REVERIES

I AM an old bachelor now, and fast approaching that period when my friends would laugh at my folly if I attempted to look for a wife, and would seriously think of confining me in a lunatic asylum if I were to take one. This, however, may be partly my own fault; but I am inclined to think that Fate had a great deal to do with it also. I was always fond of female society; and ever since I have any remembrance of beauty, it was a pretty face belonging to a little girl of about my own age. I was four years old at the time; and this remembrance clings to me as freshly now, at-well, it makes no difference what ageas ever; and if any fault is on my side, that I am not married, I presume it may have been owing to an old-fashioned notion I imbibed at an early day, and which has stuck to me ever since, viz, that "matches are made in heaven," and that if they are made there, no one can prevent them on earth; do as you will, married you will be, in spite of yourself; and that if no other mode is left, owing to the opposition made by mortals, some day or night, the party whose marriage was "heaven-recorded" will wake up and find himself a "Benedict." Where I got this idea from, I do not remember, but always attributed it to the doctrines of Calvin, having been brought up in that faith. Be that the source or not, it has ever been a great consolation to me; for, after trying to obtain a wife, (and, from first to last, no man ever tried harder,) and as often been disappointed, I consoled myself with the thought that it "was otherwise ordered," and, like a good Christian, considered it my duty to submit; believing with Shakspeare, that

"There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough hew them as we will."

Now, some people may think that this belief is not orthodox, and that it may lead to the effect of causing many an old maid or bachelor, that would not otherwise have existed. Well, suppose it does; a'n't they necessary, in this world of ours, to take care of those unfortunate children that have bad parents, or no parents at all; or, what is worse, the offspring of those "marry-forlove-and work-for-riches" romantic part of society, who think that married life is like a livelong summer day, no clouds to cross the sun of their happiness; and, if misfortune does come, the husband can work his way to California, and the wife to the almshouse? In fact, independent of their use to society, I consider an old bachelor quite indispensable to fill up the great order of Nature; without him, there would be a link lost from the chain. As the sponge is a type of the lowest order of animal life, so the old bachelor is the lowest of the human family, but quite necessary to illustrate the gradual steps that Nature takes in forming the most perfect, which is, the father of a large family of small children, all of whom are vaccinated and have had the measles.

Poets tell us of love, and lead us to suppose that such a feeling or passion never exists but once; that, when the heart once burns with such a flame, it never leaves off burning until it has consumed itself; or that, if any part of the organ is left, it is proof against another attack; just like a child that is teething, or has had scarlet-fever-no danger of taking it a second time. I don't believe in such sentiments. I am rather inclined to think that circumstances control love, and that it changes according to the nature or state of the constitution on which it acts; just like any other malady. One man has it very severe-dangerously ill

probably leading to death by suicide or insanity; while another gets over it lightly, hardly causing any abstinence from business or diet; altogether owing to difference in the patient, the disease remaining the same in all cases. Moore, in his beautiful lines entitled, "Believe me, if all those endearing young charms," tells us of a sunflower, that turned upon her god the same look when he set as she did when he rose. Well, suppose he did say so. A sunflower is not a woman, by a long odds; nor is poets' evidence received as entitled to great weight on the score of veracity; so I don't see any cause of changing my opinion.

I

Hold up! Why, where is my pen? intended to have told you, dear reader, of my first love, and the cause of my still remaining a bachelor, and here I am, discussing the necessity of their existence. Well, forgive the vagaries of an old bachelor, and I will commence.

It was in Europe, while traveling with my mother, who had been ordered abroad for the benefit of her health, that I first beheld the maiden that shot a Cupid's dart into my unsuspecting bosom. It is said that children recover from accidents or injuries rapidly, owing, I suppose, to the fact that nature has not been abused by dissipation or late hours: be that as it may, there must be a great deal of truth in the theory, or else I never could have rallied so fast, for I was almost gone; I neither slept nor atetwo very necessary things to a boy of "four years old"-all one night and day. The next day, however, I made out to visit my adorer-no great feat, to be sure, as she lived next door to the hotel in which we resided—and, like the hero, "told my tale of love," and had the happiness to find it reciprocated; upon which, like all other weighty matters, I affixed my seal, which then consisted of a kiss. Yes! you may laugh, reader, at my childish notion of “falling in love" at that tender age. Did you never act the child, or, it may be, the fool, at a later period in your life? Well, never mind; only, don't laugh at my confessions;

"the child is always father to the man," and if I had made as great an effort in after-life as I did then, to secure the continuance of my love, I might not now be obliged to mourn my state of "single blessedness."

Talk about Jacob serving fourteen years to obtain the chosen one of his heart; why, I served twice as long-if allowance is made for the fancied length of a child's day-and sacrificed all my toys, to contribute to her joys; it was not much, to be sure, but it was all I had. I don't believe a man would have done as much, for we get rather selfish as we get old. Well, we got along smoothly, never dreaming that aught else than happiness was before us-we walking hand-inhand around the park daily, while our nurses were chatting with the good-looking soldiers off duty; but, like every thing else, there came an end to our bliss.

One day, nurse announced the fact that we were to leave in the afternoon for a distant town; and, oh! horrors! my adored was not to be taken along. At this intelligence, I raved and cried, just like a man, only I suppose a man would have swore and stamped upon the floor; however, I cried myself to sleep, and when I awoke, the horses and coach at the door, with the guard in scarlet coat, made me forget; just like a man who, satisfied with equipage and liveried servants, crushes the feelings of his heart by the heavy weight that fame or wealth bring to him. I remember asking my nurse many times about my little "belle;" but, at last, like larger people, I began to forget absent friends, and comfort myself with others that were present.

This was my first love, and I was between four and five years of age; the next time I took the epidemic, I was between fourteen and fifteen. It was an epidemic, coming on about every ten years of my life, only lighter every attack.

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At this age, I was a large, stout boy; and as I was the only son of the family, I was therefore petted, or, rather, allowed to do much as I pleased; and as my father was a stern man, I had to be very careful that

my conduct did not partake of a silly or childish nature. This liberty tended to develop the independence of the man, more than boys of my age usually possess. I kept a horse of my own; and, living in a western country, had many opportunities of doing little things which my city education had fitted me for, but which amongst the natives passed for "rather smart;" and being pretty kind in my disposition, I was popular amongst our rustic neighbors. Having been absent one day on some occasion or other-I believe it was the location of a school-house, or getting it finished for the winter, in order to keep the young idea warm while "learning to shoot "--whatever was the cause of my absence, it was in some way connected with education, and the roads were muddy. This accounts for my absence and state of my toilet, which has a bearing on my tale, as you will shortly understand. On arriving at home and giving my horse to a servant, I approached the house in my soiled clothes, to which the mud clung tenaciously, and, eager to divest myself of such an encumbrance, I hastily opened the door, when, before me-but why attempt such a task as to describe the vision that burst upon my sight; as well might I undertake to describe the Mohammedan's paradise. It was like a dream, the principal character of which is well remembered, but all other minor circumstances that must have attended it are forgotten. My mother, however, was heartily ashamed of the conduct of her only son, thus acting more like a country bumpkin than the intelligent youth that she thought me; and, after many attempts, made me comprehend that the being before me, whom I supposed was an angel minus. the wings, was sister to a friend of ours, and had come to drink tea with us. I looked, I presume, like "a stuck calf," for I could not get a word out of my head; and as for all the fine words and compliments that I had picked up in my miscellaneous reading, they were forgotten or lost. All I could see or think of were a pair of dark lustrous eyes, and above them, and falling off her

ivory shoulders, massy tresses of dark wavy hair in natural ringlets, and all belonged to some being of the feminine gender.

Oh, ye gods and little fishes! but I was in a fix. I dare not move for fear of breaking the spell, and prudence whispered I was making a fool of myself; upon which pride took the alarm, and called up dignity to maintain the character of the man. But the attempt, I presume, was a very poor one, for I observed a smile upon her face, whether of pity or derision I know not; however, it brought me to my senses, and after some awkward attempt at gallantry, I sidled away to make my toilet, which, I presume, embraced all my wardrobe, as I was very desirous of shining out to the fullest extent. How I finished the evening I know not, but remember perfectly well scalding myself with hot tea so badly as to evoke her sympathy, and, in my endeavors to be polite in helping her to preserves, upset the dish, and made ruin of the table-cloth; in fact, "I was taken in and done for." Talk of a person falling in love at first sight; here it was illustrated; I had not time to wink before I was over head and ears in it.

This delicious dream lasted for one whole summer, during which time I was assiduous in my attention upon her; there was no other beau in that neighborhood that could compete, for I was perfectly reckless, and would have gloried to have died for her. I often wished that something would occur, where I could risk my life and show my devotion to her. I remember that one time I was visiting her-indeed I almost lived at her brother's while she remained-and a gentleman called to see her, who, I learned, had come some fifty miles for that purpose. He, probably suspecting the state of affairs, wished to enjoy himself at my expense, and, while sauntering around, kept drawing me out; at last he hazarded some remark about my Dulcinea, that roused my jealousy to such an extent I seized an axe that stood by, and had some serious thoughts of ridding the world of such a monster; but, if I was a large boy, he was a large man, as I

serves to remind us of an approaching east wind. With that exception, I passed over my college period tolerably well, and at last graduated and commenced the practice of my profession in my native town. The first year I had nothing to do, and came near having another attack, as some of my friends thought it would be beneficial to me to take a wife; but, as I could hardly support myself, I could not dare to indulge in the luxury of matrimony.

Next year, I visited Europe to complete my studies, and, with the exception of a flirtation with a widow, escaped the epidemic entirely. My period of probation had not come to an end yet, but the cycle would soon be completed. And sure enough, on my return home again, I began to experience a fluttering around my heart, that usual precursor to my periodical disease. In this case, however, it was a different kind from the others; for it was a blue eye and simplicity that I caught it from, whereas it was, in all the other cases, a brunette hue that the disease partook of. I soon rallied from this attack by a liberal dose of prudence, which enabled me to see the folly and injustice of asking or expecting a woman to leave a happy home for the limited one afforded from my scanty income. A few years more, and another cycle rolled round; and, as the complaint was growing lighter in its attack every time, I thought that, as children were vaccinated to prevent them catching a worse disease, I might act upon the same plan; so I determined to anticipate the attack, and prudently fall in love

before the time arrived. I had more courage this time, too, as my income had increased so much that I had no fear of poverty before my eyes. The woman that I selected for the experiment was what my friends called amiable and virtuous, and many other things which I find kind-hearted people utter when they do not wish to say that a woman is hideous or ugly. I did in this case what all the rules of propriety and wisdom suggested; but the experiment failed, and to this day I know not whether I loved her or she hated me. One thing I do remember; her refusal never caused me a pang, and not a thought of suicide or any of those "thousand and one devices" that rejected lovers threaten to do, but seldom perform, entered my mind. The experiment failed, as many a one does, but I learned something from it; and that was, that prudence and propriety have nothing to do, nor are of any use at all, to people falling in love; for, on investigating the matter fully, to find out the cause of my failure, I found that it was consummated every day, in direct defiance and utter ignorance of such philosophical principles. That the experiment was a failure as to preventing an entire recurrence of the epidemic, I have not the least doubt, as I know that, on meeting a certain lady some time after, I felt quite a Platonic attachment for her, which shows that the experiment had modified it a great deal, but not eradicated it entirely, for, when Platonic attachments take the place of passionate admiration, the heart may say, with the swarthy Moor"Othello's occupation's gɔne.' '

THE name of this month is derived from the Latin, februo, signifying, I purify, and was given because the ceremonies of the Lustration were performed in that month by the ancient Romans. Lustration was a religious sacrificial ritual, by which cities, fields, and even armies, were relieved or puri

fied from the responsibilities of any crime committed, or from inherent moral impurities. The modes of performing the Lustration were various; sometimes by parading the body of an animal just sacrificed around the recipients, and sometimes marching the recipients of the ritual past the sacrifice.