Cakes and Ale at Woodbine

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. YOUNG LOVE., j]E drew about the blazing fire in the library: my wife, Aunt Jeannie, the little ones, ' and myself. It was a. stormy night, and the wind howled and shrieked around the corners of the cottage; and, once in a while, would seem to stop a moment at the mouth of the chimney, to...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. YOUNG LOVE., j]E drew about the blazing fire in the library: my wife, Aunt Jeannie, the little ones, ' and myself. It was a. stormy night, and the wind howled and shrieked around the corners of the cottage; and, once in a while, would seem to stop a moment at the mouth of the chimney, to whistle down its throat a note- of warning for all within doors not to venture out. This bit of politeness on the part of the wind was, so far as it concerned any one of us, totally unnecessary; for I remember of saying to my wife: Any one, my dear, who would venture out on such a boisterous night as this, unless impelled by dire necessity, must either be a fool or a madman. My wife replied that she was not so certain of that, and looked covertly at Jeannie. The latter personage was engaged in working on some mysterious piece of feminine attire, and, seemingly, paid no attention to what we were saying. Yes, I reiterated, decisively, either a fool or a madman. There, my dear, said my wife, looking smilingly towards me, you must, ' once upon a time, ' have belonged to one or the other of those classes; for I clearly remember of'your venturing out in much more boisterous weather than this. Never, my love, I replied, never; you are greatly mistaken. Have you forgotten that fearfully stormy night, just be- fore we were married, when you came three miles over the worst kind of a country road, to see me ? when it was so stormy indeed, that you could n't even hire a coach to ride thither, and so you walked all the way ? Such a sight as you were I shall never forget your appearance; spattered with mud from head to feet, and wet through and through. ' I think, my dear, I said, that I do remember it. I believe, on that occasion, I...