Year: 1876

Did you ever see q bashful man? 1t
you have, then you have seen the most
awkward, ungainly creature among hui
man bipeds. Now there may be some
thing attractive and interesting in the
shrinking timidity of blushipg girl,
though l have my doubtsin regard to it !;
but a bashful man-who ever pities
him?. Though despised by one sex and
laughed at by the other, always doing
what he never intended to do, and say
ing what he never intended to say, he is
one of the most pitiable objects in exist
ence.


To be sure. in these days of brass and
assurance, when everybody thinks him
self as good as his neighbor, and a good
deal better, they are very rare. But
still they are to be met with OCCASION
ally, though they are quickly disappear
ing, and probably in few years there
will be no trace of them left.


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


No one could have seen Joshua enter a
room whese there was company, and es-
pecially ladies, without being aware of
this popularity of his. He generally
either blundered along, looked red or
foolish, or shot hurriedly in, with a
white, scared face, hiding himself as soon
as possible from observation behind the
door or in corner. If there was a
chair or stool anywhere in the room,
which was very apt to be the case, he
generally managed to stumble over it,
which was not at all calculated to in
crease his self possession or add to the
grace of his entrance. If pretty girl
spoke to him he stammered and turned
all sorts of colors, looking as frightened
and ashamed as if he had been convicted
of sheep stealing.


Poor Joshua There certainly never
was man who had higher opinion of
the better part of creation, or was more
capable of appreciating the blessings of
matrimony; yet he had reached the age
of twenty eight without being one step
nearer toward realizing them than he
was eight years before.


He had five brothers; but though
none of them had half his good looks or
sense, they possessed what he did not,
plenty of assurance, and tact OF show
ing all that they did know, and were all
married and happily settled in life,
while he remained forlorn, disconsolate
bachelor.


II was not from a want of means to
support a wife, for he had plenty of this
worlds goods, well-stocked farm, nice
new house, besides some money in the
bank. 1t certainly was not for want OF
girls, for there were scores OF them In
the DOWN where he lived, of all sorts and
sizes, black-eyed, blue-eyed, and gray
eyed, and eyes of no color at all. No
Joshua Wheat remained unmarried be-
cause he had not courage sufficient to
look any one Of the girls in the face
and say, 81 love you-will you marry
me Y'


These words are very simple, and te
the uninitiated seem very easily spoken
yet have known many mans courage
to fail him at the thought of saying
them, who would have ridden into the
front of the fiercest and hottest battle
without the shadow of fear.


At last all the girls of Joshua's &C
ouaintance were married to braver, i
not be tier men-all but one, Mary Dear
born, the prettiest among them all, ant
as good and sensible as she was pretty
Mary had suitors plenty, but she turnet
a cold shoulder to them all, being fairl.
determined in her own mind that If sh


married at all she would have nobod.


but joshua Wheat.


Joshua had taken a great shine t


Mary ever since they were children


they used to go to school together Il
the little red schoolhouse OH the hill, h
drawing her to and from school in tn
winter on his little sled, and bringin
qer apples as red and shining as her ros
: cheeks.


. When they grew older he exhibite
his preference for her, though in some


what different manner. Every Sabbath


after meeting was over, he would po'
himself at the church door TO escort he
I home and in the evening, arrayed !
t his Sunday BEST" he might have bee
seen striking bee-line to Squire Dea


born's. At about nine o'clock the oil


folks would 20 off to bed, leaving Joshu
and Mary together, and there he woul
sit, looking straight into the fire, an
scarcely daring to move or breathe, wit
the momentous question trembling o
the very tip OF his tongue, yet nev'


leaving it-no nearer the object OF h
visit when he left the house than whe
he entered it.


Things went on in this way for sewers
months, but at last an event occurre
which gave Joshua quite start. A 50
of DIR. Hale, the village physician, can
home from college, where he bad grad'


ated, IL was said, with considerable di


tinciion. He was tall, large, smootl
faced fellow, with more learning tba
| hraina and rnare hIasa than either.