San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-02-02

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portunities. Joshua wished to secure n
notable housekeeper and good butter
and cheese-maker for his small dairy.
An amiable wife, with these qualifica-
tons, he thought, would be almost as
valuable to him as good cow. MANDY
for long time had no idea of marrying
Joshua; but she was willing to use him
as spur in the side of her slow lover.
But Tim was too supplemented to be
jealous. He thought within himself
that Josh was big talker, and Mandy
could never endure to have her precious
privilege trenched upon. Besides, Josh
had but a small, scrubby farm, only
half paid for; while Tins cottage and
shop were one of the incest places to be
found and entirely unencumbered.
Mandy would be little queen there,
and quite free from the drudgery of the
farm.
This counting business had gone on
seven years. Mandy was over 80 and
Tim was verging toward 40. Although
the lady had thrown out certain hints
as to her desires and hopes, she was
monument of patience, and protected
her dilatory lover to the best of her abil-
ity against her mothers sharp attacks.
During the seven years counting it had
often occurred to Tim that he must come
to the point sooner or later. Then the
roulade of quick blows on the side OF
some cask or barrel would cease for a
moment, and the little cooper would
feel a queer giving way in his frame,
while perspiration broke out upon him,
as the great change from single blessed
ness to the marriage state was present.
ed to his mind. ....... .....
But there came day early one spring
when the poet tells us
A young mans fancy lightly turns to
thoughts of love.
The grass was springlng on the furry
river bank near which Tins shop stood;
crocusses were pouting their pretty buds
in the back garden; large, loose piles
of purple and white vapor filled the sky;
robin was twittering on the limb of an
old messy apple tree. Tins fancy was
a little sluggish; but, as he reflected, it
seemed to bin that in some way he was
at variance with the soft, vernal sun
shine. He felt older and sitter in the
Joints than he had done ten years ear
lier. There were wrinkles at the cor
ners of his eyes and a liberal sparkli ng
of gray lines in his stiff hair. He
thought of Mandy, and there came a
melting, a softness round his heart. He
pictured her as mistress of the little
cottage, stepping about and singing at
her work. Mandy had good voice
for singing, and infused cheerfulness
into the very air.
Tins fancy took another stride, and
passed on to a new station. He began
to picture little Tins and 'Mandys run
ming and racing and hallooing about
the shop and the garden. One little
curly-headed elf would persist in peep
ing around the corner of the door at
him, as he briskly used his adze upon a
great beer cask. 1t was nothing but a
heap of yellow shavings and a spot of
sunshine. Some disturbing element was
fermenting in the little cooper's head
and heart, and he could work no. more
that day. He said to himself that she
had it bad.n What the cit" was he did
not try to explain.
An early hour of the afternoon saw
Tim, dressed in his Sunday best, mount
ed on hired horse, and vending his
way toward 'Mandy's home. He re-
Elected, as he rode along, that it was full
two months since he had paid her a Wis
it, owing to the breaking up of hard
winter and the miry condition Of the
roads. They had never correspondent,
and Tim did not possess a single scrap
of his lady-love's handwriting. He
himself was but poor scribe. His ac-
counts with the neighboring farmers
were chalked up behind the shop-door.
An unusually long period had elapsed
since his last visit to Mandy. She might
have had the influenza, and, in fact, be
dead and buried. But Tim did not
dread any thing tragical. He was ter
ribly nervous over the task that lay be
fore him, for he remembered that there
had never been any outspoken engage
ment between them. 1t was purely
tacit affair. OF course, she knew how