The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-09-10
A ROMANCE.

| Odu YOU GCll llO oOmObu1IISS HOW
asked Commercial reporter yesterday
| afternoon of venerable acquaintance
with whom he was shaking hands on
Fourth street.
Something new" unused the old gen.
tleman. 'Ah, my son, I might tell you
something new, and yet it would be al
| most half century old. You know"
he added, with mild attempt at wit,
s.that the Dutch have taken Holland?"
eyes, yes," replied the newspaper
man; "sand it is limited that the Irish are
loose in the streets of Dublin; but tell
me this item of yours-the item that you
say is both new and old.
| $50 will. Let us take seat, !" and
the sage led the way into neighboring
business establishment, where chairs and
| couple of cigars were furnished.
"Now, to begin," said he, ssdo you see
that house?" and the narrator pointed his
cane towards a large jewelry establish
ment. that stands Immediately opposite
the New York store, on Fourth avenue.
The scribe gave an affirmative nod,
ard the old gentleman continued: "Well,
forty years ago there stood the most
fashionable dress-making establishment
| in Louisville. At that time, you know,
newspaper reporters were not active
like they are now, and the romance am
about to relate was never put in print.
said forty years ago, didn't I? Well, I
guess that's about right. One pretty
day in June, forty years ago, hack
drove up to the door of the establish
ment I have mentioned, and there
from ll-dressed young gentleman
and beautiful girl. The couple
walked Immediately back into the
private room of the lady who owned the
place and called for an interview with
that parsonage. The young gentleman
stated that the girl was his sister, and
that he wanted her to learn the trade of
willing to take the girl as an apprentice,
alone to the contract, the young gen.
| tleman went away and left his sister at
| the dressmaker's. / remember her well.
She was beautiful girl, if there ever was
one A brunette of the strongest southern
type, with sparkling black eyes. and the
| loveliest complexion I ever saw. She
proved to be as amiable and intelligent
as she was handsome, and soon became a
great favorite with her associates. The
next pretfiest girl about the place was
| the daughter of an old gentleman who at
that time kept the toll-gate just outside
| the city limits, on the Bardstown pike.
This girl I shall call Amelia. Amelia
presented a striking contrast to her
southern friend. She was blonde,
sweet-tempered and bonnie. Those two
| girls became fast friends, and every Sat
urday evening Clara (Clara was the
brunette's name, I think would go out
into the country with her friend and re-
| main until Monday. I lived in that
neighborhood then myself, and I have
seen the two together thousand times.
They were the prettiest blithest couple
in the country, and there wasn't beau
in the neigh borhood who wouldn't have
walked mile to catch glimpse of
either of them Well, after two years
had passed by, Amelia was welded to a
worthy Young man whom she had known
| from childhood, and Clara was deprived
| of a portion of her dearest friends love.
Their intimacy, however, was kept up,
and during one of Clara's visits to her
friends house she met wealthy and
respectable old bachelor who lived
| in the neighborhood The gentleman
was Immediately struck by the Southern
girls beauty, and after short aequaint-
ance he became her most devoted adj
mirer To make long story short he
offered her his hand, his heartand good
home Clara accepted. She gave him
| in return her undivided loye-alas, poor
girl, she had nothing else to give-and
promised to make him a good wife.
About two months after this time they
were married, and Clara went to live
with her husband in the country. I think
I have never seen happier home than
| theirs. The disparity in their ages
amounted to nothing. He was honest,
| brave and noble; she, confding and
/ tender.
/ Sat the end of year child was born
to them, and I think on the day Of that
/ interesting event, the husband and
| father received the startling intelligence
that his wife was a slave, an octoroon,
and the illegitimate daughter of a
wealthy planter, who lived in the neigh
borhood of Nashville, Tenn. It seems
| that the young man who had left her at
i the dressmaker's was unfortunate enough
to be the son of the same father. and
consequently her half brother. In ap-
prenticing and deserting her he had only
obeyed his fathers bidding, though I
presume he was base enough himself for
i that matter to have acted from impulse.
ssBut to return to the home of this un-
| fortunate girl. As soon as her husband
stated, he decided upon o separation,
and, although know it almost broke his
heart to send his wife and child from
him, he took them over to Jeffersonville
and left them in charge of the minister
who married them. forgot to state
that after the girls father and master
i found out that she had married claimed
her as his property, his slave, and COM
PEELED her husband to pay $1,000 for her.
saThe good old minister took the dis
carded wife and child into his own family
and kept them until they both died, two
years later I met him at Woodville,
Mississippi, good many years ago, and
he told me of the girls last illness. Her
greatest desire during that time was that
her child should die first, and it didn't
live but few months after her death.
She remained true to her husband, and
died without word of reproach for
what some might consider Ills cruelty in
discarding her"
i Here the old gentleman ended his
story with the declaration that every
word of it was true to the letter, and
could be easily proven If necessary.
rWhat became of the planter the
girls father, I mean?" asked the inter.
ested reporter.