Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-09-27
SARATOGA.
ELI PERKINS. TALE OF LOVE AND HOPE.

ELI PERRIN TALE OF LOVE AND HOPE.
This morning, met the most !diseon-
solate young man | ever saw. His name
is Mason. He is from New York. He
has been in Saratoga all summer. He
has seemed to know every young lady
q, the Spa, and has been an immense
favorite with all of them. lie has also
stood q good chance, with the dashing
young ladies from Chicago, the fipsy-
fopsy girls from Oil City. He'has
dnced more. sat on the back balcony
longer and in closer proximity TO beau.
tiful young ladies, and walked over to
the graveyard with more rich and aris-
tocratic girls from the Clarendon, than
any beau in Saratoga. And still this
young man came to me Yesterday al
most heart-broken. His eye had the
look of dispair.
81 am discouraged and sick of life,
he said; 81 want to die"
"What-yOu! you want to leave this
festive scene, Robert?" ! said, taking of
my glasses and looking him straight in
the eye.
eyes, Uncle Eli, I am tired of life
he said, in hoarse whisper. 81 came
to Saratoga with theory. believed
in that theory as believed in my life
l worl el for it day and night. cher.
ished it, practiced it, and worshipped it
only to see its utter failure-only tc
work out my own ruination by it,"
"What was your theory, Robert?"
asked. "Was it to bet continually or
the ace-to wager large sums on tn,
same card, hoping and believing i
would some time win and make yor
rich? Was it,
ooh, nothing of the kind, 1t was ;
social theory, Eli. You Know / have
blood and family and good,looks. Ny
pet theory was to come to Saratoga anC
marry rich girl, with n bad cough
with the consumption"
Sand you have finally become engag
ed to the object of your affections, then
Robert" asked, becoming deeply in
terested in this good young man.
"No, sir, alas! Oh, no. My theory ha
failed. ! have been unfortunate. Th
first young ladyI met was from Chica
go-Nliss johnson. She was sweet, an,
oh! so affectionate, and had just til
cough to suit mellow, hacking cough
1t was fairly melodious; and knew j
would prove fatal to the object of m,
affection in year; but alas!" and thel
he buried his face in his hands.
"What, Robert?" i asked.
"Alas in fatal moment learne,
that she had no money to go with it. Sh
was poor, but suchja loselycopgh. Jus
the one had so long and vainly search
ed for"
:What them" ".r
"Why, then | met the rich Miss lii
Thompson, of Madison avenue. She wa
very rich. She wore laces and diamond
and new dress at every hop. She jus
suited me. She was just the girl ha
been looking for, with one exception"
"What was that, Robert?"
"Oh, dear, there was no cough to G
with it, She was all health and money
There had never been any consumptio
in the family--just my luck !p--and the
he buried his face in his hands agai
and wept long and bitterly !, =, n = r
"Again, Ell, he began, drawing clio
er, zone happy day / met the very oil
ject of my atfection--the paragon | ha
been searching for for years. She WI
rich and delicate. She had, lust ii
cough-the fatal consumptiveD cough
had fancied in my dreams and sighe
for in my waking hours. Two hundre
thousand in her own right, and yet
frail and delicate-so near deaths we
come door, Roberts face shor
/ ! with Joyous light, as he described Il
frail, rich object Of his affections. -s
] "And still you are not happy, my de'
friend, ! remarked, as he brushed th