Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-05-01
Selected Story.
Should He Have Married Her?
BY REV. H. b. TOWNSEND.

Happiness in marriage is the result
not of chance, but of causes. Laws
govern this as well as any other matter
Hasty marriages of persons but imper-
fectly known to each other, if there be
only the common arrangements OF dis.
positions and temper, can scarcely avoid
being unhappy. They should be care
fully guarded against, and no parent who
has his child's happiness at heart will
hastily surrender to a comparative
stranger, the power of making her hap
py or miserable.
About 80 years ago, in certain west
ern village-now city-a family had
resided for many years. There were
three sons. The youngest, William by
name, was the life of the house, and a
young man of cheerful and happy dis
position. Lately he had not been at
home much, for as soon as supper was
over in the evenings, he would don his
best clothes-called "store clothes" in
those days-and take his way to a neigh
boring house, where a new family had
but lately moved. The daughter, girl
eighteen years of age, was generally
waiting for him, for it was case of mu-
tual love. They had acknowledged it to
each other. His mother objected pri-
vately to the match, for what she
thought very good reason.
More than six years before he met
Annie, he had been bitten by a rabid
dog, and fears were entertained that he
might die from that terrible disorder,
hydrophobia. Thus far he had escaped,
no doubt because he had no fears of the
I, ha in, dor
ger, for it was implicitly believed by all
the good folk of the village, including
the village doctor himself, that the vi
rus was expelled from the system in
seven years, aud then all danger would
be over. 1t had been a source of trou-
bic and anxiety to his mother, whose
eyes would frequently fill with tears as
the thought of his danger came to her
mind.
He was now twenty-three years of age
and was engaged to Annie. Their true
love was on smooth course, for the on
ly obstacle to their marriage was the ex-
press desire of his mother that the we'd
ding should be postponed at least three
months, and then the seven dreaded
years would be completed, and the moth
er's heart would cease fearing the evil
that might seize her loved son.
Let me make my story short. The
wedding day came as any future day
must come. We will describe the cere-
mony by the gray-haired minister, the
merry-making of the young folks was
kept up until late hour of the night.
1t is all over at last. The bride is
gone with her husband to his mothers
house. as that was the finest and most
pleasant place in the village; and they
were to have their home with the old
folks until the following spring when a
little house was to be erected for them.
The next morning the young married
couple did not appear at the late break
fast hour, and the bell was rung the sec
ond time. After waiting for some time
the eldest brother, went to the door OF
their room and knocked; gutteral
sound was the only response. He push
ed the door open and sight met his
ewes that he remembered to the day OF
his death. His brother William was
standing in the opposite corner OF
his room in his night-clOthes, bloody
from face to foot The bed was back OF
the door, so he could not see that. He
called Annie, but a low moan of deepest
pain came from Williams lips, and he
seemed ready to spring forward. The
family was quickly called and Robert
again essayed to enter the room, but a
short, quick, snarling bark caused him
to draw back.
Some ran for the doctor, who fortu-
nately was near by. A sight of the
young man, and the sound that came
from his bloody lips, were enough to
convince him and the family that the
dreaded enemy had really seized Will
liam, and he had gone mad. To save
the life of Annie, who was in the room
with him. his life must be taken. The
glaring eyes of the maniac were fixed on
them as they stood at the door. They
dared not further open it or one of them
might fall victim to his fury. This
happened in the time when victims of
this fell disease were smothered be-
tween feather beds as the easiest way of
releasing them from their pangs. We
believe this course is still pursued in the
West. But this could not be done in the
present case, for it was death to enter
that room with William living. 1t was
quickly decided by the authoritative
voice Of the doctor, Robert was the