Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-11-14
YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD.
RIatrimony Under DimcultIes = A
Russian Alliance French ana
American f1lrIN.

In quite the same manner as mock .
: crows herald their coming by the noise
they make--we all talk through our nose
shout at each other, and brag inces
sanity. Yet they like us better than they
do the English, which is not at all in
comprehensive
: The English one encounters in Paris
especially the women, are anything bui
admirable or lovable, and simpering aDd
airish as the pretty American upstarts
may be, they are infinitely preferable "a
the conceited cockney braggadocio,
Among the American lords at pres
ent here is the son Of well known Amer
ican author living on Staten Island, who
forms one of numerous race of squib-
blers of the same name, This young
fellow, in the space of ten minutes, in'
formed a roomfull of Americans and
English that he sPen. a small fortune a
day; that he had been in every State and
Territory of the United States; that he
"hated London-nothing at all to be seen
in London" (whereupon bright Swed-
ish lady murmured. Poor London " J;
and every now and then interlarded his
remarks with, q suppose, Of course, you
know my father2 He has a worldwide
reputation AS nobody asked him the
name of his illustrious sire. he was kind
enough to give it gratuitously, where
upon an American girl rolled the name
over and over on her tongue, saying, Sc
riously, "lndeed | think have never
before heard the name"
In one of the hotel drawingrooms
here, on last Sunday evening, in which
were congregated people from Russia,
Italy, Norway, England, the West In
dies, Isle Of Java, Spain, and America.
an effort was made to have some sacred
music" The French element was oecu-
pied with cards and games. After much
urging an American was prevailed upon
to play some accompaniments, and after
overcoming her first timidity, with char
acteristic persistence she continued until
all the hymns, Sunday-school songs, and
national airs, from Rock of Ages to
John Brown" had been rehearsed,
oh, those dreadful Americans" sighed
an old French woman, they sing like
trumpeters, and | cannot understand
the FIRST word. "
A long-cherished alliance between a
Russian nobleman and an American
|
-society, was this week consummated in
the Russian church here. 1t was an IL
lustration of perseverance that all Ameri.
| can damsels eager to catch title may
take to heart. However, as counts and
marquises and barons are as common
here as captains and colonies we're in
America after the war, it is somewhat
difficult to understand the furore for
titles. But to the bride. She went
to the altar in deep mourning,
craped like catafalque. She was
engaged some time ago to the nobe-
man, having made his acquaintance
during some romantic adventure in Swift
zerland or Germany. She went home,
prepared her trousseau and her wedding
but the nobleman came not Then she
wore out her wedding finery while the
nobleman was convalescing from the
severe illness which had prevented him
from attending their anticipated nup.
tials, and which had left him in so de-
bilitated condition that his physician
forbade him taking a sea voyage. After
the prehminaries of many months the
brideelect and her father arranged to
| come to Paris and join the groom-elect.
| When ready 10 sail the father died
Then the daughter came alone She or
dered magnificent wedding-gown from
Brussels, but when it came il was found
to be all too small, and was sent back
for repairs. The repairs proved to be
unfortunate ones, and so with the cour-
age of true independence she walked to
the altar in beauty like the night, and
never before in her eventiul life locked
so handsome 1t is to be hoped that
after Drawing disappointment death, and
misfortune, she may find the office Of
countess happy one although the state
of her husband health is not such as to
warrant very extensive matrimonial ar
rangements.
The unmarried and unprotected Amer
lean girl here is never-ending subject
of discussion among the French and Eng
lish. The Parisians seem to have be-
come accustomed to the selfreliance and
self-protection of my young country
women, although invariably addressing
them as Madam" if they are unat-
tended, no matter how youthful in ap-
pearance An English maiden Of forty
or more summers was declaring the
Paris without her maid-she had done so
once or twice, but always with very un-
pleasant results. As her age and plain
ness would have seemed sufficient pro
lection, her remarks drew forth some
lively remarks from a young Ameri-
caine, who declared that she intended
to go shopping and walking quite the
same as at home. Whereupon an elderly
matron asserted that even in America
only the strong-minded went out alone,
and that class was greatly in the minori.
ty, and confined to the middle class
"Be so good, madam" asked the girl
as to tell me what you mean by strong
mindedH" Why, | mean those wo-
men who dare to 60 out alone, and would
as soon be without man as with one.
"0h, if that is strong minded laughed
the girl merrily, you may count
was ten years old, and expect to do so to
the end Of my days, unless misfortune
befalls me, twirling gold ring on her
finger meantime. Have you long been
separated from your husband9 asked
an English lady of her a moment later.
About year, madam" she answered
calmly. m not going to rejoin him
again, she added. What you are di-
vorced thenf' "0h, no, madam; | got
tired Of him and left him; that is one of
our peculiar American customs" When
the general surprise had subsided the
girl, twenty years old, perhaps, cleared
away the mist by saying she w6s not
married, never had been, and was so
vexed at being constantly addressed as
married woman that she feared she never
would be. The natural perversity of tie
unregenerate American heart is often
tempted while abroad to indulge in sim
liar exaggerations. A sixteen-year old
girl, if she be a madam instead of
msdemoiselle, is privileged far beyond
the unmarried woman Of forty, and may
chsperone party of old maids from
Hare to Venice with perfect prOpriety.
A resident American girl told me the
other day that it would be quite impossi-
BILE for her to take gentleman acqusin-
tance with her aud her sister in their
own carriage TO ride unless one or the
other was engaged to be married to him.
If there is one thing more than an