American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-06-01
And then Peter

cOuiu Set no luilncr.
For months he had seen the pretty
head only upon the pillow, with its shorn
silken locks all tangled about her fever
ed face, and the folks about the house
had said she'd never live to see the
spring, and here she was up and dress
ed and cut of danger before the first
tender buds had fully sprouted on the
at the window. Peter had
been reared a Calvinist, but religion had
never before held that sweet SAVIOR of
gratitude to him. How he thanked God
for the sweetness of her voice, as she
went on to tell him all about it! The
quality and quantity of a voice were
more to Peter than to most folks, he
having been cursed or blessed, as the
case might be, with hankering after
music from his infancy, and seldom had
he heard even upon the musical stage
(his one extravagance) so sweet ca
dence. She told him of her home in
dear old Surrey, where she had been
reared by her mothers sister, who kept
a long, low, red-roofed hostelry there,
and how the days went by as like one
another as two peas in a pod, until a
fine lady came travelling by, and took a
notion that Patty would make a nice
companion for her, and tempted her
off from one place to another, till they
reached America, where change of
fortune for the fine lady threw Patty up
on her own resources, and after time
she fell into clerkship in the big store
where Peter found her a prey to help
lessness and fever.
"And had it not been for you," said
poor Patty, in conclusion, 81 should
have been carried off to a hospital, there
to die and be buried among the pau
pers;" and here her head dropped, and
finally it rested upon Peters shoulder ;
and what words he said he never could
remember. But what was the dross of
gold, or plans for the future, compared
to this treasure he had foundP He went
out from her presence with his head in
the clouds, and meeting Shangles (who
had, by-the-way, been very solicitous
about Patty's welfare all along), he be-
gan TO hold forth to him in most inco-
herent and surprising manner, till at
last Shangles asked if he might go in
and see her, upon which Peter looked
rather amazed. Peter demurred, but
Shangles insisted.
"The fact is,n said Shangles-"
may as well tell you, Robinson" for they
had grown quite intimate during Pat.
tvs sickness)-" that 1 don't know
what serious consequences may come OF
our little adventure with Miss Burr. I've
never been able to get her sweet face
from my mind and memory, and your
touching details of her during her sick
ness have won my heart. 1 believe
shall be tempted to marry her if this
sort of thing goes on"
Peter stood still and looked at him
from head to foot, a gathering express
ion of scorn upon his face.
"You're greater fool than took
you to be, Shangles," he said.
"If l love a woman" said Shangles
getting very red, eel. don't care any
thing about her condition in life; no OBJ
stacle of that kind has any weight with
me-"
"Suppose it's more formidable OBJ
stacle," said Peter; "suppose some
body else loves her, you blockhead, ane
is going to marry her himself?"
"Oh, that, indeed!" said Shangles
sulkily. "Why in thunder didn't yo,
say so beforeP'
Peter didn't tell him that he had onl,
lately made up his mind to the audacity
but he Immediately took Mrs. McGlosk,
into his confidence, and they patched vi
the matter between them, Peters natura
prudence and forethought finding soil
vent in his doleful singing:
, Peter. Peter. pumpkin eater.
| Had wife, and couldn't keep her.
To which he shortly added more cheer
full refrain: ,
r. He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very we'll
So, one day, when Patty was wei
enough to go out and hunt up her ole
boarding place, where they hailed her a.
a resurrected ghost, she found in the ole
hiding-place her bank book, as good a:
new, and, as good luck would have it
the bank hadn't even broken during hel
sickness, but the big door opened to hel
touch, in she went, drew out her money
and, though it was a small sum for ;
wedding trousseau, according to popu
lar opinion, IT more than sufficed fol
Patty, who hated to be behoiden t.
Peter for even this necessity.
They had quite wedding, after all
for the boarders each and all took per
sonal interest in the affair, and Shangles
who was Peters best man, never tool
his eyes off the beautiful blushing Patty
Mrs. McGlosky gave them a room OIL
the lower floor, but Patty brought witt
her the picture of Prince Charlie, whicl
she declared was as good as photo
graph of Peter, it was so like him. No
body else could see the slightest assimi
lation in the stumpy and irregular fea
lures of Peter to those of the youn;
Pretender, but Patty stuck to her opin
ion. Every thing went merry as mar
rage bell, and as the months went b,
the only thing wanting to Patty's full
felicity was a little home of her own
Boarding was all very nice in its way
and Mrs. McGlosky was like mother
to her, but the time was approaching
when Patty coveted seclusion, ant
shrank from the presence of strangers
Besides, there was so little for her hands