Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1880-10-16
After Twenty Years.

petite-that's what l like bright eyes,
luxuriant locks, white and pink and
white complexion, plump and compact.
She was always in good humor, and we
soon became the very best of friends
nay, more-for who could help being
afectionate toward herP Everybody
loved her. When the boatman called
her "a sweet little craft" they ex-
pressed, though vulgarly, the sentiment
of my own heart.
] was in love with Jemima, and
Jemima-well, Jemima was not indif-
ferent to me. l had not nerve to ask
her. in SO many words, would she ac-
cept my hand and namep spoilt a
quire of paper in an effort to utter my
thoughts in letter; so at last, on her
birthday, the fifteenth of May, I ven-
tured to present her with an elegant
bound book, and ON a little.slip OF paper
inside l wrote: i.
DEAR JEMIMA-By the acceptance OF
this trifiing gift let me know you accept
the giver.
ALFRED BARNsTABLE DAUGHTY.
l f1attered myself it was rather a
plucky thing to do, and it answered ad-
mirably.
Next time saw her she was all of
glow, and when we were alone together,
and was standing rather near her. and
said:
"You received my humble ofering!"
she burst into q flood of tears, put her
arms round my neck and spoilt my shirt
front.
Then, when she recovered a little (do
you believe in NiobeP l don't she said:
"Have you asked PAP"
OF course responded had not.
"Then do at once" she said; for
goodness gracious me, if he was to find
us out in anything sly, and trying to
keep it from him, it would be awful"
1t is a good deal worse asking the gov
ernor than asking the girl, especially
such a peppery old party as Captain
Marlborough; however, screwed
myself up, anG when Jemima was down
about the place playing on our organ,
and / knew he would be making his
evening toilet by putting on pilot coat.
/ ventured to look in upon him. After a
few words on ordinary topics such as
how were we both, how was the
weather. / hemmedi and began: cap
tain am ambitious"
fright, boy-climb. as high as you
can"
"Can't encourage me too much, cap
tain; I'm ambitious in your direction"
boy, you are not going to seaP"
"No, captain-I-I-I--Iasp aspire to the
honor of being your son-in-law!"
The captain looked me full in the face,
then said:
Have you moneyW
Of course hadn't, and he told me to
go and get it before yenturing to aspire
to the hand of Jemima.
But, my dear captain"-I ventured
to expostulate.
sect off my door-step"
"Let me speak for moment to Je-
NINA"
SECT off my door-step!"
He accompanied this last instruction
by thrust which sent me staggering
into the street.
My affair with Jemima was at an end.
The captain would not listen to reason
that is, he would not listen to me.
All the letters wrote to Jemima were
sent back to me. grew weary, packed
up and packed off, with letter of in
PRODUCTION to firm in China. Well
the fortune was not 80 easy to make.
but at the expiration of twenty years /
began to think it sufficiently large to
warrant my return to "the girl l left
behind me-" / heard very little from
home. Father and mother were still
alive, but the captain was dead. They
had carried him through the cornfelds
one summers day to the little church.
yard and buried him there.
Jemima, understood, lived in the
old house, and was single. So--full of
emotion. all the tenderness for the dear
girl ! had left behind me rapidly re-
Nving-off l went, carpet-bag and
everything, just as / was, to have the
old vows renewed and sealed in the
usual manner.