The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-09-21 00:00:00

colours, ana the arrangemen
that the painter is by no means a meteoro

ie cirrho•cumul,

No. 9. " Bidston Church

MATRIMONIAL HOAX A

ome six wee

,ents appeared in the London newspapers,- from
gentlemen wanting wives. Some members of the Leeds
stock exchange took it into their heads to hoax some of
these adventurers, and tl

ey accordingly ent

correspondence with the partie
the purpose the name of Miss
spondence, two of the partite

advertisin

adopting for
some corre-

ent dow

thought the substance better t

we shadow," and sug.
Bested a personal interview. " Miss Bailey" thought so
too, and wrote accordingly, lamenting the awkward posi
'-‘ll she was in, but adding that she had mentioned t'
'r to her brother, who had reluctantly consented
"iew, and had promised to be present at a

terview as her protector

sin of her

She also intimated
med. and t 1

s kept the in

r brothe

r would call

at the hotel, and remain there um-
,

til the arrival of the stranger, who was to ask for her 1)
name. By the next post the languishing swain wrote to
say that he would be in Leeds by the train arriving here
at G 30 p.m. on Tuesday, and would at once drive to the
hotel named in a cab. All this arranged, one of the party
here, a stockbroker, undertook to play the guardian, and
a clerk from the office was selected to personate the ledy
—Miss Bailey, no expense being spared to adorn the latte•
with suitable and ladylike apparel. At the F
hour Miss Bailey and her brother were at the hotel,
ing in a private room, when, at seven o'clock, a cab drove.
up. Miss Bailey and her brother took their places on a
sofa, and on the stranger inquiring for Miss Bailey, he
was shewn into the room. He was a gentleman of about
45, ruddy complexion, and thin hair. He introduced
himself as Mr. H—, of " Atherstone," in a certain
midland county. The young lady's brother introduced
her as his sister. Mr. H— was smitten at first sight,
for the young lady's pale and pensive features, the down-
cast eyes, commanding figure, and rich flowing ringlets,
would have been too much for even a stouter heart than
he could boast of, especially when it was made known
that the proprietor of this graceful form had £1,500 in her
own right. The trio at once proceeded to business, the
brother putting a number of questions to Mr. H—, all
of which were cheerfully and unsuspiciously answered
Having satisfied the brAth....",..,. L -

ippointed

ty well to d

in the world, he added that he was a widower wi
children, but in order that they might not annoy
ther-in-law, they were to h.. cant

auu, ns w toe young lady's fortune, which he was happy
to find she possessed, it should be settled upon her and
her children. With these explanations Miss Bailey and
her brother were satisfied—in fact, it was a settled thing.
The brother retired for a few minutes, when Mr. H—
at once drew his chair close to his lady-love, and became
very sentimental, giving full vent to the feelings of his
heart. Miss Bailey, with becoming modesty, rebuked
him for " such foolishness," and his too familiar advances.
In a short time the brother returned, and said he had met
with a few members of the family, whom he used to
introduce at once. Mr. H. was in raptures, a esired
him to introduce them forthwith, but he was somewhat
astonished to find that in a few minutes not less than one
hundred jovial souls, who had been waiting below, rushed
into the room, to laugh at him and the hoax whi,4- •
been played. In an instant Miss Bailer d*
while uncles, cousins,
the hand, one after another

isappeared,
)ok him by
he found he was
airvase, but mis-

:died to