The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-06-09
A COLONIAL CoURTSHIP.

Dorothea lived in those far off days
when girls married for love, and she had
| lovers score. One there was her heart
favored more than the rest, though, he
guessed it not, and caused her great un-
easiness thereby.
Lovers were not then confined to the
pqrlor, but were allowed to join the
family circle, where they sat out the old
folks half hour or so, ending up with a
kiss generally before parting. That is if
the young man were not bashful, or af-
ficted with a stammering tongue.
Should he be so unfortunate as to pos
sess these qualities, he would undoubt-
edly spring to his feet the moment the
old folks left the room, mutter good
night, and make bolt for the door with
out saying another word; though his
heart might be full to bursting with the
love he could not speak. He would
sooner face lannon's mouth than a
CLEAN from her lovely, hooking eyes,
Verify, as the poet hath said:
'He loves indeed who quakes to tell his love-"
Now this sort of thing had happened
once or twice to DorOthea, and had the
timid one been any of her devoted SWANS
but Daniel it might have passed I'M
noticed; but being Daniel it was a mat
ter to be considered with some delibera-
ton; for while he did not hesitate to
press her hand in the dance, and gaze
lovingly down into the depths of her
beautiful eyes upon such occasions, he
arose with trepidation painful to wit
ness, and worthy of a better cause, if left
a moment alone with her, and pulling
his hat down over his eyes, would plunge
out of doors in a manner fit to make one
believe he had taken leave of his senses
which in fact he had for the time be-
ing at least.
Once outside, the cool night air re-
vived him to such an extent that his
mental exclamation was:
"Fool that l am! l suppose she's
laughing at me, and thinks I'm a great
coward-but she does not knew-oh, she
does not knowl A fellow must have an
awful good opinion of himself to ask
such a creature to have him, for better
and for worse, too. 1t makes me feel
mighty mean. She has such little feet
God bless her!-and such a heavenly
smile, that somehow she makes me feel
like worm when she looks at me, and
I'd rather crawl under her pretty feet
and be crushed to death than do any
thing else in the world-so help me Bob,
| would!n
One evening, when Daniel had resisted
the desire to fly the moment his golden
opportunity arrived, he and Dorothea
were together in the old-fashioned sit
ting-room. The logs burned merrily on
the broad hearth, and the kettle hang
ing over the blaze sputtered and Kissed
in terrible hurry, now and then lifting
its great iron cover to let off quantities
of steam clouds that rapidly disappeared
only to make room for others, that kept
the lid bobbing up and down continu-
ally.
The busting manner of the kettle
seemed to have some influence over the
young man, for he arose, cleared his
throat and cOughed, with sundry looks
in her direction, then caught hold of the
back of chair to steady himself, at last
dropping into it without saying word
A frOwn sat upon his strong features
which, when she glanced at him, as she
did slyly just then, made DorOthea won
der if he were angry.
They sat on opposite sides of the
hearth-he with his arms folded across
his breast a deep frown upon his brow,
and eyes fixed upon the floor. She on
the other, her sweet face and bare arms
warmed into rosy life by the freight
glow, her hands clasped amid the folds
of her short wasted, low-necked dress,
whose pulled sieve encircled the mould
ed arm Just below the shoulder.
The bright coil of auburn hair was
twisted high upon her head and held in
place by dainty comb. With dropping
eyes she watched the gloomy figure OPP
posite, thus completing the picture Of a
pair of old-fashioned lovers.
The freight flashed around them, and
the kettle blew long puff Of steam from
her spout as though in angry expostula-
ton at the long silence; they heard it
not. At last Daniel leaned forward, his
elbows on his knees.
"Dorothear'
twas nanial -