Australian Tales - Setis

for a lass of seventeen to be very fond of an old chap of seventy.”
“Stop, stop, I'm not seventy,” said Jabez, with a show of anger, “I am
only sixty-six next January, so don't cheat me: and I can't see anything so
unnatural in the affair as you wish to make out. You see old chaps, as
you call them, marrying young girls often enough, so there is nothing
very wonderful in my preferring a young wife to an old one.”
“Yes, and you often see those young wives neglecting their homes and
their old husbands, and there is nothing wonderful in that neither,”
replied Mr. Grouts. “I don't intend to say a syllable to the prejudice of
Kitty, or to insinuate that she will not make a faithful wife, but in general
terms I mean to say that when old men are silly enough to marry young
girls, they usually look for more attention from them than they get, or
than they can reasonably expect; thus they are very often tormented with
jealous fears and fancies, real or imaginary, and their lives are made
miserable. I will give you one sad example, which just occurs to me. A
gentleman, more than threescore years old, married his gardener's
daughter, a buxom lass of nineteen or thereabouts. She was a good girl,
and I believe for several years was as true a wife as any in the land, still
her husband suspected her of flirting with every young fellow who
presumed to look at her pretty face. In vain did she try to reason him out
of his jealous fancies, and give him every proof she could give of her
fidelity; he grew worse as he grew older, until her life was a complete
burden. She became reckless and ill-tempered. Horse-whipping did not
improve her; she took to drinking, and a few years ago you might have
seen her on any night you chose to look into one of the singing saloons
of Sydney; so you may guess her deplorable end. Mind, I don't say that
all such unequal marriages terminate so badly, for I have known cases
quite contrary; but they are rare, and I take the freedom of an old friend,
to warn you against the risk you are incurring in marrying a girl so much
younger than yourself. That lassie will not make a suitable wife for you,
Jabez, I am sure of that, and I advise you for pity's sake to give her up.”
“O dear me! I can't, I can't. Don't say that again, Grouts, it hurts. I love
the girl, and if I give her up I shall give up the ghost in less than three
weeks; I am sure of that. Can't you see how my knees are knocking
together, at the bare idea of it? The fact is my heart has been as
impenetrable as a fire-proof safe for nearly thirty years, but Kitty has
picked the lock at last, and got right inside, and to turn her out would be
ten times worse than skinning me. I can't do it, Grouts. Ask me to do
anything else that's reasonable, and I'll oblige you in a minute, but I can't
give up Kitty, I'd almost as soon give up taking snuff, and that would be
the greatest trial in life that I can think of. Besides, look at this house full
of feminine knickknacks, what would be the use of them to me if I lost
my little doxey? They were all bought for her, bless her heart!”
“Please, sir, a boy has brought a lot of bottles and things from Mr. Lint,