The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-04-14
The Romance Of Real Life.


nance is a very old-fashioned truism.
Yet critics are always deciding the plots
of novels TO be incredible, and readers Of
"sensation" stories are quick to declare
them "untrue to nature" The files of
current newspapers furnish, notwith-
ST ,nding, from week to week, dramas of
real life that quite equal the most won
derfll pages of Miss Braddon or Alex
ander Dumas. Even in sober Boston,
there happened, fortnight ago, events
curiously like the social complications
painted by the former writer, and no
whit inferior to them in romance and
eccentricity.
A married woman living at Westboro,
in Massachusetts,, went to Boston about
the 18th of January, to make purchases
for her family. She had always been
considered respectable had been wife
four years, and has one child. After
buying what she wanted she sent her
goods home to Westboro by express.
She subsequently went to the waiting
room of railroad station with the in
tention of going to Chelsea. While
waiting for the car she was accosted by
young man, complete stranger, who
proposed to her to accompany him for a
walk. At first she declined, but after
ward consented, and the two passed into
the streets. Presently the young man
man asked his companion If she were
married or otherwise engaged. She an
swered both questions in the negative.
He then told her his name and calling;
said he was molder who had been en-
ployed at Wakefield, but had been dis
charged because he was a single man
had he been a married man, he added,
he might have kept his place. This
announcement probably drew from the
lady some expression of coincidence or
other encouragement, since the ardent
molder then and there made PROPOSE
ton of marriage. Strange to say, the
offer was as promptly accepted. This
wife and mother coolly agreed to marry
person whom ten minutes before she
had never seen, and of whose character
and circumstances, save through his
own account, she was totally ignorant.
The pair then agreed to 90 to Lynn,
where the happy lovers parents reside,
and to whom he desired to present his
atfianced
The plan was duly carried out. The
two went together to Lynn, the parents,
who are highly respected by their towns
folk, were seen, and the intended bride
formally introduced. At this point the
groom was guilty of the trifiing eXag-
geration of telling his father and mother
that he had known the lady he meant
to make their daughter-in- for six
months. The old people were delighted
with their sons choice, made much Of
her, and introduced her to their friends.
The mother, however, with q laudable
caution that might wisely have gone
further, took the young woman into a
private room at an early stage of the
acquaintance, and with the preface that
she liked her looks and manners, hoped
that, being a stranger, her antecedents
had been such as would in no sense
bring discredit on the family. The lady
made prompt response that everything
was us it should be; that her name was
spotless; that her father was sea cap
TAIN living in st. John, n. B., and that
she would not be guilty of deception fol
the world Well satisfied, the mother
agreed to the marriage, which there
upon took place, and the parties LIVED
together as man and wife for one shor
week. In the meantime the origina
husband, missing his spouse, went tC
Boston to look for her His search wai
at first, for obvious reasons, vain. But
for purposes of her own, this female
Bar6e- B(eete now resolved to pay visit t
Boston and to 60 alone. Her new hus
band objected, but she overcame hi
scruples and carried out her design
Having arrived in town, she sent to he
Westboro lord, addressing him Will
compunctious reserve as " Dear friend,
and asked him to be kind enough t
send her clothes and other effects on t,
Boston. The husband came instantl
to the address thus given, and, con
fronting the erring wife, reproached he
with her absence. Stricken with re
morse or terror, she fell on her knees
and, with bitter tears, begged his fol
giveness. She confessed she had MAJ
ried somebody, but was quite unable t
recall the incidents of her courtship o
wedding Pending this revelation, tn
friends of the other husband arrived
having got wind that something wa
wrong, and dreadful scene ensuec
which resulted in the lady returning t
Westboro with her legal husband. 1t
proper to state, in extenuation of he
conduct, first, that she is reported t
have imagined that her husband wa
unfaithful to her; and, secondly-th
too common plea set up for backslidei
that she is "by some supposed to b
insane"
This strange story is certainly nc
surpassed by any of the similar ental
clements conceived by ingenious move
lists of the day. Extraordinary and in
probable as it seems, its truth is vouche
for by the Boston newspapers, some
which give the names, which we hav
supposedly. Y. Times.
THE British Medical Journal reports tn