Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1873-08-28
A Story of q Life Time.


A Story of a Life Time.
In the city of Portland, Me-, in the memora.
BILE martial year Of 1851 a respectable merchant |
was moved to grave anxiety by his only daugh- |
ter's infatuation with masculine admirer, Of |
whose antecedents and character 1t was very diff |
fcult for her or her family to gain any de inte |
Knowledge. She had been introduced TO him |
in mixed co mpany, on some semi-public occa- |
sion, by an acquaintance knowing him only |
slightly and by name; his first subsequent call |
upon her at her home had been without formal |
invitation; and, indeed, his forwardness in i'm |
proving the introduction would have been re- |
sented by the young lady herself but for her
immediate Strong liking as the phase is for |
the man,
He was handsome aud geutlemanly; and, be- |
You'd this, had what she persisted in regarding
as face TO be implicitly uus,ed.
Her parents--her father in partcular--re-
fused 10 accept this later characteristic in lieu
of all other ordinary guarantees of social trust
worthiness; and after eNpostuating vainly with
her against encouraging all acquaintance with
visitor OF whose origin and avocation no one
In town seemed able to give any satisfactory in
forpation, took renewed pains TO ascertain
what manner of person their daughters suspi-
cious admirer really was
Little by little came the discovery that he
lived in covert way, by his wits A friend of
the merchants was sue that he had once seen
him coming out of gaming house; another,
who boarded IN the same house with him,
ptr-ed that lie kept strange hours.
In short the father succe eded in gathering
enough information Of this kind TO feel justi-
fed in assuring his daughter that her now de-
voted caller was 1T t a respectable charac and
declaring that he mus. come 10 the house no
more. The parental fault had been in allow
ing the acquaintance tu 20 OIL even thus far un-
der matter OF such Doubt and its penalty was
shown i'll the girls resolute refusal TO believe
anything against her hero. He had a face, she
persisted in saying, that refuted every calumny
upon his honor, and any one who knew the
first thing about physiognomy would say
that such frank, honest countenance could
not belong to a bad man.
Parental authority, refusing to be moved by
this argument, and continuing its ban against
the lover, the infatuated dainsel capped the eli
max of her fl ial disobedcnce at last by a clan
destlne marriage and elopement with the objec
Of her incorrigible faith.
They were traced to the pars image where the
matrimonial knot had been tied and from thence
had disappeared from the city. Never hayin
anticipated such result as THE, the deserte,
parents were overwhelmed with grief and fear
full apprehension, and lost all heart for the flu
ture The mother, who had been an invali
for some time, died under the shock; and tn
father, at this accumulation of misfortune
sank into lethargy from which he rallied OF
ly TO fiji d himself Il bankrupt. Thus we've i'm
lily and fortune both broken up in brief tim
by a thankless child's aisloyaiy and wilfu
ness.
Then the ruined merchant, too, disappearc
from Portland with what little he could sa,
from the wreck Of his OLD home, and the stol
travels " it'll him o California, wither The wa
dered desoaiely, in the hope oi distrar,ing Il
thoughts from the past and seeking 4 lone
livelihood. Too old and worn to Contend su
cessfully for new career anywhere, his bus
ness experiences on the Pacific side Of the co
tnent were but series Of treble failures, uIi
day about tive years ago found him The kee
er of a small candy-sland OF Washington sire
the old post-ufice, IN San Francisco.
cry day since then, say the Post of the lat
city, which now takes up the tale no mat
how heavily the winter lain came down, or
gusty sumner winds swept down from TIE
graph Hi, the old man has appeared 81
humble stand and SOLD cheap sweets to
passing children until the occurrence Of il
dents now to be mentioned.
Amongst ms little customers tlefe caln- ,
day, about a week ago, a bIight-eyed, nea
dressed lad, apparently in his nirth or lie
year, who bought candy TO his taste and sec
ed greatly pleased al its rheanue.S. Well
might have been, too, for tie poor, old, shah
generally grabbed vrnder, lad seen that in
buyish face which impelled him to tempt
little fellow 10 come again. And never do
that the temptation was successful The
came day after day for his bargain in car
and always his face was studied by the old Il
with strange kind Of wistfuness. At
tntlc W Us q u nIHenct UeLWttu the TWO,
the elder asked and was told the youngst
name.
~ thought knew that countenancem
claimed the whte-haired candy-man with
rioils expression Of face; and requestln
neighborlng merchant of the curb to take
erision of his stand for few moments
SAID that he would ace lmpany him 10 his III
er's house. 'rhe youth conunuef the
Francisco paper, Surprised perhaps at this
tifcation, but nothing loaih to obge his
lend, led TO fine mansion on Bryant sti
where richly dressed, handsome lady app
ed at his cry and Immediately fell sobbing l.
the neck of the candy-nan, calling him #
err
Thus after ten years, the ex merchan
Portland, met his undutiiul, runaway daus
again, having been led TO such reunion by
sons inheritance of his flther's face.
story 10 be told, with many penitential tear
the lady was as follows:
Her husband, the owner of such a mem
bic countenarce, was really gambler "
she married him, though rather through
couragng misadventure in preceding Wort
calling than by vicious natural taste.
their marriage, however, and flight to Gallo
he resolutely renowned the green table am
its surroundings aud biavely applied hiniSc
legitimate business in an humble Grade. Y
poor and hardly pressed ut first, he prese
gained opportunity for 4 small investmen
mining stocks; and this succeeding, was alb
establish himself on Montgomery street
broker. Fortune favored him at every t
and he IL now rich, highly honored ctize
the Pacific metropolis. When their pos
was sufficiently assured TO give them confidc
the young wife wrote very penitent lett
her parents in Maine, begging their t1rcvere
Ter unfilial disregard of their commands
dIeading in extenuation thereof the mann
which her husbands physiognomy had just
her seemingly infatuated trust in it. The
was returned to her by the Portland postm
with cut note announcing her mt ther's
aud her fathers bankruptcy and disappear
and from that time until the meeting rec
ed above she suffered an agony of selfrepr
which moi even her fathers restoration to