Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-10-15
THE LUCKY LEG.

"What unaccountablc things people do in
the way Of marrying!" ] said to four or five
Of the ladies belonging to our chapel, who had
met at the ministers house, to form supple
mentary DorcaS meeting and 0s there were
SO few Of US We considered It unnecessary to
attend to the rule for appointing a reader, and
forbidding gossip; a rule which considerably
lesSened the interest and popularity Of our
meetings.
The only single lady among US looked up
upon hearing my remark, and dropping her
work, as IL for a long speech, began:
"What you said is very true; do think
the conduct Of people at other times really
sensible, during their engagements, and in
their choice of husbands or wives, to be the
most incomprehensible and contradictory of
all human actions. lfa woman has decided
prejudice, she is certain 10 act in direct Oppo-
SitiOn to it. Last spring l was at n wedding
Of my couSin-yOu remember her, Mrs. Tur.
ncr, she was over here two or three autumns
ago and, being High Churchwolnan, she
would not so much as put her foot in our
chapel. She is u fine, majestic looking girl,
and has taken lessons in department, 80 that
it is quite imposing to see her enter room,
or sail down the street; she used to vow she
would never marry little man, q draper, or q
diSsenter; and now she has Just married q
very small, aLjeCt looking drnper, who is such
rabid Methodist, that he will preach, though
he has to stand on two bosses tO raise his
head sufficiently above the panels Of the pull
pit"
Marriages are quite beyond our own man.
ago,nent aud c0atrivancc, said Mrs. Turner,
musingly; "my mothers was very romantic
In travelling from her fathers house TO her
grandmOther's where she was going TO live
with the old lady, she had to stay night in
llcrcford-it was in the time Of coaches, you
know-and her father wrote to a glover there,
to meet her at the coach.otficc and recon.
mend her 10 M inn. lie invited her to stay
with his sister instead, and she was 20 smittcn
with his manner and appearance, that she said
u herself, If ever | marry, ! hope it may be
TO Mr.. Harper She went on the next morn.
ing 10 her grandmothcr's and lived with her
fourteen years, never seeing or hearing Of Mr..
Harper Of Hereford and she actually refused
several good offers during that time. At last
her grandmother died; and Mr.. Harper being
connected with her family he was invited to
the funeral; and an acquaintance followed,
which ended in their marriage
" attn afraid. chimcd In Mrs. Hyde, lady
who was comparative stranger 10 all Of US,
"that if confess the singular circumstances Of
my marriage, you will none Of you think so
well Of the as | should wish you; but as We
aretalking Of extraordinary matches, | atm sure
you will be amused at mine. When wns
iiveand-thirty, had not single offer part
~, ! fancy, because | had twin sister so like
me, that no one was sure which he was in love
with. Well, | was one Of the few women who
give up the idea Of being married after they
have turned thirty, aud settled myself down
into comfortable old.mNidism. One after
noon, | was out on some crrand or other,
when tradeSman, whom had known all my
life, confirmed bachelor, over forty years Of
age, overlook me in the street. Before we
had reached the end Of il, he said, Miss Mary,
I've had you in my eye long time; do you
think you could be happy as my wife!' and
had answered, Yes, | really think ! should. '
'Well, then, he adidl, let us be married
without any fuss; and Il you want lots Of
clothes and things as women do, let them
come out Of my pocket, instead Of your poor
mothers And We we're married in three
weeks, though, assure you, had not the re-
hottest notion Of such thing before that af
ternoOn."
III will tell you the most marvellous occur.
renee that ever came under my observation"
said our minister's wife, who Is little. merry
laxative woman. MY husband and were
next to the parties themselves, chief actors in
it; so know all the circumstances well. II
was in the town where my husband first en-
tered upon the ministry, and where we had
what is called very united people, which Of.
ten means" she said, shrcwdly, "that every.
body knows and deplorcs everybody elsc's
EailingS and Inconsistencies. Some years after
our call there, a young lady came with her
mother to establish, if they could, millinery
business. They belonged to US, and before
they arrived sister Of the elder lady called on
US to announce their intention, and to prepare
US for the reception Of new members. She
told US quite melancholy story of losses and
miSlOrtunCs; and among other things thnt Of
know my husband is not an unfccling man !;
but hc had had very fatigning Sabbath thu
day before, and his spirits were in that state
Of reaction which made him inclined to laugh
at anything, and he 80 completely puzzled
poor Mrs. James with allnSions to Miss Kill.
mansegg aud the merchant Of Rotterdam, that
worthy old lady began seriously to rccapitu-
late their pedigree, to prove there was no con-
UVCOtOu uctNScu tIcIT MIlllIcS, unless u were
OH Mr.. Wiglcy's side. For long time we
called Mary Wigley Miss Killmanscgg, when
talking to each other. She was pretty, sweet
looking girl, and SO long rs she Sat still she
looked unusually attractive; but when she
walked, and yoU saw her obvious limp, or
heard the stump OF her wooden leg, you no
longer wondered that she was unmarried, for
she was poor as we'll, and very lar above her
present station. She was altogether unsuted
for the business they had commenced, for she
had lived in kind Of elegant scclusion until
her fathers death; indeed he impoverished
himself TO surround her with recreatiOns and
luxurics, to prevent her feeling her depriva.
tion. Excepting that she had quito an artistic
appreciation Of the harmoneS and contrast Of
cOlors, which enabled her to arrange the win.
dOws and show.rooms with great skill, she
had not single qualification fGr her work.
havO noticed her face flush painfully at the ton
openly expressed pity Of their customers; and
their whimS and caprices in dress used to sur.
prise and annoy her. Mrs. Wiglcy, however,
was thorough, clever, business woman. She
had been a bridesmaids daughter, and the
fluctuations and anxicties Of business were
like game Of chance to her. She soon cs.
tablishcd herself In the good graces Of the
ladies' Of our town; and though my husband
preached . very powerful sermon on dress
(Which made him put of for some months,