The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-07-29
HANCOCK'S ONLY SON.
The Story of an Elopement that En-
ded Comfortably All Round.

In our boarding house in Louis
vile there came one day, about sew
en- or eight years ago, q young mar
ried couple-the husband blonde,
merry and frank, the wife slender,
sweet and sensible; devoted to each.
Jther, yet with none of the sentimen7
taIity of some very yonng partners.
The boy husband kept every body,
from the waiter to the eare-burden-
ed landlady, in Il state OF laughter,
that varied from q smile to an out
and-out roar. all the time he was in
the house, He remained there near
lv year. No more signing, soggy,,
irritable food or feeders. The break
fast table called in exercise a new
set of facial muscles, from the time
he hung up his smoking jacket and
put his guitar in the corner OF his
ro0m. always the funniest things,
said in the most deprecating way;
the brightest retorts flashed out
without q change Of countenatee;
none of the bitter, sarcastic wit that,
scorches while it glistens, but a ge--
Mai, joviai wit, that brightens and
80 aa somet; mes efen 6vei @ ntiaWs tasssS With With
tears. rhis favorite of our house
was sRussell Hancock, only son Of
Gen, Hancock, and q kindlier heart
never beat. . .'l-' \, I :. isal,. ''S.t.
'''He had notrthei commanding1stat-
ure of his father or the beauty of
his lovely mother He may have
since developed into q handsome
man. but then he was a beardless
round faced boy, with big, blue
ewes, a shaved, blonde head, and a
slow, preacher sort of smile, that
parted his lips if he said, in his
endless punning, anything personal
or semi-sevcre. The smile was a
sort of apology-"that don't mean
anything you know" sort Of look
that would have taken the sting
from deeper cuts than his kindly
ieers ever gave. I never knew a wit
with less Stiffness or clownishness.
Fun-making continually often be-
comes disgustingly simple. But in
Russell Hancock the trait was 50
natural, so bright, so enforced, that
it never became tlresome, and was
always fresh.
He was mere boy, and had mar
ried mere girl. 1t was a runaway
match, clandestine marriage, a Sc
cret wedding, which for months none
of their friends had suspected. They
had gone from a party in Louisville
across the river to Jeffersonville,
reused up a preacher, were married
in the silence of midnight, and had
stolen back to their dwellings. The
lady remained in her fathers house,
received young company, was seen
in society with young gentlemen es-
corts, met her husband as a mere
friend in the presence OF others,
Mr.. Hancock, at that time, was en-
ploycd in the house of Newcomb,
Buchanan Il Co. The young lady $
father was u rebel, who refused the
addresses OF the ''son OF a Yankee
soldier He forbade the young man
the house, made preparation to take
| his daughter to Europe; in fear of
this separation, the yonng man beg
ged his lady love at the party that
might, to prove her faithtulness to
him by consenting to a marriage be
fore She went abroad. While she
was gone, he was to try and make a
home for her, and if worse came to
worse, no one could take her from
him; he would know she was his,
and inspired BY that thought, would
lido great things. The lady announ7
ced her willingness to marry at any
time. In half an hour they were on
their way across the river, accompa-
MED by friend or two, and the Ger,
Iemony was performed. ,,a a.,
The news leaked out, of course,
before the departure ofthe family to
Europe, and created a stir in the so
cial world Of Louisville. The news
was as much surprise to Gen. and
Mrs. Hancock as to the wite's faith
er and mother. Mrs. Hancock had
been visiting her boy, and had only
left the day before he was married
He had told her nothing of his in
tentions, and the shock struck to
| her mother heart, but she welcomed
her pretty daughter kindly, Aant
they are fast, true friends. The mar
riage was entirely unpremeditated
was not planned beforehand, mo
thought Of until that fateful conver
sation.
1t was six months or a year afte
the mysterious wedding that thu
pair had come to board with US. Th'
father, up to that time, had not for
given his daughter. Her mothe
Pcame to see her, and her little sister
were over every day and though
the world and all Of brother Russell
Mrs.-Hancock had been one of th
t-ts T. H.