The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-04-04
An Arkansas Love Story.

Twelve years ago pretty coquette
of Galloway County, Ky, found her
court reduced to two persevering suiters
named, respectively, Eldridge Miller
and William Schrader, who, having out
STAYED half score of less pertinacious
rivals, now competed vigorously with
each other for the last Irritation. Wisely
concluding that her opportunities for
settlement in life were not likely to be
so frequent as they had been, and that
it was time to choose between the. two
last admirers for her future lot, the,
lively lass, after due study of the subject
told Schrader, who was wldower that
she should always esteem him as very
dear friend, and placed her hand IN
that of Mr.. Miller for life. AS Is quite
common in such cases the gentleman
selected for friendship accepted his fate
with very bad grace, and refused une-
quivocally to forgive his rivals success.
Thence ensued between his family and
the families of Miller and his bride much
hard feeling, which had for one OF its
final effects determination OF the young
husband and wife to leave their native
State and make new home somewhere
in the wilds of Arkansas. 1t was Mil
ler's intention to turn prairie farmer in
the Southwest, and found u homestead
there for the two little ones multiplying
his household cares in due succession;
but the soil of Arkansas proved stub
born, the times hard, and, as the war of
secession began about that time, he sud
denly solved the problem Of married
life by joining the Southern army.
Marching to battle, he left wife and
babes in most embarrassing condition
of poverty, which, however,, they en-
dured patiently until the news of a
great battle involved in its list of fatali-
ties the sad tidings that they were
widowed and fatherless. Upon recover
ing from the first shock of her bereave-
ment, Mrs. Miller took refuge with her
helpless charges in the hospitality prof
fered by certain sympathizing relatives
in Henry County, Tenn, where, to her
great astonishment she was presently
greeted by her old lover, Schrader.
The latter explained that through con-
tinued regard for her, having finally re-
solved to seek reconciliation with her
husband, he had reached Arkansas only
in time to hear of poor Miller's death in
battle and her own departure. As an
old friend he felt impelled to follow her,
in the hope that he might be able to
render some friendly Office to her posi-
BILE needs; and hoped that, for the sake
of old times, she would call upon him as
on brother. All this was naturally
grateful to the feelings of the penniless
widow, away from all the associations
of her early home and a dependent upon
comparative strangers, and she showed
her gratitude so plainly that its object
took courage to say more. Kentuckian
days were recalled, old sympathies re-
vived, the patriot-dead mourned in con-
cert, and new union proposed. The
end of it all was that Mrs Miller be-
came Mrs. Schrader, and went with her
second husband to new home at Cross
land, in the State of her birth. There,
after lapse of nearly nine years, the
Murray Gazette describes the household
rs wildly agitated by the unannounced
arrival of wonderfully ragged, bearded,
and gruf intruder, who introduced him
self as the late Eldridge Miller, other
wise known to the poets as a species OF
Enoch Arden, and informed the aghast
Schraders that he would trouble them
for couple of children belonging to
been removed, Mr.. Schrader solicited
some explanation of his guests perplex-
ing escape from the tomb upon which
that comic ghost related that he had
been captured instead of killed by the
Yankees; was taken a prisoner to Chi
cago and there liberated upon condition
of going to the frontier and fighting the
Indians; had been captured by the IN
dians, and by them held in captivity
until the very recent date of his escape
In his old Arkansas home he was told ot
his wife's journey to Tennessee with the
children, and remarriage there; and had
at last traced her to Grassland, to re,
claim only his offspring if she chose tc
remain with her second husband. The
latter parsonage listened to this romance
with reprehensible signs of incredulity
observing, in reply, that the story of the
captivities was too attenuated, and thai
Mrs. Schrader would surrender neither
herself nor her children. "Then," re.
marked Enoch Arden, gruffly, "Tll SCI
what the law can do for an old soldier.
Mr.. Schrader invited him to do hi
worst, and a suit was actually begun
but on the evening previous to the day
appointed for the trial private inter
view between the wife and her first low
ended in their elopement together, chill
dren and all; and they are probably
back in Arkansas by this time, no
troubling themselves about the lament
ably deserted philip Ray"