Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-01-23
After Many Years.


The following romantic story is told
by the Washington correspondent Of
the Boston Post.
| heard recently Of marriage, one
OF the parties being wealthy bachelor
Of Georgetown, d. G., which was the
trultlon, after many years, of the
youthful dream Of the gentleman In
tho case. Fifteen years ago Miss-,
the daughter of highly-respected of.
fcer of the Government, was beauti-
full, fresh young girl, admired and
sought after by the best society at the
capital of the nation. She had many
suitors and one, Mr., OF George.
town, was so sincere and unselfish in
his devotion to her that she could not
but accord him the highest measure of
her regard, although she gave her
heart and hand to another. So deeply
rooted was her esteem for the rejected
lover, that when her first child, q son.
was born, she gave him the name she
had refused to accept for herself. Her
husband was an officer OF the army.
and his wife and child led with him
the wandering life which army families
must needs experience, and 60 the re.
jected lover rarely, II ever, heard OF
the woman he had 20 truly loved, vet
he remainnd faithful to her memory.
The army officer was killed fighting
on the Southern side, in one ofthe bat.
ties In the second year of the rebellion
and his widow, crushed by grief, lie.
tired to certain city in q Western
State, and lived In quiet and retirement
with her child. Last summer the bog,
- years old, sickened and died. The
wealthy bachelor of Georgetown saw
the death of his namesake In q news.
paper, and 1t was the first news he had
in many years of the woman he had
wooed and lost. Arguing with him
self, doubtless, that the childless widow
might stand in need of consolation,
and very likely Of the substantial
comforts of life, since her deceased
husband was not at any time wealthy
man, and most probably died In strait
ened circumstances In defense OF the
| lost cause. Mr.. - determined ia
write and renew the offer he had so
unsuccessfully made fifteen years ago.
He wrote and offered himself and all
his possessions on the condition that
he was to receive for an answer de-
| cided yes or no. II the first answer
was given he wished to be married in
six weeks from the time ofacceptance
If the second, the lady should never
hear from him again. In due time an
answer came. The widow said she
was much changed by the lapse OF
years, and more still by her cares and
Affections. She had lost cheerfulness,
beauty, oil that had once made her at
tractive; still, if what remained OF
her former self, was worth the having,
then her dear old friend was welcome
to the wreck, and in six weeks he
might come and see her and the we'd
ding day should be fixed. The "dear
old friend" had waited too long to
brook even days unnecessary delay,
so the next train after the receipt of the
letter, carried him to the home of his
beloved in the West. He found the
lady very much unpreparcd to receive
him she had not tooth in her head,
and because her mouth was being pre-
pared for false set she had postponed
the visit for six weeks.
"Ah, Sarah,' said her lover, whom he
hntl taken first long look at her. "you
told me you had lost your youth,
beauty and cheerfulness, but you said
nothing about your teeth. Sarah, why
did you omit the teeth ?"
Then Sarah rose to explain, and the
explanation proved satisfactory, but
the ardent lover wouldn't wait for
the teeth, and as the twain were made
one in spite of this little drawback
on the part of the bride. They are
now living in Georgetown, happy and
prosperous, and not even the teeth are
wanting to enable the wife to enjoy
all the good things offered for her &C.
ceptance.