The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-03-21
AUTUMN BLOSSOMS.

How was it that I came to be an
old bachelor? Not because of hating
women, am sure, for 1 liked them
very much, and never could have
spoken to one of them rudely or dis
courteously in my life. AS nearly
as know it was in this wise:
NY father died, leaving family
of children, a wife and an old father
and mother, of whom only myself
was able to earn ashilling. He had
never saved anything.
So, after the first grief, when we
had calmed down and were able to
look matters calmly in the face,
there was a wretched sort of prospect
for us. 1 was only an accountant.
and had young fellows way of
wasting my small salary in thou
sand different ways. / had been
paying attention to Elsie Hall, who,
young and childish as she was, had
a way of leading her admirers into
extravaganza. Of all the trials of
that never-to-be-forgotten time, l
think the greatest was appearing to
be niggardly in those baby-blue
eyes. l did not mind wearing plain
suits, discarding kid gloves and de-
nouncing the opera; but not to lay
those boquets and books, and music,
and dainty bits of jewelry, and null
titudinous trifles at Elsie's feet was
a very terrible ordeal. / passed
through; and if ever a man had
reason to be thankful, l had, for the
acquisitive little beauty Tilted me in
a month for Tom Tamden, who was
rich and lavish of gifts, and who ran
away from her after a marriage OF
ten months.
l worked night and day, and man.
aged to keep the wolf from the door.
Sometimes l used to think how
we'll it was for Elsie that she had
not really loved me, for she could
have had nothing but dismal pros
pect of wearing out her youth in a
dreary, hopeless engagement to one
too poor to marry. That was until
Tom ran eff. Then 1 thought it
would have been even better for her
to have shared our humble home
and poor fare, and the love l could
have given her, than to be deserted
so. And l pittied her.. as if she had
not proven herself heartless. But !
never went near her, of course, and
never even spoke Of her to my
mother.
grew no younger all this while,
and every year seemed to add five
wears to my looks. l had never been
very handsome or very merry, and
soon / became conscious of pecul-
lar middle-aged look, which settles
down upon some people very early.
Strangers, too, began to take me
for the head of the family; and
once, in a new neighborhood, the
butcher alluded to "my wife" /
found that he meant my mother, and
only wondered that it was not dear
old granny.
She was eighty, grandfather nine
ty, and they died one bright autumn
day, before prosperity came to us
died within an hour of each other,
for grannie just said:
Il think I'll lie down q bit, now
that iLemuel don't need need me.
I'm very tired"
Then she kissed me and said:
you've been q good boy to your
grandma, Edward. You'll have that
to think of"
And when we next looked upon
her she was dead, with her hands
upon her cheek, like a sleeping
child.
So, two were gone, and We were
sadder than before. And then Jean,
my eldest sister. married at sixteen,
q physician, who carried her of to
Hindooetan in her honeymoon.
And We could, none Of rs, feel the
wedding . happy thing;
But prosperity did come at last.
/ had worked hard for il, and any
thing a man makes his sole object