Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-04-21
MATRIMONY.
The Case OF Lover who had Conscientious
Scruples" at the Hour Of Marriage.
A MODERN DESDEMONA AND
OTHELLc.


There was once an enterprising
Scotch widow, who, failing the ap-
pearance at the eventful moment OF
her intended second husband, utilized
the occasion, the clergyman, and the
company in a way which must call
forth the admiration of the most
skilled diplomatist. She was a
bouncing young widow of 25, and
had agreed to marry No. 2" as she
playfully termed him, in year and
a day from the demise of mo. L.
The happy day fell on Wednesday,
and the ceremony was to take place
at the brides house. A magnificent
wedding feast was provided, and
about sixty guests invited. The
hour fixed for the marriage was 6 p.
NJ. In the forenoon the bridegroom
arrayed himself in his best, and went
off to invite a few friends in the
country who had been overlooked.
Whether he happened to take with
him copy of the "Pickwick papers"
and came across Mr.. Weller's famous
advice to his sou Sam on the subject
of ''vidders," will probably never be
known; but by this or some other
means he appears to have been re-
duced to a peculiarly vaccillating
state of mind with regard to the i'm
portant step he was about to take;
for by the afternoon post his bride
elect received from him an intimation
to the effect that he had conscientious
scruples as to marrying woman SO
recently widowed would make it
matter of,careful consideration, and
abide by the result 'of his subsequent
feelings She was not to take this
as a positive declinature; but if he
had not arrived by six o'clock she
might consider the marriage off.
The widow did not faint or go-into
Mysteries, but decked herself IN her
bridal robes, and smilingly received
the guests who had been hidden to
the feast. When all the company
had arrived the lady read to them the
communication she had received from
the recreant bridegroom. Loud and
long were the denunciations it
elected, and the heroic bearing of
the widow under such trying circum-
stances was marked and commended
by all. ''This need not prevent the
feast" she said, and the banqueting
began. The feasting over, the room
was cleared tor dancing, and every
thing went mcrIily as if the wedding
had passed oft under the most fa-
vored auspices. The result of it all
was that an elderly bachelor, who had
opened the ball with the irrepressible
widow, became so enamored of her
that before tho evening was far ad
vanced he had proposed and, what
was more, had been accepted. The
minister was recalled; and at IL p. NJ.
the wedding, though not the one for
which the guests had been assembled,
was solemnized The ceremony had
scarcely been performed when the
door-bell was violently rung, and in
stalked the superseded bridegroom.
Careful consideration" had at length
overcome his conscientious scruples,"
and he had come back to claim his
de-only, however, to be intro
duced to her us the wife of another
Served him right.
Extremes of many kinds are so
common that we need not particular
ize them here. Unless on the theory
of the saying that ''extremes meet"
it is by no means easy to account for
some of them. Here is somewhat
curious though far from unpleasant
illustration which was communicated
to us some time ago by a lady who
had Just returned from voyage to
India with her husband in the vessel
of which he was skipper. The cook.
a negro, was general favorite with
all on board; and in the course of the
return voyage not only our lady
friend, but all the passengers, and
the crew as well, became deeply in
terested in Sambo's matrimonial af
fairs, for nothing afforded the honest
fellow greater delight than to talk OF
the pretty little English wife who, he
said, was waiting to welcome him on
his return to England. Some, espe-
cially the ladies, were disposed to be
skeptical. suspecting that Sambo was
either romancing or indulging in one
OF those elaborate equivoques in
which the negro mind delights The
precedent of Desdemona and Othello
Notwithstanding the idea of a nice
looking English girl actually falling
in love with and marrying Sambo
was not to be accepted without con
siderable reserve. In the restricted
community on board vessel small
matters are often Investigated with an
altogether exceptional Importance,
and SO the question of Samho's wife
was magnified into one of the great
problems of the day. It was at
length resolved, in order to crafty
the general curiosity and put the
story to the test, to have party of
some sort on board ship rs soon as
London was reached and invite
Sambo to bring his wife, who he de-
clared, resided there. She party was
arranged accordingly. The long
talked of guest of the evening duly