornton,
I especially disliked, and I told Oliver
80. He will ruin you il you continue
to associate with him. said.
SOLVER laughed, patted my cheek,
and replied, knowingly: MY dear, lie
might II I were not too deep for him.
l mean to make fortune out OF the cap.
tlin before long
az had heard from my father that
divers property was not large, and, lit.
tlo rs l knew OF such matters, l could
tell my fl 900 would not go far to sup
port such n mode OF life. But he only
laughed when l said captains and coun-
try squires were not associates for him.
Never you mind, MAry l know what
I'm about And then he grew angry
when spoke on the subject, 50 de-
sisted.
Frequently he was away for n week
or two together, md then tho 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 n quiet evening to ourselves. He
VS. away when my baby was born, and
l was partly glad OF it for the house WIS
quiet.
"Olivcr had insisted upon n christen-
ing feast, and gave his orders rs if
Potosi'had been at his command.
"'Haug the cost! What do I carel'
wns his rerly TO nv wish 10 keep ex-
penditure within hounds.
"Of course there were friends Of his
own invited, and Of course there was
heavy drinking; and whilst father,
Leah, Mrs. Matthews and sat together
in the drawipg.room, listening to the
March winds clustering without, noise
OF voices in loud contention came from
tho dining.room across the hall.
"'Liar Cheat 7 Sharper !
'Yagabond = were among tho epithets
which smote our ears. Then there was
n scuflle. We met tho servants in the
hall also hurrying to ascertain what was
the matter, and as we opened the dining.
room door wo saw Captain Thornton
with his hands on divers throat. l
shrieked. Sam. our man servant, darted
in, aud helped to separate them-draw.
ing his master away toward the door.
"The faces of both men worked with
passion: Oliver shook himself free,
snatched decanter from tho dining
table, and hurled it across at his antago-
mist with full force. Ipstiuctively tho
captain put up his arm to guard his
face. The decanter smashed upon his
hand, gashing it frightfully.
"I believe there was q cry for doc
tor, but not for me, though I had faint
ed and been carried back to tho drawing
room soia insensible.
"Captain Thornton's life was in peril
from the hemorrhage. His wrist was
bound tightly before surgeon came to
cxtract tic glass and sew up tho wound;
but for all that he was for longtime
in danger OF lockjaw. When he did re.
cover the muscles OF his right hand
were so contracted that he could no
longer shuttle cards, ride ut hunt or
steeple.chase, handle billiard cue, or
fire n gun; and ho vowed vengeance
against the man who had made life q
burden to him.
SOLVER laughed, rs was his wont; but