Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-01-17
HIS STRATAGEM.
r. WHITMORR,
Publisher and Proprietor.

Chicago Tribune.l
Readers of the Tribune have al
ready been made aware Of the di-
plomatic correspondence ON the
subject Of matrimony conducted by
a young woman living in the vicin-
ity Of Union Park, and a young
man engaged in a wholesale dry
goods house down town, wherein,
after efforts that would have made
Bismarck even more baldheaded
than he is, the young woman was
compelled to recoil beaten and baf-
fed, without having secured ascrap
Of evidence with which she could
feel safe in going before a jury Of
her countrymen with marriageable
daughters. Indeed, she hadn't a
scrap of evidence Of any descrip-
ton, for toward the middle of De.
cember, when she came to open the
casket containing the wretch's let
ters (casket means work box) she
found that they had been written
in evanescent ink so cunningly de-
vised as to fade completely away
long before the interval prescribed
between service of notice of action
and the calling of the case could
have expired. Her grief was ex-
trcme, and she had serious thoughts
of committing suicide for a while,
but finally concluded to try once
more. She did, and, however it
was managed, induced the young
man to commit himself to a propo'
sal. (Let us not blame him. Sam.
son was the strongest man of his OF
any other time, and yet that witch,
Della, wound him round her little
finger just as if he had only been
seven green withes).
When the young man went home
that night, after occupying half a
chair, and with twenty. seven pei
cent. of her best complexion on the
left shoulder of his coat, he had
made a double-and-twist promise Of
marriage, promised her an engage.
ment ring set with diamonds and
agreed to call upon her next even.
ing. When he got home and re-
flected on the enormity Of his folly
a cold sweat broke out all over him
You are a nice ass, you are," hi
said, bitterly, to himself, "aftel
thinking that Gortschakoff was q
fool to you and could give Secretary
Evarts three discounts and a beat
ingl Pretty sort of a mess you've
got Yourself into now! Great thun
der, if it wasn't that ! got shaved
at a BARRIERS I'd take a razor anC
cut my throat" Then he got dowr
his pipe, and under its soothing in
fluences gradually regained hi
tranquility. "Let me see" he said
musingly; "she's got no witness
anyhow, unless she had some ont
hidden under the sofa, and, if shC
had, it was prima facie evidence o
fraud and collusion." Then therC
was a long pause, but at last hi
face lighted up, and he cried Z" Eu
reka! Pve got her where her jut,
switch is short" and, going to bed
slept sonndly.
Next evening he was prompt,
on hand at the appointed hour, ant
after they had seated themselves (ol
one chair) she said to him timidly
yet archly, 20, that ring-did yor
forget it?' "Forget it? Do | eve
forget anything you tell meg AL
dearest one, how can you be SO I'M
kind-so unjust?" ''Forgive me,
} she whispered; may, / did but ies
. Where is it?" 81 went to the jew
eler's this morning early" namin
a firm whose advertisement can b
. found in another part Of the Tr
bune, ''and selected ring set wit
diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls
manganese and bichromates, tn
! cost of which was $780, &C
Alonzo," she said timidly, 1926
would have gone so far towards ful
+ nishing a house. You should nc
!, waste so much money on me,
y "WasteH On you? All, could thu
be money wasted which-butlet N
is resume. l said to the gentleman
clerk, 'Pnt this inscription on it
r. 4