Connecticut western news., 1877-01-05
JOHN ALDEN.

JOHN ALDEN.
 How he Found his Wife in the Early Days.
 The Alden house of Duxbury, says q writer in 'Hdrper's Mdgazine, is proba- bly the most ancient in New England, excepting the "Stone House at Guil- ford, ill Connecticut, which was built in 164O.
 This Alden house is believed to have been built ill 1853, by son of that John Alden who came over ill the Mayfower in 1620-one of the immortal hundred" who founded the colony of Plymouth.
 John Alden had been cooper in Eng grims to come to the new world. He was about twenty-one years of age, be- ing the youngest of all the Pilgrims, and, tradition says, the handsomest. It was one of the regulations of the colony that unmarried persons should live where the authorities directed, not at all where they chose so, in the division of the Pilgrims into families December 28, 1920, Alden was put into the family of Myles Standish. After the death of Rose Standish, when Myles turned his eyes toward the pretty Priscilla Mullens, we
 
 soldier, who had courage enough to grapple with the most powerful Indian, should have hesitated to attack Priscilla, and should have sent young Alden to sue for him.
 Let us try to picture the scene. The pretty Priscilla is sitting at her wheel and she does not look like one of the fates who are drawing out the thread of life. She wears on her head a small cap, for the waterfall " or the "rat " had not been invented Her dress-well, a white jacket made of linen is belted about the waist with white cord, and meets the blue woolen petticoat, which llarmonizes well with the deep gray eye, fair face and silky hair of the lady. Of what is she thinking ?-of whom? It is of the slender, dark eyed young cooper who came on the ship when she put back to England
 When the young John Alden appeared before her, with hat in hand, and wear ing doubting look, why did the pretty Priscilla blush as she answered his "good-day? ?" Only that she was sur prised for no good girl then would be spending her time in wanton thoughts, wondering and wishing that the one she |
 John had an errand, and how was he coming from Myles Standish-Myles, who was the captain of Pilgrim soldiers, ready at moments warning to buckle on his sword and fight He was thirty six years old. How old
 may well believe. That he brought in , 4p,n 4>1l # 1i tues, was certain but when he said ella" we can see the toss of that head hesitating John.
 " He likes you, and wants to marry you"
 Nonsense, John' Don't talk such things to me-
 'But he does; I speak the truth and he has sent me to say so to you"
 Then Priscilla jumped from her wheel and ran out of the room, leaving John to wonder. Was she angry ?-was she willing? What now was he to do for he must carry back an answer.
 She soon came in, but her face told no tale John must renew his message
 But he is so old :" she said. "And Glltll nS IS SnOTI, ilIlC HIS HUT IS Itt, ull(l he has freckles.
 But he is so manly md so brave, and so many believe ill him and depend on him, and all men and all women look to him in the hour of danger"
 But he is so old ?' again.
 "But t"-
 But V Then Priscilla looked out of her dark gray eyes at the handsome young fellow, with a little bit of coquetry can we doubt it ?-and said "Pri- thee, John, why do you not speak for yourself? ?"
 And then-and then We must leave the reader to guess what happened then. Priscilla never told, nor did John, and we do not know.
 We can accept the pretty story of the love making as true while the other story, that when Alden went to marry Priscilla he rode on bull, and carried his wife back to his house on the same lortlly beast, is quite out of the question. The fact being that cattle were not carried from England to the colony till 1924, while Johns first born saw the light in 1922, we are forced to drop the pleasing incident, or relegate it to the lovely domain of poesy, where all things are possible. Marriage was q civil con- tract there, and was performed by the magistrate, not by the minister.
 Upon the matter of love making the Pilgrims were strenuous, for, of all the virtues. chastity held highest place. So in 163S cit is ordered that if any man make motion of mar riage to any mans daughter or maid without first obtaining leave of her parents or master, he shall be punished by fine not exceeding five pounds, or corporal punishment, or both, at the direction of the bench, according to the nature of the offense." What money, what whippings, would now ensue, were this old statute still standing!