Middletown transcript., 1869-11-13
MARRIAGE IN CHICAGO.

riage, and who explained his reasons to
me for SO doing. For such a man to dc
such thing was. to say the least, sur
prising. / listened with brcathess inter-
est while he gave me brief history of his
experience during the first ten years of his
residence in that celebrated city.
Said he: " | first came to Chicago ff-
teen years ago. had h friend living here
whom had known while he resided in
New York, and conducted himself like a
civilized man in civilized community.
AS he had written to me to visit himself
and his wife when | came to Chicago. |
remembered the invitation when / did
visit that city, and Immediately on my ar
rival proceeded to his house. He was not
at home just at the moment, and so
asked to see his wife, whom / had known
only year before in New York. In
answer to my inquiry for Mrs. De Worst
a pretty blacked-eyed girl came into the
drawlng-room, and received me quite
warmly.
d" Well, we chatted very pleasantly to-
gether till my friend came in, and | really
felt myself beginning to experience very
affectlonate impulse toward her, supposing,
of course, that she was his niece, or cous-
IN, or uncle, or something of that sort
But In the course of the evening l asked
him whether his wife was at home, and if
so, when he proposed to let me see her.
10 my astonishment he replied, This
lady is Mrs. De worse I thought YOU
were already aware of the fact"
7
uncomfortable, and said l was not aware
that he had lost Emily.
Oh, !" said he, " Emily is very well
and has married partner of mine. We
were divorced, you know, about six
months ago, and married my present
wife only last week"
Well! | didn't feel quite so affec-
tionate towards her after that, for | had
been warmly attached to Emily; but we
said no more about the matter, and | went
away, vowing never to get myself into
such scrape again by asking after any,
bodys wife. did not see my friends
new wife for about a month afterward,
until | one day met her in the house of
mutual acquaintance, and in the course of
conversation said to her 3" By-the-way,
might l ask you to say to- your husband
that l want him to come to my Office some
day next week?"
:" l don't think you know my husband"
she replied, smilingly.
. What do you mean ?" said I, getting
rather nervous
" Why, my new husband is named
Smith" she answered. Il was separa-
ted from Mr. De Worse yesterday morning
and married Mr.. Smith last night"
g l left that house pretty rapidly, and
registered second VOW to the effect that
l would never, to my dying day, ask a
chicago lady about her husband again.
The two mistakes had already made, as
to Chicago wives and husbands, made me
decidedly shy of them. But the very
next day went to De worse store (corn,
pork and provisions.) and found him en-
gagged In conversation with terribly an.
gular female who looked like compound
of New England old maid, Western
woman's rights lecturer, and an Arkansas
squatter's wife,
:" Of course l pitied my friend, and
when the terrible female left, l remarked, |
:, congratulate you on your escape; that
horrible female would have exhausted any
mans patience in ten moments conycrsa-
ton" What was my horror when he re-
piled: g must beg you to speak more |
respectfully of that lady; she is at present
my wife-a fact of which you are of course
unaware, as we were married very pri-
'ately last night"
" never said word, but fed abruptly
rom his presence. Once more 1 swore2
md L went before notary, who had the
biggest kind of Bible, SO as to make the
path more binding-that never, never
would speak disparagingly of any Chi
,ago woman to any man. After that |
elt better, and for two weeks avoided
making any more mistakes.
'' AT the end of that time. however 7
net the new and angular Mrs. De worse.
o whom | had in the mean time been in
reduced, having the livelest kind of
luarrel with big, prize-fghting looking
elbow, who was apparently on the point Of
,nocklng her down. Of course flew to
Ter rescue, and demanded to know of the
elbow what be meant; also, if he was
ware who that lady was, and who her
husband was? To which he briefly re-
marked, "Thunder!"
81 paid 40 further attention to him,
ut turning to Mrs. De worse. said
Madam, permit me to protect you from
hat ruffian's insolence"
Instead of thanking ME, she actually
tapped my face, and said, "rll teach YOU
interfere between man and wife. That's
~ husband, and we've been married three
ay:s' It's pretty hard thing if wife
an stop IN the street to speak to her hus-
and whiting some idiot to come and make c
fuss about it. :
Now" continued the lawyer, =" this is a
OF only true story, but it is a fair ex- c
nple of the continued trouble that man t
cts into who lives in Chicago and doesn't c
now how to hold his tongue. You now
nderstand why l hate chicago customs,
I'D why | go in for indissoluble marriages il