The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1879-10-18

tAouSAG 90 hC I'dCtu' tuc uOOF
restlessly, "why couldn't he fall
IN love with some girl of Is, in
stead of setting his affection on
al old maid like me? l don't
want the boy on my hands, and
won't have him
Gas to You being 81" persued
John, in answer to my thoughts,
''you say it's down in the family
Bible, and suppose it must be
so; but no one would believe it !;
and [ don't care if you're 40. You
look like girl Of 16, and you are
the ONLY woman | shall ever love.n
"Oh. John, John at least five
millions of men have said the
same thing before in every known
language. Nevertheless, when
you fairly break down and cry, /
relent-for l am disgracefully
soft-hearted-and weakly prom
lSe then and there that | will
either keep my own name or take
yours" For love is a very dog
In the manager, and John looked
radiant at this concession. 1t was
a comfort to know that if he could
not gather the flower himself, no
one else would.
A sort of family shipwreck had
waited John to nv threshold.
Our own household was sadly
broken up, and 1 found myself
comparatively young in years,
with halfinvalid father, a large
house. and very little money.
What more natural than to take
boarders And among the first
were Mr.. Crawford and his son,
who had just been wrecked them.
selves by the death of the wife
and mother in a foreign land
one OF those sudden, unexpected
deaths, that leave the survivors
in a dazed condition, because it
is so difficult to imagine the gay
worldling who has been called
hence in another state of being.
Mr.. Crawford was one OF my ad
mirations from the first. Tall,
pale, with dark hair and eyes, he
reminded me Of Dante, only that
he was handsomer; and he had
such general air of knowing
(without the least pedantry, how
ever,) that | was quite afraid of
him. He was evidently wrapped
up in John, and patient with his
sister-which was asking quite
enough of Christian charity un-
der, for Mrs. Shellgrove was an
unmitigated nuisance. Such a
talker! babbling of her own and
her brothers. affairs with equal
lndiscretion, and treating the lat
ter AS though he were al incapa>
BILE infant.
They stayed with us for three
years, and during that time was
fairly prosecuted about John. Mrs.
Shellgrove wrote me a letter on
the subject, in which she inform
ed me that the whole family were
ready to receive me with open
arms-a prospect that l did not
find at all alluring. They seemed
to have their hearts set upon me
as a person peculiarly fitted to
train John in the way he should
go. Everything, was told, de-
pended on his getting the right
kind of wife.
A special interview with Mr..
Crawford, at his particular re-
quest, touched me considerably.
'I hope," said he ''that yon wilt
not refuse my boy, Miss Edna.
He has set his heart so fully upon
you, and yon are everything that
! could desire in a daughter. 7
want some one to pet. l feel sad
ly lonely at times, and l am sure
that you would just fill the vacant
uiche.''
/ drew my hand away from his
caress and almost felt like hating
John Crawford. Lite with him
would be one Of ease and luxury !;
but decided that / had rather
keep boarderS.
!. Not long alter this the Gran
fords concluded to go to house
keeping, and Mrs. Shellgrove was
in her glory. She always came
to luncheon now in her bonnet.
and gave us minute details OF all
that had been done aud talked OF
! about the house in the last twenty
four hours.
'Iris really magnigcoDt." said