Year: 1863

make her kind and affectionate husband.
As concluded, she placed her hand IN
mine, saying as she did so:


edwin, my heart is already yours,
obtain my parents consent, and | will
cheerfully beStow upon you this HAND" !"
| What more could any reasonable man
ask? "Obtaiu my parents consent, and
| Will cheerfully bestow upon you this
hand" The words kept sounding in my
ears, and was in doubt whether | was
dreaming or not; gradually, however, |
came to my senses, when my first act was
to throw my arms around the neck of my
beloved, aud imprint warm and passion
ate kiss upon her ruby lips as token OF
uowledgment that | understood and
appreciated her meaning. was deter
mined that we should 60 to her father
for the purpose Of obtaining his sanction
to our proposed alliance. We found him
reading a newspaper. and made known
our errand Immediately. He studied for
moment, which seeped to be month,
and at length he said:


"Wr. Willett, | cannot say that have
any serious objection to receive you as my
son-in-l law, yet as you yourself acknowl-
edge, you have not yet been enabled to
attain such position as it is in my opin-
ion advisable for you to attain before un-
dertaking the support of a wife, [ must
request you to apply yourself lfassidulously,
and when you have risen to some emil
nence in your profession, and accumula,
ted somewhat towards the maintenance Of
her whom you anticipate taking under
youi care, I will then, | assure you, place
no further Obstacles 10 the way of your
marriage, The welfare of my daughter
has ever been my constant study, and |
should be the last one to deny her any
thing that would in the slightest degree
contribute to her happiness. You will
believe me, my dear friend, when | say
an prompted by no mercenary motive,
for | am sure when you come to reason
the mattor clearly and calmly in your own
MUD, and look at it in the proper light,
you cannot fail to perceive the utility Of
following my advice"


| bowed an acknowledgement, and with
promise to cali upon them in the morn
ing to bid them farewell, l took my de,
parture.


To say that I did not feel some degree
] Of impotence consequent upon the result
IF my interview with Mr. May burn would
be absurd, for lovers are always impetu-
Gus and unwilling to be put of, aud was
by no means an exception to the rule, but
| was compelled TO make virtue OF ne
cessity and bide my time The next
morning made an carly toilet and re-
paired at once to the domicil Of my inam-
orata, whom | found looking as charming
as ever. | babe her good morning, and
told her that had come to take my leave
of her for short time. but that | hoped
the day was not far distant when [ should
be permitted to come again and claim her
as my bride. Having now broached the,
to US, by no means unpleasant theme Of
the previous evenings conversation, we
were soon deeply engrossed in making
plans for the future. But all things
must have an end, and as the hours sped
away like minutes it seemed to my infat,
uated mind as though [ had scarcely en-,
tered the house until it was time for me
to pronounce the much dreaded good bye,
which was to be the signal for our tempo
rary separation and, as like time and
tide railroad cars wait for no man., |
was obliged to do it, but it was done in a
decidedly doIeful way, l assure you, and
ere long was speeding forward on my
homeward way, my thoughts being cen
tered on one object, Carrie, prize which
was fully resolved I would use my ut
most ezertions to gain.


X x :;


Nearly two years had elapsed since the