Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-05-10
A METROPOLITAN DRAMA.

METROPOLITAN DRAMA.
Among those who went down with
the Ashtabula bridge, was Mr.. Amos
Bigsby, of Eleventh street, near Hudson,
New York. Mr.. Bigsby is an enterprising
commercial interviewer, in the employ
Of prominent tobacco house, and was
in legitimate pursuit of his business. He
was playing euchre with three other
commercial interviewers at quarter of
a dollar a corner, and had a good thing.
He and his partner only lacked one of
going out, and he had ordered up tie
trump with both bowers and an ace in
his hand, as the train passed upon the
treacherous bridge and plunged into the
horrible abyss below. Mr.. Bigsby was
reported is lost, and as his body was
never found, nor the $4,000 he had with
him, of collections from customers of his
house, it was supposed that his body was
among those that had gone through the
ice into the river, and had been swept
into the lake. 1t will be remembered
that there were many that were never
reclaimed, and whose wives are even
yet in such a state of uncertainty as to
whether their husbands are living or
not, that they have not dared to go farth-
er toward a second marriage than inno-
cent firtations with other women's hus-
bands.
His employers, however, accepted, the
theory of his death, and charged up the
money of theirs that he had with him to
profit and loss, and Mrs. Bigsby, being
of bold and confident nature, assumed
that he was dead, and promptly put On
the deepest kind of mourning, and COM
menced suit against the Lake Shore and
Michigan Southern road, for S20, 900, and
made energetic, though subdued and
fearful, love to widower in the next
block.
She was getting along very nicely.
The Widower was a shy and wary fish,
but who can resist widow who has so
many griefs as husband killed in a rail-
road accident and a suit against the
company, particularly if she has no chill
dren? What widoWer in easy circum-
stances can resist a widow who has art
enough to make love to his motherless
children, in circuitous fashion, and to
get his little girls SO attached to her that
they will come to her house every day,
and are never happy unless with her. 1t
was not the candy and the nuts that
thew always had from herthat held them
to her-it was her sweet nature, her pa
tience and uniform kindness, and the
unaffected interest she took in them.
Little Jennie never got on so well with
her lessons, and as for Tommy, how
could he help adoring the woman who
mixed mathematics and taffy in such de-
Gghtful proportions, and who never met
or parted with him without kiss, such
as the fondest mothers present or in ex-
pectation, could give child? The elder
children (the eldest was only twelve, all
loved her, and it was not long till the
father, who had got tired of perpetual
games of whist with three other widow
ers, found her society thing not to be
despised or lightly considered.
On the 10Th of this month her case
against the railroad company was decid-
ed in her favor. That decided the wild
over. In the most prompt manner he
proposed, and she promptly accepted
him, and the wedding day was fixed for
the 25th inst. Proper preparations were
made for the event; friends were invit-
ed, the feast was prepared, and all par
ties looked forward to an auspicious
union that should make a great many
people happy for a great many years.
Alas for fate. There is many a slip
'twixt the cup and the lip" ''Man pro
poses, but God disposes." There are
great many proverbs to the same effect,
all Illustrating the uncertainty of human
hopes and so on, but these are sufficient.
On the night of the 24th, Mrs. Bigsby
was busily engaged in putting the last
touches on the dress she was to be mar
ried IN on the glad morrow, and was oc-
cupied in deciding between the shades
OF two ribbons to put in her raven tres
ses, when there was knock at the door.
She bid the knocker to enter, and he-it
was he-did enter. Had she known who
it was she would not have so hidden. 1t
was the long lost Bigsby, and in life. 1t
was no ghost come to protest against her
entering into new relations-it was BigS-
by as good Bigsby as ever lived, cloth
ed in proper flesh, and with good, real
blood coursing through his veins. Mrs.
Bigsby did not faint or shrek. She is
an excellently balanced woman, and
knows her business.
"You herep she said, quietly. 81 sup
posed the cold waters of Lake Erie had
received your body"
"Mrs. Bigshy," was his reply, II had
Ill CASCnChb " 16lllCn bO411C
fishes, but declined. l did go down on
that horrible night. I doubted for a
time what to do. l was totally un-
injured. 1 could have broken leg, and
sued the company for damages, but I
thought me of trick worth two of that.
l had collected some $1,000 for the house,
but had lost $1,000 of it in little game
of faro in Buffalo, and was busy cogita-
ting whether to get away with the other
$4,000, or come home and ask your
father to make up the deficiency and 90
on, honestly, till could elope with
larger sum. | have a respect for your
father, and when that train went down
/ saw my opportunity. My body was
not found, for as soon as the train struck
the ice and l found / was not killed, it
was very easy getting up the bank, and
walking to the next station where l took
a train for Toledo, and thence to Chi
cago, and from there to California. As
you see, l did not die. l have always
had an objection to dying"
'Then why are you hereT queried
Mrs. Bigsby. 'Tnese disappearancesa and
re-appearancesa are rather trying to ones
nerves, and besides they break up ones
plans: Think of the drain upon my sys-
tenn the tears for your loss has cost meF
My darling, never intended to re-
turn, but the fact is, the $4 600 1 had did
not last long. The faro dealers of San
Francisco are pison. No matter how
played, lost. One day | picked nm 9
newspaper and saw that you had sued
the company for my loss. 1t occurred
to my fertile mind that the best thine
could do was to return, keep shady. take
half the money and go away again"
Mrs. Bigsby was woman of business.
She pondered only for a moment, and
acceded to his proposition If he would