St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-02-24
Ar. 0ddie's Courtship.
Dy sheela E. Drains.

s III. V0Qle 5 VOutSnlp. :
Dy shesla E. Drains. Z
m1A0n1AeA1n0A0AonS
HkR. MARKHAM ODDIE was model
N lodger, an old bachelor, and Z
heart-whole man. That is to say, h,
was all three until the day-consider
ably past his fortieth birthday-that Z
special fate took him in hand, ant
brought him face to face with tn,
younger of two ladies who had recent
" come to live in one of the houses op
posite.
They were evidently mother arc
daughter; both were comely and the
last-named of the two had one of thu
sweetest faces it had ever been Mr.
Oddie's luck to behold. She happened
10 drop a small parcel whilst walking
along their mutual road, and he hurried
after her with it. The smile with which
she received it went straight through
Mr. Oddie's somewhat antiquated waist
coat.
All the evening he thought of that
smile. When he went to bed, he en-
deavored, with the aid of three candles,
to get an impartial view of that region
on the top of his head where the hair
ought to have been. but now. alas. was
not. That bald spot had not troubled
him much up to that time; now he re-
garded it with mistrust.
Mr.. Oddie lad led an amiable, pune
tual, uneventful existence, going to and
returning from the city every week day
with regularity and dispatch-the kind
of person who is never asked for his
season ticket. He was comfortably OIL,
and had no one dependent upon him;
the few relatives he possessed lived in
the shires.
Mr.. Oddie had remaineba bachelor all
these years possibly because nobody
had set to work to marry him. 1t was
not that he objected to women; on the
contrary, he admired the fair sex, as a
whole, quite unreservedly. But he had
never given his heart to any one par
ticular woman. and his landlady looked
upon him as fixture. ~
The returning of that apparently in
nocent looking parcel marked an epoch,
Life was never the same again to the
little old bachelor. He had not watched
Miss Hexham's gentle face and we'll
developed but graceful figure for ten
days before lie became convinced that
1t was not good for a corn dealer to live
alone.
"a man wanted softening influences
about him'-Eere he hurled piece Of
fried ham to the cat-''he needed gen.
tie hand to guide and restrain him."
Mr.. Oddie at this point discovered that
he had forgotten to wind his watch up
the night before.
The truth was, he was in love. and
with young woman with whom he had
never exchanged a syllable. He learned
her name from his landlady, an austere
person, whose mind was set upon a
curious form of religion. and who did
not take much thought about frivolous
worldly matters.
Questioned discreetly by her lodger,
this worthy but depressing person
could tell him little regarding the two
ladies who wer. now the object of such
tender interest to him. They were a
Mrs. and Miss Hexham, SO she had
heard, and Mrs. Hexham was either
deaf or dumb. or it might be both, for
her daughter talked on her fingers to
her, and she answered, back in the same
way.
Mr.. Oddie's courtship was very de-
corous affair. In Spain. despite his
years. he would doubtless have adopted
the role of an '.iron-eater." as the
youth who goes counting under his
lady-love's balcony is styled.
Bnt in sober, unromantic England,
the suitor does not eat iron. or serenade
the queen of his heart on the guitar.
He has to be properly introduced. and
the little corn dealer, knowing this re-
spectacle custom, would have given
anything for an Introduction which
would have allowed him to call and
establish friendly relations.
The months passed, and still he could
not get that thin but necessary end of
the wedge in. The mother and daugh-
ter seemed to have very few friends,
and never went out. probably on ac-
count of Mrs. Hexham's afiliction. 1t
was hard upon the daughter, Mr.. Oddie
thought, but he admired her all the
more for her self-sacriice.
Miss Hexham became aware of his
devotion, of that Mr.. Oddie was con-
vinced. When they met-and he took
care that they did meet pretty often
he ventured to raise his hat, and smiles
were exchanged. But there the affair
halted, to the poor little mans frequent
despair. He could get no sforrader."
Once, when he attempted to speak.
Miss Hexham turned the color Of q red
rose, and promptly hurried away.
Il have never been properly intro
duced, that is Why" was Mr.. Oddie's
anguished reflection. .'She must have
been exquisitely brought up; the very
pink Of propriety."
Something win have to be done. ].
cried the poor man. desperately, on the
day that he went 10 the city without =
tie and m unfeeling acquaintance
jeereA 1t him and inquired il his liver
were ont nf order. His liver! Perish
- thoaght! Il was his heart.