The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-01-25

Charles Bevington came to reside in our
village. Mr.. Charles Bevington was
ing fellow, with black whiskers, and an
easy, nonchalent address. Physically
he was a sort of prize man, specimen
of humanity vino would have carried Of
the gold medal at an exhibition of his
species. He had q broad forehead ard
a broad chest; his frame was muscular
and strongly knit, his hair was curled all
over his well-set head; and his ewes
beamed with vigor and vivacity. With
al! this he had ready tongue, wonder.
full faculty for talking rattling nonsense;
and he was bachelor. He was per-
son who as soon as seen provoked the
tlattering commentary, "What hand
some mani! His good looks were SO
strongly developed. and. as a whole, 30
complete and undeniable, that even
married ladies' in the presence of their
husbands, could not restrain
their admiration: and husbands
could hear their remarks with compla-
cency, for it was startling fact which no.
body could deny. It was natural to say
Mr.. Charles Bevington was handsome
as it would have been to say man seven
feet high was tall. Like all the others,
| Mr.. Bevington became attracted by the
.luty of the widow, and very shortly
after his arrival in the village he came
II wish you would marry her." I
said.
Mr.. Bennington was startled at my
coming down upon him plump at the
| first word with such wish as this.
"Why-how-what do YOU mean?" he
stammered. ~ -,...'
Il mean exactly what I say" I re-
piled. II wish you would marry Mrs.
J Honiton, for thereby you would do the
village signal service"
II should have thought quite the con-
trary," he replied, "for all the young
fellows are mad after her."
| "That's the mischief" said.
mischief! really don't understand
YOU"
| opOlizes the attention of all the young
men, end the other young ladies' have
no one to make love to them. If Mrs.
Honiton were married, five or six elig-
ible parties would be let loose from her
train to GO and court elsewhere. Our
uamsels are languishing for beaux, am
all on account of this fascinating widow; .
that" :.
NO" I said, "but the young ladies'
wonder at it, and what's more. they
don't like it; and if you will only 20 and
marry Mrs. Honiton out of the way,
am sure they will subscribe for a testi
monial to YOU"
! "Are you really serious?" he said.
Perfectly So" I replied; Sin fact
would marry her myself out of pity 70,
the poor girls, only for the trifing oh
stacle, Of which you are aware, that
am married already"
HAS she money!" he asked.
"Lots," replied.
''Then." he said, ':there is no need tc
ask more questions, for 1 don't require
you nor any one else to tell me she is
"eautiful as an angel. BY Jove! III
take your advice and stick to her."
3d." I said. land if you only win the
widows heart, you will at the same
time win the hearts of all the unmar.
ried ladies in the village. MaideEs and
matrons will be ready to praise you"
'In that case" he said, II shall step
into perfect mine of affection. Well, I
will 80 for it, at any rate"
Mr.. Bevington did go in for it. He
| sSsAN s'ASs>N w SAAV "AOO" A1lIACNiNlcAt
much to the disgust and indignation OF
her train of admirers, who looked upon
the encroachment of the tall, handsome
barristor as something unfair and en-.
tirely disproportionate. When Mr.
Bevington dashed into the midst OF
them, and carried the widow off in tri-
umph his rivals fell off timidly, and
looked up at him rs much as to say,
"Why don't you compete with one al
your own size?" The widow, however,
was by no means inclined to encourage
a monopoly Of herself, and still contin-
ued to distribute her smiles with impair
TALLY. The consequence vas that her
many admirers held on for some time
aed did thei, best to dispute the ground
with the handsome barrister; but it was
very discow aging work. The lawyer
generally got the best of it, and at such
train and shrug her pretty shoulders
as much as to say, lit il really not my
fault. l try to give you all chance
aud if you let this dashing, black-whisk.
cred man cut you out, why, you have
only yourselves to blame"
| Mrs. Honiton's followers began to
drop off one by one, and the female
villagers looked up. Mr.. Weber, the
| cotton broker, was the first to relax his
| hold, and sink into the waters of de.
spair; then Capt. Jarvis, then young Jer-
| kins, the alderman's son, and two or
three more, until the prize was disputed
| by only two-Mr. Bevington and Mr.
| Joseph Perkins, Il mild little gentleman
whose sticking up to Mrs. Honiton had
| always been regarded as like his i'm
pudence. AS some half dozen of Mrs
Honiton's admirers had now been de-
tached for other service, the village wa:
| in humor to be amused at the preten.
sions of 'little" Perkins, particularly as
little Perkins had only two thousand {
what the ladies' cali handsome. Little
Perkins had another f:lult-or, at least
| he exhibited certain traits of character
which are a positive disadvantage
when placed in competition with physica
| beauty and dash-Perkins was amiable
| legent, and unobtrusive in his manners
kind and generous of disposition, and
on all occasions, highly considerate O.
the feeling of others. And because he
was all this, and wasn't six feet high
and hadn't black whiskers, and didn'
bounce and talk loud, the girls called
him "Molly." 1t is the same in The
matrimonial market as in the shop OF
the bazaar. 1t is the snowy article tina
takes. Women see guady man, al
dazzle and bright color: and they say 81
once, "pll take this article please, ,
without stopping to inquire if he vii
wash, if he will wear, and if his colort
arc fast. So the village laughed at the
pretentions of little Mr.. Perkins, and o.
course Mr.. Bennington as-in every re-
spect above seriously regarding so insig
niticart person as rival. In fact, he
liked to ''trot him out
as he expressed it, before
the widow. And the widow seem
ed to enjoy the fun. and was foreve,
sending Perkins to fetch and carry fo1
her. If. when she was sitting beside thu
| dashing Mr.. Beyington. she happened
to drop her handkerchief, she would