WILLIAM OOBBETT'S COURTSHIP.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2164, 22 May 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

WILLIAM OOBBETT'S COURTSHIP.

Cobbktt's courtship and marriage jcpnstitute one of the most charming little, idyls from humble life. We may presume that most of our leaders know the sWyj but its outlines will hear repetition, for, they bring out in a ationg light the, peculiar character of the man. He alighted, upon his future wife many j-ears before ( their marriage, when in the New World,. The reader will be save to smfie at som'o] parti of the story, but especially a*t its, commencement. "When I first, sa,-w my wife," ho says, " she was thirteen^ .years old, and I was near twenty ; she; was the daughter of a sergeant-major of artillery, aud I was sergeaut-tnnjor of a regiment of foot. W e were both stationed jn the city of St. John's, in New Bnvaswicjc. I sat in the same room with her focyabout an hour, in company with others," ,§nd I made up my mind that she was the, very girl for me ; that I thought her leautiful is certain, for that I had always said should be an indispensable qualification ; but I saw in her what I deemed to be marks of that sobriety of conduct of which I have said so much, and which in her has been the greatest blessing "of my life. It was in the dead of winter, and of course the snow lay several fepj^ deep on the ground, and the we*ttaeV was piercingly cold. It was my hab,it, ,when I had done my morning's writing, to go out at break of day to take a walk^on a hill, at the foot of whirl) onr barracks lay. In about three morningf afteirl had first seeu her, 1 had, by an invitation to breakfast with me, got up two young men to join me in the walk, and, our road Uy by the house of her father aud pjother. It was hardly lieht, and she sjras^jout in the snow, scrubbing out a washing-tub. 'That's the girl for me,' said 1,, when we had got out of her heai ing.'' Yjery many years after, one of these young, iasn came to see Cobhett in liugland, wondering whether the famous man were Jjis old friend of Nova Scotia; and be was yet more amazed to find, in the niother,of tws 6ne young men, whom, Qobbett,;,introduced as his sons, the pretty, little girl whom they hart seen scrubbing out the washing-tub in that early, wmtef day* brea.k. In the course of some pno£t time after that winter morning,, ; u,ppn\ tjhe removal of Cobbetl's regiment tqspme distance in the «arne colony, ,* betiyo^hment took place between himself and thtjyoung girl. Marriage was, of course, , out of the question for some time to .comet; Apparently two or three more years mjejit on. and her father's regiraeut; wap, ordered home to Woolwich. Cobbett refloated on two things— that in Woolwich heriftither'a home was likely to be visited by/;numerous persons not very select, sptne who might be absolutely displeasing ip her, and that she would most likely, seek a situation'; but he ct>\\ld qottttwyhesays, the idea of her working hard.* Xh# story i he tells in order to exalt hjs .wife jn the estimation of her ohildren : ,*' I had saved I a hundred and fifty guineas,! the,f§rninK« of my early hours in writipg for ,^e payulster, (he quartermaster, ,an4j9(hers, in I addition to the saving pf i7iy;o\^;p*y. I sent her all my inonoy before^ RJjftTsaileri, [ md wrote to, her to beg hejy if st^ft' found her home uncomfortableito iake-, * lodging with respectable people,; aad. at any rate not to spare the uipneyi but., to live without hard M'ork uutji i,arisyed in Kuftlaud, and I told her,, that I should get plenty more money before.. J. , Returned home." It was four yean before this took place, when he recru>;e4,j4u&, discharge, and from PortstnputJi<Tptgceeded to Woolwich. ' • I found," h? eajts, "my little gij 1 a servant of-aU-workp-nnd hard work it was— at five pounds »yeaß in tho house of a Captain . Briaac, and^ without hardly saying a word abou«i.the/iWatter, ahe put into my hands the whole-of th« luiudred and fifty guin«jas itfnbroken. \ T eed I tell," he adds, '^kjudftearted Rimlish patents what effect this atfecdota oust have on the minds of ouri children ? Vocd I attrmpt to describe, (wj^tg effect liis example , ought to, UajVO-. onj every young woman who shall domptheJionour rior i0 i oul this book ? An indubitable proof )f the soundness of my owu^judgment was certainly added to my .lovfljof her ix-autiful person." Immediately .alter his marriage the young couple— 4m they were both yet young—went ■ straight away to France, where they spent a honeymoon of six months, ofs^bjch bo always spoke as the happiest si* M months of his whole life. — Leisure Hou&

— — — — I ''1 ■ ij Dastardly men are like sorry%rse«, who have but just spirit and mettle enough to be mischievous. ' '"'»'• Ax artful juryman, addressing the clerk of the court, while the' fetter vru administering the oath, said, rt Speak up ' I cannot hear what you flay.", , *TStop V said Baron Alderson from th&Keneh. "Are you deaf?" " Yes,' nrfd, of one ear. "Then you, may , leave the bb w X ',i°u lfc I" ? e ?f r"?, >-< juryman should hear both sides," ' *" •• Good morniDg, children, a BU b. urban elector, as he met %k7 or fouj little children of on theii-.w/iy , to*scbool and how are you this. morning^ "Wi dursen't tell you," replied 3 t£?ofte 3t 3 t , b °y. . of /{ft. "Dare not Ttelf me " exclaimea the doctor.- « And w^ not fl " Cavie R apa »id that la^yornit C oj