Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-04-25
The Young Man Who Was "Shook ~

what | want to know" said a white
headed young man of twenty, as he stood
before the sergeant in charge of the Cen.
tral Station yesterday, 'what / came here
Tor was to get some advice"
Proceed, said the sergeant.
YOU" N'A '
Never heard of her."
well she's a wilder, over forty years
Old, and I've been boarding there
And we were engaged to be married,
"Whew." whistled the officer
Il don't blame you,' continued the
man In broken voice. 81 am only
twenty and she's forty, but man can't
always tell when he's going to make
fool of himself"
"And you fell in love-,
II 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-loved
woman of over forty"
'And what followed9"
"What follered9 Why, what alters fol-
lersf I'm human, same's anybody else,
and when love, l love like locomotive
on down grade. What do YOU think
did in just six weeks by the watch2
Went to the theatre sixteen times, out
sleigh-riding twelve times, had three par
ties, went to three lectures, and took her
out to eat oysters ten or eleven times.
Fact, sir-cost me durn near 5000"
"But it was all for love-" replied the
sergeant.
81 thought so; and what else did dot
Bought her $40 watch, $40 bracelet,
a S. ring, 81 set of jewelry, new
dress. and gave her S. 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 then?''
"She purtended to love back, and when
l 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 lambr
"Did she break the engagement1''
"Last night" said the young man,
the lump in his throat, "she
told me she'd been trifing with me all
along. She said she was engaged to
another man, and she could never be
more than sister to me! I tell you, ser
geant, you could have knocked me down
with straw! l braced up after awhile
and called her hipocrite, when she
called me white headed idiot, and the
boarders threw me out of doors. Five
hundred dollars gone, and I'm wrecked
man."
He blew his nose and wiped his eyes,
and continued
81 don't want to drown myself; the
waters awful cold, and perhaps can get
over this. l want them presents back,
and I'll go to Muskegon and try and forget
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 and my left resting on my
heart"
"You are young-you may outgrow il"
81 may-I may. but it's so sudden, and
hits so hard that l feel as if I'd fallen
from house. Go to the house, sergeant,
and see if you can't get them things back.
If I'm alive I'll be around again to-mor-
rer, and if l don't come you may keep
the things for your kindness. I'm white
headed, but I'm tender-hearted, and l
want to retire behind some barn and sit
down and think"
t And he retired.-Detroit Free Press.