The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1871-09-23
A Romance of California.

anu 4AtSll dll't 1tlnloli lHtAiittNStl'i,
matorialS for romance, and the i'm
aginative freshness, characteristic
Of the budding literature Of those le
9io IS, is no doubt stimulated by the
0ye'ty of surrounding scenes and
inc dents. Whel people are poor
one day and absolutely rolling III
Ncalth the next, when they glide
luxnrioulsly along in "palace ears
over Il country where last year the
coyote and grizzly rambled undis-
turbcd, and wh"l they gaze upon
S merry whose stupcndous majesty
render all former rccollcctions OF ma
IT, e tame and mono ~OnOus, it is not
strange if they attempt, i'll Mr.. En-
G sons sense, to develop their indi-
viduality, and in striving to be orig
inal, should sometimes succeed.
A tale comes to us from San Fran
cisco 50 oddly dramatic as to be
worth recording. 1t appears that a
charming young lady-of course the
story would lack interest were she
commonplacc-fell in love with a
person, called, by his own class and
those with whom they consort, a
"sport. In other words, he was a
dealer at a faro bank, and, as such,
excluded from the society wherein
his fair enslaver habitually moved.
But they met by chance AZ a public
ball and just as Claude llelnotie adj
mired, from his flowers and cabba"cs,
the naughty Pauline, who was des-
tined to become his bride, so, from
amid his marked cards, chips and
coppers, did the young gamestcr lift
his eyes to this lovely girl of San
Francisco, and forget the gulf be-
tween them. So i'll the sequel did
she. Somehow they were introduced
at the ball, and afterward they met
this time not by chance-at pho
tograph gallery. They were subse-
quently described by the sympathetic
artist as they appeared on the occa-
sion. She wore blue and had ga
wealth" " of golden hair. The captive
"sport" was "faultlessly dressed "
in full black, garnished with dia-
mOnds, and had "a love of mons
tache.' The first clandestine meet
ing was followed, as is apt to be the
case, by others, and, to tell the tale
briefly, wound up with secret mar
riage.
All went on smoothly for a time,
great as was the risk, and the honey
moon, masked in secrecy as it was,
seemed to promise well. But pres
emily a tiny cloud darkened the
skies of happiness. It came, toquotc
the words of a San Francisco journal,
''in the shape Of a large, healthy
man of business, occupying business
relations with the young lady's papa"
This healalful and eligible gentle
man soon became a ST. tor for the
young lady's hand. The father, who
is represented to be "merchant
prince" of conventional prejudices,
fave red the suit. 1t was avoided,
q Ute naturally, by the daughter, and
finally entreaties, eXpOstulation and
menace brought on an explosion.
All was confessed, and the horror
stricken parent was dumb with rage
and modification. But this young,
vet astute child of the setting sun
was equal to the c ccasiOn. "What's
t,,e use,' she pertInently asked, "of
making a fuss about it The things
done. The only qnestionis, how can
it be nndone so that can do as you
wish ?" The father listened in 81
lence, and the daughter went on:
II believe my husband is already
tired of me, and | know I am of him.
No one knows of this. Go and buy
him off. Make him consent to di-
vorce. Give him what money he
wants, and then | can marry the rich
and prosperous New Yorker"
This guileless scheme appealed
strongly to the business instincts Of
our merchant. prince" and he
straightway set to work to realize it.
Several interviews followed with the
"sport,S who proved as tickle as the
blind goddess he followed, and finally
$4,000 was agreed upon as the sum
to be paid him for consenting to the
divorce. This was promptly carried
through. The rich New Yorker,
none the wiser, soon came for his
bride to the golden gate, and their
engagement was formally announced.
And now follows the Dith of this To-
mantle story.
The marriage was to take place in
a week, and the intended bride was
all bushes and complaisance. Father
and bridegroom WED with each other
in lavishing costly gifts upon her,
and the unsophisticated creature had
a sumptuous trousseau made ready
to bring eastward to New York. But
the night before the wedding a thrill
Of dismay ran through the household.
1t was the story of young Lochinvar
overagain. The bride had fled, and,
worse than all, with the insiduous
"sport." The $4,000 and the trous-
seau, together with the wedding gifts,
we need hardly say, bore the faithful
pair company. A letter was soon
found addressed to the father. It
st ted, simply, that the young lady
had changed her mind, and that
when the epistle was read she would
be far on her way to New York, es-
corted by her former husband, whom
she had married again. Whether