American citizen., 1880-02-14
As Good as a Novel.

About the middle of Snrteinber, 1876,
says the itetroit Free Press, when al
most endless trains of ears, freighted
with eXpectant and fatigued excursion
lists, were trailing their way from the
West "vce SIC mountains to the Centen-
NAL Exhibition at Philadelphia, two Sec
tons of an excursion train from this city
stopped at Elmira, and the brakemen
announced "thirty minutes for dim
ner,"
ihc people on the trains had left De-
'roit too early for supper, which they
did not get at St. Thomas because they
were too late. At East Buffalo they
could get nothing to eat because they
were there at , O'Clock in the morn
mira was reached most of the passcn=
gers had been about 1B hours without
food. Consequently when the sections
of the train drew into Eln1ira; one be-
hind the other, there was an exciting
staiiipede toward restaurants and dining
rooms, and in that stampede began a
romance in real life, which was brought
to mind yesterday by a visit to this city
Of the cliief participants.
Among the passengers on the first
section of the train were Robert Bean,
his wife and daughter Nellie, at that
time II years of age. On the seeond
suttion of the train was a voting that,
named Perry Wright. After getting his
lunch Wright returned to his train and
soon after had his attention attracted to
about the depot platform and anxiously
inspecting the trains, parts of trains and
single cars, yet lacking confidence to
speak to any one or ask any questions
Accordingly Wright left his car and
going to the girl found that she went to
dining room with her parents when
she became separated from thefi, and
brief search by Wright showed that Mr.
Bean and his wife missing their daugh,
ter supposed she had returned to theil
train and went aboard. That she had
been left behind was not discovered
until they were well out of Elmira, and
although kilograms were sent back from
various stations south of Elmira they
could not get trace of her whereabouts
Upon arriving at Mauch Chunk, MIR
Bean and his wife stopped to wait the
coming of the second section of the
train upon which they supposed they
would find their daughter.
Meanwhile Wright, who was ten OF
81 - ho ~, Il
her under his protection expecting to
overtake the parents at Philadelphia il
not before. They passed Mauch Chunk
and for some reason did not see the par
ents and upon arriving at Philadelphia
of course could not find them, as they
til they had been at Philadelphia two days
that Miss Bean was rejoined by her par
ents who were profuse in their thanks
to Mr.. Wright, even going so far as to
invite him to visit them at Grand Rap
ids, if his business-Wright was then
travelling out of the city as CONNER
cial agent-should ever call him to that
CITY.
An acquaintance thus began ripened
into something more earnest until, in
the fall of 1877, the frequent visits
Wright made to Grand Rapids caused
an inquiry which resulted in the knowl-
edge that the girl had fallen in love
with the man and had agreed to be his
WIFE Then came a reaction, Mr.. and
Mrs. Bean opposed the match because
their daughter was too young. Wright
said he would bargain not to marry
her until she became 81 years old and
then the parents objected because of the
disparity in their ages. Still the girl
remained constant and Wright insisted
that he would never give her up. Final
ly Mr.. and Mrs. Bean, in order to
break off the match, moved to Quincy,
ILL.,, and have remained there in fancied
security ever since.
Wright heard from his sweetheart,
however, with reasonable regularity,
and about a year ago moved to St.
Louis, Mo-, where he had secured an
engagement as travelling salesman.
Being nearer to his affianced wife and
Quincy being on his route he was able
occasionally to see her. The reward of
all this constancy come last week, when
Wright passed through Quincy, was
his betrothed and at Chicago
they were welded last Thursday. Their
visit to this city is but a part of we'd
ding journey which they intend shall in
clude visit to Elmira, the scene of their
first meeting.