The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-01-22
NOT THE ONLY FISH.
There Were Others In the Sea Much Large
Than MIR. Lan@syne.


There Were Others In the Sea Much Larger
Than Mr.. Langsyne.
II don't know about that" said old
Mr. Langsyne, lowering his paper and
elevating his spectacles SO that the light
shining through them made two bright
little spots on the bald place above his
forehead. There may be as good fish
In the sea as ever were caught, Mrs.
Langsyne, but know possible excep-
ton or two to that rule
Mrs. Langsyne smiled placidly.
There seems to be mistaken inn
PRESTON" continued the old man, shat
If some one else manages to get the par
tieular girl you happen to be after, if
you happen to be a man. or the particu-
lar man you happen to be after, if you
happen to be girl, that you are to inn
mediately kick up your heels, if you
happen to be a man, and toss your head,
If you happen to be a girl, and be glad
you have been providentially delivered
from what would certainly have been a
hateful union, and calmly proceed to
fish in some other quarter, certain that
there are just as good life partners
waiting for you as the one you have
failed to win. Do make myself under
stood?"
Mrs. Langsyne and Miss Langsyne
smiled and nodded in unison.
very WE'LL" continued the old man.
Now what l want to know is this, Do
you believe that you would have
been happy with some other duffer if
you had failed to win me as you have
been with me? All, but those were
happy days! How it all comes back to me
again as think about them days. How
/ met your mother, Kitten, at husk-
ing-bee, and walked home with her
through the frosty air in the moonlight,
and she was so frightened and bashful
that she didn't say dozen words all of
the way to her fathers gate. She was
kind of awed, you see, at me, for was
the great beau in them parts then, and
the girls was all jest a-settin their caps
for me. don't deny that sort of liked
your mother from the very first, though
l couldn't be ignorant of the fact that
it was considerable of comm down on
my part to marry girl who'd never
had no attention from men to speak of,
but 1 did marry her. and I've been a
good husband to her; and want to ask
right here who she'd found as COOL
an all-round fish if she hadn't dextrous-
ly hooked Algernon Langsyne before
some other girl come along and cap
tured me?"
There were some others that might
have had" said Mrs. Langsyne, in her
soft-voiced way, ''who have turned out
pretty we'll"
|, "There were?" exclaimed Mr.. Lang
syne, suddenly leaning forward in an
excited manner, there were? Well,
I'd like to know Who they were?"
well, there was, young Henry Lawly
from Meadowport, who asked me to
marry him while you were keeping
company with me, and he's been in
congress twice, and they say ne gets
the largest fees of any attorney in New
York to-day. Then there was Andrew
Biansell. who got so rich out in Chicago,
and lives in such grand style, he asked
me to be his wife the next day after I'd
said yes to you. Simon Hirate, who
made so much banking, and George
Longface, who is pastor of that big
church in st. Louis now, would both
have proposed to me at that picnic in
Wilkins Glen if hadn't stopped them
in time to save their feelings by telling
each of them in confidence about being
engaged to you. Abraham Bond, who
loaned that money to you last fall when
you were so hard up, was talking to
father about me the evening you and l
walked home from the husking- bee to-
gether, and he got down on his knees
to me in the parlor the very next Sun
day evening" and l had to say no to
him."
Old Mr.. Langsyne sat very still for
quite long time, and then he leaned
over toward Mrs Langsyne, and said:
Suppose you had that all to do over
again, and knew jest how each of us
fish was goin to turn out, how-how
would it be them"
1T wouldn't be any different" an
swered Mrs Langsyne, softly.
And little later on, when Mr.. Lang
syne had come up from taking care of
the furnace, he went over to where
Mrs Langsyne sat in her little low
rocker, and bent down and kissed her.
Charles Newton Hood, in Harper's
Razar