Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1875-05-20

1
particularly. While doing so l came
acrpss pair of cuffs exactly lik,
those that the young lady wore. I'm
mediately the thought occurred tc
me that she was the owner of nv
white elephant rushed dowr
stairs to seek for her father. They
had already left for st. Louis.
7 stayed some days in the city
during which time l advertised the
trunk extensively. But no one evel
claimed it. 1t was a trunk exactly
corresponding to my own, except in
its contents.
i returned to st. Louis, where
was doing a neat little practice in
the law. never told anybody-noi
evea my sister, who might have used
thethings. 1t is true that she won
dersd what I was doing with a ladly's
POCKET handkerchief in my room.
St. Louis is noted, believe, for its
pretty women. At least / found a
great many there. Being young
person myself, / was present at a
great many parties and balls. On
one of the latter occasions / was in,
troduced to a very pretty young lady.
On raising my eyes to her face, after
boving, ! recognized the person to
whom l imagined the trunk be-
longcd.
After meeting her at several subse
quent parties, l received permission
10 scall. She was living with two
maiden aunts, sisters of her father,
who had gone to California.
Day by day my calls began to
lengthen until | took my first tea at
the home of Miss Sophia Florence.
When summer came there was gen
eral migration of people in and
around st. Louis, and the first to
leave for the mountains were the
maiden sisters and their young niece.
By strange coincidence / went on
the same train with them, and by one
equally as strange we put up at the
same hotel.
How delightful the fresh mountain
air was. And how pleasant were the
little. fishing parties and excursions
that we planned daily! Oftentimes /
took Miss Florence out in a little
boat that would ''only hold two" and
then, in some shady nook, under the
prctense of fishing, have Il nice, quiet
chat; and then, in the evening row
back in a drenching thunder storm,
to be received by the mild but re-
huking maiden sisters.
Day by day | felt myself falling in
love with Sophy-I can call her So
ply now. | reasoned with myself
upon the absurdity of the thing, but
it Was of no use; | was certainly in
love. At last | found it utterly i'm
possible to remain qniet any longer,
so one day, when we were walking
arIH in-arm through the woods, l
spoke to Sophy-I told her how l
loved her. | explained to her how
it was that man of any
sort, who never had even so much rs
4 sweetheart, could be mistaken.
1t didn't need much persuasion on
my part to induce her to believe me;
and when at the end of a few days, |
returned to town, / brought with me
a little circle of gold, with 4 bright
stone in it, which Sophy wore on her
left hand, with the stone turned in.
| still kept the trunk, for thought
that / might yet find its owner; in
deed, | was almost certain that it be-
IOnged to Sophy, but, being a very
bashful person, | felt little delicate
about speaking of the contents.
At last the time came to return to
st. Louis. / procured Il seat for the
two aunts, and Sophy and l occupied
The maiden sisters lived a little
put of st. Louis, in q pretty little
villa overgrown with rose
buds and ivy. Here, for one long
year, l visited Sophy weekly, without
5he aunts having the least idea that
we loved each other.
At last we decided that we wanted
to get married. Foolish children!
We could not go to the sisters and
explain our love, and ask for their
to our union, which they
undoubtedly would have given, but
we must make deeply laid plan for
away in the dead of night,
begging some country parsOn to per-
form the ceremony, and trust to the
aunts for forgiveness.
With an eye to the trunk, | told
Sophy that she need not trouble
about packing up anything but few
necessaries.
All day leng on Thursday, the day
of the enterprise, was continually
into meditative moods,
from which l would arouse myself TO
take n look at the weather. 1t was a
beautiful day, without a sign of a
cloud anywhere to be seen. All, how
deceitful are appearances.
| was to be at the garden gate, and
at ten o'clock such storm set in as
have never seen before nor since.
/ would have given up the expedition
for that night, but the thought of
Sophy was not to be
Accordingly, as the
town clock struck twelve, / entered
the shrubbery, and, when the bell
ceased striking, uttered the call of an
owl. In few moments Sophy was
at my side, and, taking her little
valise, / drew her arm through mine,
and hurried to the gate.
We had just entered the road, and
were proceeding up the street, when
a hand was laid on my shoulder, and,
turning around, / beheld a gray
whiskered gentleman, whom | thought
| had seen before. At first | felt in
and was inclined to knock
the person down; but something in
his manner, as he asked me politely
to come with him, made me comply
With hio rauuaot To my horror vva