Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1872-09-06
A Woman Metamorphosed.


A STORY TOLD FOR TRUTH AND voUcHED FOR
BUT WHICH THE READER MAY BELIEVE o.
NOT.
From the Missouri Democrat, August %
Some fifteen years ago, at one of the prin
cipal seminaries in Ohio we're two beautiful
and accomplished young ladies, whom cir
cumstances threw unusually close together
They became like the friends in Shakespeare
"a double cherry growing on one stem y
They studied together, being in the same
class, roomed together, ate slate pencils to
gether, and. in their nocturnal envelopes,
sat at their room window to gaze upon the
moonlight and the tom-cats, who GENT
slept on the adjoining roof. In course Of
time they graduated. and each went to her
home. But their friendship was not i'm
paired by distance, and the national revenue
was considerably increased by the postag on
daily letters from each to the other full Of
affection and not crossed more than twice
To 1868 one of them became acquainted
with gallant soldier from Iowa. holding
the rank of colonel. who had distinguished
himself during the war. A brief acquain
lance formed during the furlough soon ri
pened into love. and finally eliminated in a
happy marriage. For two years they lived
together, and under their roof no guest save
happiness seemed to have been admitted =
One child, the idol Of its parents, aoas born
to them. Towards the end of 1865, how
ever, people began to notice that Mrs -
had changed considerably in appearance.
Her voice, once soft and silvery, had now a
genuine masculine ring Her hand seemed
no longer small and fragile, under their
weight of rings, but large and bony An
indescribable change in her walk was ap.
parent, and at last luxuriant beard forced
its way upon her face. 1t was painfully evil
dent that her seq was changing. Phvsi-
clans and surgeons were called in, and all
were astonished, but none could prevent ma
ture from carrying out her strange freak -,
The unfortunate wife, almost broken heart
ed, begged of her husband to apply for
divorce. He applied for it, and it was
granted. Mrs. -, throwing off the pet
ticoat and panier, which were hardly com
patible with the beard, gave up her feni
nine accomplishments and pursuits, forsaok
the sewing machine, treated talking as q
lost art. and earned her way by giving mu
sic lessons on the piano. Of music she had
always been fond, and her rare accomplish
ments now stood her in good stead. Through
all this time, even when parted from her
husband, she had been in correspondence
with her faithful friend and schoolmate of
years before The changes which caused
husband and friends to forsake her had no
effect upon the faithful heart of her girl
friend And now comes the strangest part
Of this truthful and wonderful story. The
school girls OF ten years ago are now man
and wife. When Mrs. - developed into
Mr.. -, she naturally TUNED for ,nsola-
ton and friendship to her old friend and
talked love, not as the school girl, but as
the man. In the new character she won
again the heart which was already hers =
They were betrothed and married, and now
live together happily in the State of Iowa.
prosperous in business and highly respected
by all who know them. As matter Of
course the names Of the parties are withheld,
on account of the prominent positions they
hold in society, and to shield them fronsthe
curious CAGES Of all who visit their city A
correspondent of the Democrat while travel
ing there heard this strange story, went into
their store, and made small purchase in
order to obtain view Of this strange couple
He found them both in the store The bus
band may be some twenty.eight or thirty
years of age, but does not look older than
a man of twenty-five. His figure is slight
and well knit. His height is about FIVE feet
five inches, and his weight may be 1870 or
140 pounds. His hair is a wavy brown,
almost black, aud be wears neat little
but no beard, though his chin
new reaped showed like stubble field in
harvest time" His features are regular
and pleasing; eyes dark and mouth small
and firm. The face is not that of woman,
but of keen, active and cultivated man. -
His wife Cor her wife, as the reader may
prefer } is about twenty-six or twenty
very young looking, with an abundance of
blonde hair and very sweet dark blue eyes.
She seemed very fond of her husband, and
followed his every motion with her eyes,
never speaking to him without addressing
him as ''dear." Thir life, according to the
neighhors, is an uninterrupted honeymoon
What a Boy Knows About Gir7a.
Girls are the most unaocountable things
in the world, except women. Like the
wicked flea, when you have him he AIM
there. I Can cipher clean over to improper
fractions, and the teacher says I do it first
rate /; but I cant cipher out girl, proper
or improper, and you can't either The
only rule in arithmetic that's hits their case
is the double of two. They are as full of
old Nick as their skin can hold, and they
would die if they couldn't torment some
body. When they try to be mean they are
as mean as pulsey, though they amt as mean
as they let on, except sometimes, and then
they are good deal meaner The only
way to get along with a girl when she comes
at you with her nonsense, is to give her tit
for tat, and that will fummux her, and when
you get girl fummuxed she is as nice as a
new pin. A girl can SOW more wild oats in
day than boy can sow in year, but
girls get their wild oats sowed after a while,
which boys never do, and then they settle
down as calm and placid as mud puddle
But l like girls 6rst-rate, and I guess the
boys all do. don't care how many tricks
they play on me, and they don't either -
The hoity- toitest girls in the world can't al
ways boil over like glass of soda By and
by they will get into the traces with some
body they like, and pull as steady as any
old stage horse. That is the beauty of them
So let them Wnue I saw. fhau mill na, 4on