Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1875-04-04
The Young Man Who Was "Shook.

''What | want to know" said white
headed young man of twenty, as he stood
before the sergeant in charge of the Cen
trail Station Yesterday, "what came here
for was to get some advice"
Proceed said the sergeant.
. You know Nancy Thompson, dom
Never heard of her,
"Well, she's widder, over forty years
old, and I've been boarding there"
Yes 2"
"And we were engaged to be mar
ried.''
"Whew - whistled the officer.
Il don't blame yOu," continued the
young man in a broken voice. " Pm only
twenty and she's forty, but a man can't
always tell when he's going to make a
fool of HIMSELF
"And you fell in loYe?"
81 did that, and as soon as we get
through talking I'm going out to hire some
one to kick me over to Canada and back
Yes, sir, fell dead in love-loveda g. woman
of over forty
And what followed?''
"What follered? Why, what alters fol-
lers? I'm human, same's anybody else,
and when love love like a locomotive
on down grade. What do you think l
did in just six weeks by the watch? Went
TO the theater sixteen times, out sleigh
riding twelve times, had three parties,
went to three lectures and took her out
TO eat oysters ten or eleven times. Fact,
sir-cOst me durn near $780,
But it was all for love-" replied the
sergeant.
Il thought so, and what else cid | do?
Bought her a $40 watch, a $40 bracelet,
So ring, 81 set of iewelry, a new dress,
and gave her So gOld-piece with a hole
in it. Yes, sir, drew $500 from the
bank every red had-and used it all up
on herr
" And them"
'She purtended to love back, and when
| squoze her hand she smiled and smiled
and looked heaps of love at me. She'd
lean on my arm, talk about Cupid, and
git off poetry by the rod, and it was
plainly understood that we were to be
married in June. Oh, she knew her biz,
and she slid around me as the Bengal
tiger does around lamb -
- Did she break the engagement:
Last night" said the young man,
swallowing the lump in his throat, she
told me she'd been trifling with me all
along. She said she was engaged to an
other man. and she could never be more
than a sister to me tell you, sergeant
YOU could have knocked me down with n
straw l braced up after awhile and call
ed her a hypOcrite, when she called me
white-headed idiot, and the bOarders
threw me out of doors. Five hundred dol
lars gone, and I'm a wrecked man."
He blew his nose and wiped his eyes,
and continued
- don't want to drown myself; the
waters awful cold, and perhaps | can get
over this. | want them presents back,
and I'll go TO Aluskegon and try and for
get her. It's wrenched me all to pieces,
and can never love again. Were you
ever shook, sergeant?'
No, never"
Then you don't know the anguish
the gripping around the heart. 1t cuts like
a knife, and all can think of is being laid
out in a coffin, my right hand holding a
bunch of roses aud my left resting on my
heart"
You are yOung-yOu may outgrow
it
may may. but it's so awful sud- |
den, and hits so hard, that | feel as if I'd |
fallen from a house. Go to the house, SER
geant, and see if you can get them things !
back. If I'm alive I'll be around again |
tO-mOrrer. and if don't come you may
keep the things for your kindness. I'm
white-headed, but I'm tender-hearted,
and want to retire behind some barn
and Sit down and think
And he retired.-DetrOH Free Press.