The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-08-05

not much better fed than her mistresses
She was q neat, respectable young
woman. Az - 80
4 After tea we talked again about old
times, and I gave several broad hints
and intimations that I should like to
hear their respective histories in other
words, + wished to know how it was
that they had all remained single for
the history of an old maid is the narra-
tive of her escapes from matrimony.
My intimation was well received, md
my implied request was complied with.
Mary, as the eldest, commenced:
II believe you remember my friend,
Mr.. M-?"
II do SO, and is is, he lying?"
HE is, and still SINGLE"
I smiled and said, "Indeed!" The
lady smiled not.
EYES," continued the narrator, "ho
is still living aud still single. I have
occasionally seen him, but very seldom
of late years. You remember, I dare
say, what a cheerful companion he was,
and how very polite. He was quite OF
the old school, but that was only as re-
garded his external manners. In his
opinion he partook too much of the new
school. He was one of the Liberal
party ct Cambridge: and, though he
was generally O very serious md good
man, he perplexed his head with some
strange notions, and, when the time
came that he should take orders, he de-
clined doing SO, on account of some OBJ
jections he had to some of the Thirty
nine Articles. Some people have gone
S" far as to say that he was no better
than a Socinian, though I do not be-
lieve he was ever SO bad as that. Still,
however, it would never do for the
daughter OF q clergyman to marry man
who had any doubt concerning any OF
the Thirty mine Articles. We did all in
our power to convince him that he was
wrong, and he did oil in his power to
convince us that he was right but it
was all to no purpose. Indeed, he
seemed to consider himself kind OF
martyr, only because we talked to him.
He argued most ingeniorsly that exact
conformity 81 opinion was not essential
to happiness. But I could not think it
correct to marry a man who had any
doubts concerning the articles; for. as
my father very justly observed, when q
man once begins to doubt it is impossi-
bic to say where it will end. And SO
tho matter went on from year to year.
and SO it remains still, and so it is likely
to the end of the chapter. Twill never
give up the Thirty nine Articles"
All the sisters said that she was per-
iectly right; and then Martha told her
story, saying: cit was just about the
TIM. time t that You were visiting Littleton
that Mr.. B., who had long paid me
very particular attention, made me an
offer. Mr.. B. was not q man of
first-rate talents, though he did not
want for understanding; he was also
tolerably good-humored, though occa-
sionally subject to fits of violence. His
father, however, most strenuously OBJ
jectel to the match, and from being on
friendly terms with us he suddenly
dropped our acquaintance, and almost
prosecuted us. Ny father was a man of
high spirit, and could not patiently
brook the insult he received, and I have
every reason to believe that thereby his
days were shortened. In proportion,
however, as the elder MIR. B opposed
Our union, the affection Of the younger
seemed to increase, and he absolutely
proposed marriage In Scotland, but my
father would never allow daughter of
his to be married otherwise than by the
rites Of the Church of England. At
length old Mr.. B. died, and then it
was thought that we should be married !;
but it was necessary to wait decent
time after the old gentlc,nan's death, in
which interval the young Squire, whose
attentions had diminished Of late, went
to London, where he married a widow
with q fortune. They are now living
separately"
"You were faithful to your first
loves" I observed.
But l." said Anna, "haye differ
cnt story to tell. I had four offers be-
fore I was 10 years of ago: and +
thought that l was exercising great
Judgment and discrimination in en-
deavoring to decide which was most
worthy of my choice; SO I walked ana
talked and sang and played and criticised
with all in their turn and, before I
could make up my mind which to choose,
lost them all. and gained the cl,arac-
ter OF tiirt. 1t seems very unfortunate
that We are placed under the necessity
of making that decision which must
influence our whole destiny for life at
that very period when we least know
what life is
1T is expellcnt," said I, "to enter
tain several lovers at once.'
II found it expedient," said Eliza
beth, "to entertain several lovers in
succession. My first lover won my
heart by hute-playing. He was Lieu
tenant in the navy, visiting in the
neighborhood. My father disapproved
the connection. but T said that
would not live without him, and so
a consent was extorted ; but, alas
my fiute-player's ship was ordered
to the West Indies, and I heard of him
no more. My next lover, who sue
ceeded to the first rather too soon in the
opinion OF some people, was q medical
man, and for marriage with him a
reluctant consent was obtained from my
father -; but before matters could be NJ
ranged it was found that his business
did not answer, and he departed. An
other succeeded to the business, and also
to my affections, and third reluctant
consent was extorted, but, when the
young gentleman found that the report
of my fathers wealth had been much
exaggerated, he departed also; and in
time L grew accustomed to these disap-
pointments, and bore them better than
I expected. might, perhaps, have had
husband, if I could have lived without
q lover"
So ended their sad stories; and after
tea we walked into garden. It was L
small garden, with four sides and a cir
cular center, so small TINT, rs we walked
round we were like the names in
round-robin, it was difficult to say which
was first. I shook hands with them at
parting gently, for fear of hurting them,
for their fingers were long, cold and
fleshless. The next time I travelled that
way they were all in their graves, and
not much colder than when I saw them
at tho cottage.
DR.. +. B. Halliday heard from on the west
ern coast Of South America. He sends Mr.
s. Blackford formula for II ga:gle for dis
cases Of the throat. Used III connection with