Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-06-21
A VISIONARY TALE.

In a marriage solemniZed near Da-
venport, Iowa, in Princeton township,
in 1862, the bride was lively young Ia
dy, who had discarded one very earnest
suitor and sent him despairingly toCali-
fornia, before accepting the hand of the
later suppliant ultimately leading her
to the altar. Whether Providence fa-
vors this style of matrimonial tactics or
not may be left to the conjecture of
whom it concerns. If the lady of the
present narrative did wrong, it is sup
posable that the death of her husband in
two or three years after the wedding
was her sufficient, punishment therefor,
and no prepossessiOn as to any require
ments of moral justice need affect the
readers judgment at the beginning of
part second of the story. Said second
part began little more than year ago,
when the heroine, in a mature stage of
her widowhood, and living with her
parents near Princeton, met once more
the man whose rejected addresses had
been the epithalamium of his successor
i'm her good graces. Returning from
what he represented as prosperous mer-
camille fortunes in California to revisit
the scenes of his old life and d:sappoint-
ment, this gentleman took authority
from the time-softened bereavement of
his formerly nnkind sweetheart to
| haunt her presence again and avOw
afresh his Inalienated devotion. Where
the persons interested have had no actu-
al past antagonism for each other, a re-
sumed acquaintance like this has cer-
| tain romantic charm, under which many
wonders of reconsideration are possible; !;
and when at last, just before departing
for the Pacific coast, the Californian
| tentlerly resumed his early suit, the yet
youthful widow was not averse to an en-
gagement. 1t was consequently with a
| pledge TO return in january last and
| claim his bride that the finally accepted
suitor set out for San Francisco, whence
he was to send frequent missives in re-
| sponse to 4 corresponding number from
her he left behind. Persuant to this ar
rangement all went merrily by letter
and anticipation until about IA month be-
fore the expected coming back of the
Californian, when, according to the Da-
venport Gazette, the widow was greatly
startled to perceive at her bedside lu-
minous figure in the likeness of her late
husband, and hear the familiar voice
distinctly enuncfate the words: s'Post-
pone your marriage!" Before she
could master her nerves sufficiently &c
attempt response, the vision had dis.
appeared, and she was alone. s.Tht
dream, as she considered it," continue:
the Gazette, ttroubled her seriously
She told her mother of it, and the two
strove to treat it as mere Illusion; bu
the influence remained and the ghos
was not yet laid. On the third nigh
, after the first visitation the spectre came
again, with the same words and ges
ture of warning. Two nights yet later
while a brother of the lady occupied
room next to hers, with the door opel
between, the vision appeared to him
i. and also to his mother in another apart
ment; distinctly recognizable, and say
ing sternly: ''Let Sarah's marriage b.
!. postponed!" That was the last of tin
Z apparition; but the general domiciliar,
visit had produced an effect not to be re
sisted, and the spirit-bidden widow
wrote to ask of the Californian that. fo
!. family reasons, their wedding should b
= : deferred until this spring. After til
: usual form of protest this request wa
9 granted the gentleman even confessin
: that he could more conveniently leav
y his business for the purpose in Ma
= than in January; and the cOrrespOr
u dence went on as before, for time. II
abrupt discontinuance, on the mascr
= line side, at the beginning of last montl
/. was found susceptible of no eXplanatio
! u until ten days ago, when u San Francis
co paper informed the family in low
- that the expected bridegroom was
'e prison for robbery, and expressed gre,
. sympathy for his "wife and children
- =. In short, he had been playing the vi
- liam with his former flame, possibly
~ revenge for her maidenly treatment
:. him; aud, while the lady and her pa
&c &c elts are spiritnalists by no proclivit
- the whole rescued household are stroi
- in the faith that their deliverence is dl
-. to supernatural intervention. If so,
&c &c dead husband may be worth almost
sc much rs a living one. That is about Il
20 only commentary suggested by such
~, story.