Year: 1870

1 y n


girl you were engaged to minister,
and you Promised you would tel us all
about it some time. Now, aunt, please
do"
"Well, if I ever did see such girls
in my born days. It's tease, from
morning till night You must know
all about everything you haven't no
business to know anything about. Such
inquisitive, pestiierous critters as you
are When | was young, girls was
different; they minded their own busi-
ness, and didn't go sailing around with
a white string of beauxs, getting their
heads filled with oil kind of nonsense
never dared to ask my aunts, mar
ried or single, about their affairs.
Pretty mess I'd got into if / had.
When they offered to tell me anything
of their own accord, | kept my. mouth
shut and listen. Everything is differ
ent nowadays; young folks have no
respect for elders. But as I see Tn
not going to have any rest till do tell
you, why just listen, and don't let me
hear a word out of one of your mouths
till I get through"


"That's right, Aunt Sally. go ahead,
do, and well keep perfectly still"


"Well, you see | was about seven
teen years old and I was living at Uti.
ca, in the State of New York Though
| say it myself, | was quite good
looking girl, and had several beaux
The one that took my fancy most was
young minister, very promising young
man, and remarkably pious and steady.
He thought great deal of me aud |
kind a took fancy to him, and things
ran on till we were engaged. One
it as we'll as if it were only yesterday
When he came into the parlor where |
was alone, be came to me and-but,
now, pshaw, girls! | don't want to
tell the rest


ooh. Aunt Sally, for mercy's sake
don't stop, tell US what he did"


"Well, as | said, he came up to me
and put his arms around me and rath
er hugged me, when | got excited and
somewhat frustrated !; it was a long
time ago, and don't know but what |
might have hugged him back a little
Then | felt but just now clear out,
every one of you, shan't tell you any
more"


"Goodness, gracious, no, Aunt Sally.
Tell us how you felt. Didn't you feel
good And what did he do next?"


"Oh. such torments as you are! /
was like any other girl. and pretty soon
[ pretended" to be mad about it, and
pushed him away, though T wasn't mad
bit. You must know that the house
where | lived was on one OF the back
streets Of the town. There was glass
doors in the parlor, which opened right
out over the street, and no balcony nor
anything of the kind in the front or
the house. As it was in the summer
season these doors were open and the
shutters drawn to. / stepped back
little from him. and when he edged up
close I pushed him back again. I
pushed harder than intended to, and
don't you think, girls, the poor fellow
lost his balance and fell through one
the doors into the street. Yes, it's 80.
AS he fell gave scream and caught
him-but [ declare | won't tell any
more. I'm going to leave the room."


mo, no, Aunt Sally How did you
catch him2 Did you hurt him much"


"Well, if must | must. He fell
head first, and as he was going I caught
him by the legs of bis trowsers. /
held on for q minute and tried to pull
him back, but his suspenders gave
away, and the poor young man fell clear
out Of his pantaloons into whole par.
eel of ladies and gentlemen passing
along the streets"


cob, Aunty, Aunty. Lordy, Lordy r
There, that's right, squall and gig
gle as much as you want to. Girls that
can't hear little thing like that with
out tearing around the room, and be-
having in such way, don't know enough
to come home when it rains. A nice
time the man who marries one of you
will have, won't he7 Catch me telling
you anything again."


"But, Aunt Sally, what became of
him7 Did you ever see him again 2"
"No; the moment he touched the
ground ne got up, and left that place
in hurry, / tell you it was sight to
see how that man did run. Father
happened to be coming up the street at
the time, and he said he never saw any
thing to equal ii in his whole life. I
heard others Say he did the fastest run
ming ever known in that part of the
country, and that he never stopped or
looked behind until he was two miles
out of town. He sent me note few
days afterwards, saying that the en-
gagement must be broken oil, as he