Year: 1859

Did you ever see bashful man, read
er9 II ou have, you have seen one Of tbe
most awkward ungainly creatures among
the human bpeds. Now there may BE-
something very attractive and interesting
in the shrinking timidity Of blushng
girl, though confess that / have my
doubts in regard TO il, but bashful man
who ever pities hm9 Though despised
by one sex. and laughed at by the other,
alway doing what he never ought to have
done, aud saying what he never intended
to say, he is one Of the most pitiable Oh.
jects in existence.


To be sure, in these days Of brass and
assurance, when everybody thinks him.
self as good as his neighbor, and a great
deal better, they are very rare. But still
they ate to be met with occasionally,
though tley are quickly disappearing and
probably in a few years there will be no
trace OF them left.


Ny friend, Joshua Wheat was one OF
this unfortunate class of people. say
was, for he has wonderfully improved OF
late years. But l will not anticipate.


No one could have seen Joshua enter a
room where there was company, especi-
ally ladies', without being aware Of this
peculiarly of his. He generally either
blundered along looking red and foolish
or shot hurriedly in, with white scared
face hiding himself as soon as possible
from observation behind door, or in q
corner. If there was chair or stool
anywhere in the room, which was very
apt to be the case. he generally managed
to stumble overit, Which was not at all
calculated to increase his sef.possession
or add to the grace Of his entrance If q
pretty girl spoke to him. he stammeret
and turned all sorts Of colors, looking az
I Tmgnteued ana ashamed as II be bad beer
convicted Of sheep stealing.


Poor Joshual there certainly never was
a man who had a higher opinion Of the
better part Of creation, or was more ca
pable Of appreeiating the blessings oI
matrimony; yet he had reached the age
of twenty-eight without being one steT
nearer toward realEing them than he wa.
eight years before.


He had Eve brothers, but though none
Of them had half Of his good looks OF
sense, they possessed what he did not
plenty Of assurance, and a tact Of show
ing all they did know, and were all mar
ried and happily settled in life, while he
remained forlorn, disconsolate bache
! or.


II II was not from the want Of means t
support wife, for he had plenty of this
worlds goods, well stocked farm. mic,
new house. besides some money in th,
bank. 1t certainly was not for the wan
Of girls, for there were scores Of them il
the town where he lived, Of all sorts anC
sizes. black eyed, blue eyed, and grey
eyed, and eyes of no color at all, No
Joshua Wheat remained unmarried mere
| ly because be had not the moral eourag,
to look any one Of these girls in the face
and say, II love yOu-will you marry
me?"


These words are very simple, and tC
the uniniLiated very easily spoken; yet
have known many mans courage lai
hlm at the thought Of saying them, who
woulG have rode into the front Of The
fercest and hottest battle without th,
shadow of fear


Atiast all tile girls Of Joshua's acquain
tanoe were married to brayer, if not bet
ter men. All but one, Mary Dearborn
the prettiest one among them all. and as
sensible as she wac pretty. Mary had
{ plenty of suitors, but she turned a cold
shoulder to them all, being firmly deter,
mined in her own mind that if she mar.
ried NJ all she would have nobody but
Joshua Wheat


Joshua had taken great shine to Ma
ry ever since they were children, and
used to 60 to school together in the lttlt
red school house on the hill; drawing hel
TO aud from school in the winter on bis
little sled, and bringing her apples as red
and shining as her rosy cheeks.


When they grow older. be still exhib-
ite6 he preference for her. though in a
somewhat different manner. Every Sab
bath, after meeting was over. he would
post himself by the church door to es-
cort her home; and in the evening, ar
rayed in bis Sunday best" he might
have been seen striking bees line loI
Esquire Dearbon's About nine O'Clock
the old folks would 90 off to bed, leaving
Joshua and Mary together. And there
he would sit, looking straight into the
fire. scarcely daring 50 move or breathe,
with the momentous question trembling
on the very tip Of his tongue, yes never