Middletown transcript., 1883-02-23
NUMBER FIFTEEN.

always begin at the beginning when
+ write story. Some authors like to
commence in the middle and work at
both ends but that isn't my way, OF
rather it wouldn't be my way if | was
in the habit of writing stories, which,
thank heaven, l am not. | get my
living in a respectable way, by the
sweat of my brow, not by writing lies
for newspapers. Consequently I've
but one story to write, and that is my
own.
My name is Roderick McStivers, and
Pm a native Of the good old town Of
Falmouth; I'm 40 years old, if Pm a
day, and, if l do say it, as good looking
for my age as any man ever set eyes on.
Twenty years ago was fully as hand
some as l am now, and at that time
was engaged to the charming Mary
(. Black, the belle of Falmouth. That
was the beginning of all my woe-that
engagement. l was poor then Il own
the largest boot manufactory in Tad
mouth to-day, and the Lord only knew
when I should be able to marry Mary.
But she said she didn't care she could
wait two or three centuries just as
well as not, if I'd only be true to her
meantime
Sooner shall the blue ocean melt to air,
Sooner shall earth resolve itself to sea,
Than resign thine image, oh, my fair!
Or think of anything excepting thee.
That's just what 1 said. You
wouldn't think, to look at me now,
that I could say anything quite SO soft
as the above-would you, eh Bless
you 1 had more poetry in my head
twenty years ago than you could shake
stick at.
Many are poets who have never penn'd
Their inspirations, and perchance the best
That's what's the trouble with me.
If hadn't confined myself to leather,
l should have played the deuce with
& the nine" Well, you understand
from the above that Mary and were
all right. I swore that I'd be true,
and she dittoed i; but, bless you, my
dear sir, the sweet girl had father,
and he was not so young as we were by
several years.
Those were days when my heart was
volcanic, but the old gentleman's pal
pitator was as hard and cold as cast
iron grindstone. The paternal Black
did not believe much in love, you see.
He had married for money, and, in
his opinion, that was the only thing
worth marrying for; and so, instead OF
throwing his only child away on a
miserable vagabond like myself, he very
unceremoniously showed me the door
one evening, and the very next day
brought a lover of his own choosing
home to Mary. The lovers name was
Bunsby, and he rolled in gold, meta
phorically speaking; owned a fine
house in New York, and had horses
carriages and servants "too numerous
to mention.'' Oh, why should l lingel
over this period Of my existence
Pm sure l don't know why, and hang
me if do.
You can guess the rest. Mary was
dazzled with her new lovers wealth
She forgot poor Roderick McStivers
and married Robert Bunsby, Esq, anC
II, alas, was not invited to the wed
ding Anything more heartless thai
the above can scarcely be imagined.
suppose l might have "gone int
mourning" They told me I couldn'
be a nun on account of my sex.
"Oh, what shall do ~ | asked in ;
voice that sounded horribly strange
notwithstanding that it was my own
| defy you to tell me what did do
In the light Of my twenty years expe
rience, l am convinced that 1 did tn
best thing 1 could under the circum
stances. 1 married my boarding mis-
tress. She was 35 and was 20 year
Of age she was
A maid unmatched in manners as in face,
Skilled in each art, and crowned with ever
grace.
And, though 1 never learned to loY
her extrayagantly, must confess tha
she could make the best apple dump
lings that ever ate. In the course Q
time became a father. A danghte
was born to us, and we called her Julia
after my grandmother, who was tn
most beautiful woman in the country
to Judge from the portrait now befor
me, My daughter looks much as he
grandmother did at her age. Well, a
1 said, daughter was born to US, an
a son was born to Bunsby, and the
called him Tom. We heard of the las
mentioned even up here in Falmouth
! but for years and years I never sa1