The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-02-06
Bradbury's Visitor.

LEGEND OF ST. VALENTINES 8 EVE,
Married indeed Married |" And,
just to impress on his own mind the en-
ormity of the thing, he said it again,
" Married Well I'm sure what next ?"
The speaker was Mr.. Benjamin Brad
bury, the eminent building contractor;
and the above observation was made by
Mr.. Bradbury when comfortably seated
before his writing-desk, in his private
sanctum, at about twelve o'clock on the
evening of the thirteenth of February, in
the year-I'm not quite sure about the
year, but you'll be kind enough to notice
particularly that it was the thirteenth OF
February-Mr. Bradbury had been look
ing over his private accounts, and calcu-
lating how many thousands the last
twelve months had added to his fortune.
The result was fully satisfactory; but he
was evidently not entirely at his ease.
The fact is,' Mr.. Bradbury had that
morning received proposal for the hand
of his only daughter, the child Of his
first wife, and, to make the matter worse,
from rascal without q penny. (Not
that Frank Wilson was rascal, or
penniless in reality; on the contrary, he
was an honorable young fellow, with a
small but increasing income; but Mr..
Bradbury had large ideas, and that was
his way of putting it,
He could hardly believe his own ears
when the young man made his audacious
proposal. Young Wilson, fellow with
a paltry four hundred year, had sat in
that very room and proposed himself as
a husband for Mr.. Bradbury's only child,
WHO would, after his death, come into, q
fortune of more than hundred thou
sand pounds and had, moreover, as
sured him that the young lady herself
was just as anxious for the union--in-
deed that they had long loved each other
dearly. Mr. Bradbury, being million
aire, with a constant eye to the main
chance, disapproved of love matches
on principle, and of course had said,
Certainly not" in the sternest pos
sible manner, and dismissed the nm
happy suitor in much discouragement.
Nevertheless, he could not get the au.
dacious proposition out of his head. 80
now, having closed his ledger, and not
feeling disposed to go to bed, Mr.. Brad
bury determined that he would put his
desk to rights. This was work he had
always been intending to do Tomorrow
evening" for the last twenty years, but
somehow he had never done 80, and il
was in state Of rare confusion. Letters
and memoranda, old and new, inter-
spersed with odds and ends of all kinds,
we're huddled together without order OF
arrangement. By the way of making O
beginning, Bradbury pulled out Of one
corner bundle of old letters, and un.
tied faded green ribbon with which
they were bound; and as he did 80, with
the one object still uppermost in his
mind, he made the exclamation above
mentioned. 1t was not addressed to any
one, seeing that there was nobody there
and therefore Mr.. Bradbury naturally
felt surprised when a silvery voice re.
piled
Married, Mr.. Bradburya-certainly
and why not?"
At the same moment there was fiut,
ter among the old letters in Bradbury'i
hand; and, from an envelope somewhat
larger than the rest, emerged lady o.
most dazzling appearance. She wat
decidedly diminutive, being only ol
about six inches stature, but of admira
BILE symmetry. She wore o garment o.
gossamer texture, the skirts Of which
we're looped up with ruby hearts, con
nected with true-lover's knots in white
satin ribbon, and her wreath was Of sim
liar material. This angelic being trip
ped lightly from the open envelope K
Mr.. Bradbury's table; and there, after I
coquettish dance round. seated hersel
on the closed lid Of big inkstand, ant
arranged the folds Of her drapery will
ness. feminine exact
"Why shouldn't they be married, m.
dear sir ?"
Bradbury's first feeling, after he hat
once recovered from the shock OF hi