Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-10-12
Joshua Wheat's Courtship and
Marriage.

DlD you ever see a bashtul man? 1t
you have, then you have seen the
most awkward, ungainly creature a.
mong human bipeds. Now there may
be something attractive and interesting
in the Shrinking 'imidity of blushlng
girl, though l have my doubts in re
gard to it; but bashful man-who
eyer pitses him2 Though despised by
one sex, and laughed at by another,
always doing what be never intended
to say, he is one of the most pitlable
objects In existence.
TO be sure, in these days of brass
| and assurance, VIXEN everybody thinks
! himself as good as his ueighbor, and a
good deal better, they are very rare.
But still they are to be met with occas.
| sionally, though they are buckley dis,
! appearing. and probably il few years
there will be no trace al them left.
My friend, .oshua Wheat, Was one
of this unfortunate class of people, /
say was for he has wonderfully mpro
we'd Of late years. But will not an
tlcipats.
| No one could have seen J shua enter
room where there was company,
and especially ladies, without being
aware OF this peculiarly of his. He
generally either blundered along, look.
ing red and foolish, or shot hurriedly
in, with a white, scared face, hiding
himself as soon as possible from obser-
va ion behind door, or in corner
1t there was chair or stool anywhere
in the room, he generally managed to
stumble over it, which was not at all
calculated to increase his self possession,
Or add 10 the grace Of his entrance. Ii
pretty girl spoke to him, he stammer-
ed aud turned all sorts of colors, LOOKING
as frightened and ashamed as if he had
been convicted of sheep-stealing.
Poor Joshua! there certainly never
was man who had higher opinion of
the better part of creation, or was more
capable OF appreciatlng the blessing of
matrimony; yet he had reached the
age OF twenty-eight without being
one step nearer towards realizing them
than he was eight years before. -.-.
He had five brothers but, though
none of them had half his good looks
or sense, they possessed what he did
not-plenty Of assurance, and a tact Of
showing all they did know, and were
all married and happily settled in life,
while he remained forlorn, disconso-
late bachelor, ....-. ....
1t was not from want Of means to
support wife,, for he had plenty Of
this words goods, well stocked farm,
a nice new house, besides some money
in the bank. 1t certainly was not tor
the want of girls, for there were scores
of them in the town wpere he lived, OF
all sorts and sizes, black~eyed, blue
eyed, gray-eyed, and eyes Of no color
at all. No; Joshua Wheat remained
unmarried merely because he had not
courage sufficient to look any one of
the girls in the face and say, Il love
you will you marry me9'
These words are very simple and to
the initiated seem very easily spoken /;
have known many mans courage to
tail him at the thought OF saying them,
who would have rode into the front OF
the fiercest and hottest battle without a
shadow Of fear,
At last all the girls Of Josbua's &C
quaintance were married To Drawer if not
better men-all bat one. Mary Dear
born, the prettjest one among them all,
and as good and sensible as she was
pretty. Mary had plenty of suitors.
but she turned a cold shoulder to them
all, being fairly determined in her own
mind that if she married at all, she
would have nobody else but Joshua
| Wheat.
Joshua had taken great shine to
Mary ever since they were children i;
they used to go to school together in
The little red school house on the hill. he
draging her TO and from SCHOOL in the