The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-03-28

DURING the past several days there
have fitted into this section a number
OF daintily-engraved missives, reading
something after this fashion: "Mr.
and Mrs. John w. Eden request
your presence at the marriage
OF their daughter Eldona to An
drew J. Packard, Wednesday morn
ing, Feb. ~, 1873, at ten O'Clock,
at the residence of her grandfather, the
Hon. John Milliken, Saco, Me- And
thereto hangs a romance which the en-
terprising City of Youngstown, where
resides the hero in the case, has ma
terially aided in furnishing. For some
time past the newspapers have con-
tanned variously-worded paragraphs
telling how a young Maine maiden won
a husband in consequence of publicity,
and expressly declaring that she was
not looking after one. Some of these
paragraphs were wide of the mark, and
it remained for the Evening Post, at
Biddeford. Me-, to tell what is, perhaps,
the true history, in the following:
lin 1873, among the graduates of
the Biddeford High School. was young
lady of perhaps nineteen summers
bright, intelligent and pretty. She
took part in the graduating exercises
of her class, and read an essay, entitled
After Graduation, What?' The arti-
Gle complete was printed in local jour-
nails, and extracts from it found their
way into newspapers in all parts of the
country. Some time in 1873, a certain
Mr.. Packard, a wholesale dealer in
iron and steel in an Ohio city, was going
from New York to his home, when he
picked up in the car newspaper con-
tanning brief extract from the essay
of the Biddeford schoolgirl. The lit
tie slip, which he cut out and put into
his pocket-book, was as follows:
"A GIRLS THEORY.-The following
is an abstract of an extract from the
pen of young lady graduate of the
Biddeford, Me-, High School, on the
absorbing question of "What Shall 1
DO to Live' 1.-The Lords of crea-
ton have been compared to sturdy
oaks. and we the vines that cling to
and Irvine around them; but this meta
phor, if ever pertinent, to use slang
phrase. has long since played out
We have all heard of the $4,000 oak
less vines in Massachusetts,, to say
nothing of the uncounted thousands in
Maine, and there are too many oaks
that can scarcely support themselves,
to say nothing of supporting anything
else. much prefer
life of activity and honest exertion,
and believe the world owes me a liv-
ing if can earn it, and expect it on
no other condition.
lin November, 1876, three years aft
er pocketing the slip, Mr.. Packard. who
is witlOwer with three children, wrote
to parties in this city, inclosing the
above slip, and inquired if such an es-
say was written here; if so, by whom?
Was she married? Her age, etc. This
letter was answered, the Ohio gentle
man wrote the young lady, a CORE
spondence ensued which has been kept
up until recently, and now it is only q
matter of time, and probably short at
that, when two more hearts shall beat
as one. The other day Il nice-looking
gentleman of about forty years--wear-
ing the very latest design of plug-hat,
dressed in faultless fashion, and car
rying genuine Mississippi carpet-bag
arrived here from the West. 1t was
Mr.. Packard. He sought out the OBJ
jcct of his alteration, and is now pre-
sumably as happy as a big suntlower.
| Such is life. Truly Cleveland OhiO)
Leader