The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1878-07-25
HOIV 4 WOOED AND
WON HER.
by MARY KYLE DALLAS

At forty l found myself an ole
bachelor.
IknOw that when / say that wal
an old bachelor at forty, the ladies
will Immediately put away this papel
In disgust. But as / desire the ladies
TO read it particularly, l hasten Il
state that am married now. Also
that the reason why l was not mar
ried at forty was not my want of ad
miratiOn for the ladies, but the fRct
that / admired them too well. / re-
spected them so much that / wa
afraid to address them. Once Ol
twice / was in love but what wa
the use (; had not the courage to de
clare Il.
At forty / was q bachelor, and as
wRs tired OF boarding houses, and dis
gusted with hotels, hired fiat ant
went to housekeeping with a single
serVant-a black boy.
It was rather lonely work, anC
sometimes I was obliged to pretend
that / was 8 married man, and ths
nv wife had gone on q visit to hel
mother, to keep myself from getting
the blues, MY imaginary wife was
black eyes and nice little hands with
dimples in them. could sometimes
believe that she would really come in
and sit down at the table and pOul
out the tea, l had formed such per
feet picture OF her.
had taken the upper floor Of
small house, not because l was poor
| for was not, but because / WAS de
sirous Of retirement, and did not wan
any one climbing up stairs past me
and below some one else kept house
This per5on used the conservatory To-
q kitchen. / must explain. SOmt
| former tenant had converted the bRol
porch into conservatory, SnI
had it all filed I'm with glass, o
/ course.
Whoever lived on the floor below
at that time had again made an al
/ tercatiOn. Where the conservatory
stove once stood, now stood a littl
cooking stove, and over the sid
panes Of glass hung white curtains
but the little glass roof was uncover
ed.
One morning, impelled by the Gu
riOsity which is born OF loneliness,
leant over my window ledge ant
peeped down. l saw below a LITTLE
kitchen, with little table, and a lit
/ tie stove, and little dresser. At In
little table sat-my wife.
What mean Is, that that imagin
Rry being whose football was alWay
hearing on the floor, who In day
dreams sat at my table and pOure
out tea-WhOse actual absence L con
soled myself for by supposing tina
she had gone to take tea with he
mother-sat thers in proper person
round, dimpled, black-eyed, as m.
fancy painted her.
She was eating her breakfast al
alone, and she looked as though sh
did not like it. l was sure-sure from
the very first-that she was not mar
rled, and from my unseen post
watched her every movement unit
my black servant with the remark
"NRTsa, dem are grlddle cakes Is al
gettin' spilled" me from m!
revery.
HoWever-that was not the las
time | saw her. She sat good dea
in the conservatory, the most bloom
ing rose il ever nourished within ID
read books there, as well as ate there
saw her cOncoct dainty puddings 70
one, and pies which lasted her fOu
days, and was as sure that PrOvi
dence intended her for me as thOugl
l had asked an oracle and been toll
so. With an Oper8-glass / could reRi
the very pages Of the book she read
and all the time she had no Idea tina
an eve was on her. At last I took
step-a bold one for me. | bought
boOk-Lhe last new one of an authO
she had seemed interested in-An
left il at the door with this on th
fly leaf
"DEAR MADAM :-YOu were 8
{ much Interested In that last book {
Mrs. Edwards that l Yentured I
send you another which, | hope, ma
: prove as interesting. YOu Will, pei
haps, be surprised when tell yO
! that you read the first four chapter
OF that other book without stOppin;
4, thst you then marked the place wit
8 bOOk-marker with a harp on IL, thi
YOU cried at the tenth chapter, an
I kissed the book when you closed il.
; "YOUR SPIRIT FRIEND"
, Through my peeping place l So
] the little woman take in the bOOl
! Saw her read the inscription wit
l smazemsnt, put her hand to her for
, head and ponder, and then draw OF
of the white curtains and look out.
Young man was shaving himself at
window opposite. / saw that she
once pitched upon him rs the send
| hn nj
. blue shades up.
. Once watching her from above,
. though / were an angelic being wit
out wings, I saw her come in from
, walk, with autumn leaves In h
hand. AiterWsrd she iTOned theT
and made little wreath OF theI
which she hung up over little loo
= ing glass. The next day l bought al
left at the door some hot house rose
iSince you care for autumn leave
you will care for these" 1 wrote on
card, and I signed 1t, "Your SpiI
4 Friend . as usual.
!, This time she laughed softly al
E put them in the water and sat lOOkil
z at them long while. Then g
q peeped out OF the window 6gal
. The young man was not Rt the opp
: site easement.
r Then she shook her head, and al
81 a time sbe took dam8sk rose fro
the bunch and put it in her hair.
ID The next time / sent flowers
~ wrote on the card
he UYou wore a damask rose from
IN last bunch | sent you. Will you |
ro q yellow tea-rOse ia your hair {
TO time ?n
How l watched L saw her lOl
= half.pIeased hRlf-frightened. At fl
she only put the roses in 8 vase,