Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-29

TaEY PARTED IN A PET.
Two Loving Hearts United After Twenty
Weary Years

Two Loving Hearts United After Twenty
Weary Years.
Canton (O.) Special to New York World. s5th.
At the residence of Thomas Barker.
three miles from this village, two people
who were strangely parted twenty years
ago were to-day made man and
wife. William Craig left his pretty
girl sweetheart in fit Of
jealous anger on the eve of
December 8, 1868, returned week or two
since, found his betrothed still single and
true, and this afternoon the long deferred
marriage was c0nsummated. All the
surviving friends of their youth were pre-
sent, and many half-forgotten associates
came from neighboring towns and farms
to join in the merrymaking.
Twenty years ago Will Craig worked
on his fathers farm near here during the
day and spent his evenings at the resi-
dence of farmer neighbOr. The attrac-
tion was Mary Barker "a pretty seventeen
year old girl. Craig was deeply in love
and 50 was Mary. but like many other
girls she liked to play the coquette oc-
casiOnally.
Their wedding day was set for Christ
mas, 1868, and the prospective bride felt
secure. One evening, however, the pretty
Mary pushed her coquetry too far. On
December I, 1868, Farmer Barker gave an
old-fashioned 'tsociable'' in honor of his
daughters approaching wedding. Craig
was there, of course, but his happiness
was marred by the presence of a Pitts
burg y0uth-a newcomer. Mary allowed
this Young man to pay her many atten-
tions.
Craig was madly jealous. After all his
attention he thought his betrothed showed
too much regard for his rival, and as she
only laughed at his pleadings he grew
angry and threatened to leave. Her SEEM
ing Indifference made him desperate, and
he declared:
eff you dance once more with that fel-
low you will not see me again for twenty
years.
eFYou couldn't leave me for even twenty
hours if you tried ever so hard,v she re-
piled, and with a coquettsh smile she
went off to dance with his rival.
Craig went home alone that night and
the next day was missing. The most
careful search failed to reveal any trace
Of him. The old couple continued to till
the farm without the aid of the strong
armed son, and at the neighbours down the
road pretty Mary Barker went about her
household labOrs with a demuFe air that
told plainly how she regarded her lovers
disappearance. She refused to "keep COM
pany,,' in the old-fashioned way with any
of the young farmers who would willingly
have takens young Craig's place. She
WeuJ Oul very 1lbIie, kept cat ana grew
domestic in her habits. She had an abid-
ing faith that Craig would return, and to
all entreaties would only shake her head
and say: II am waiting for WILL" The
firm contour of the cheek grew somewhat
less rounded, the springing step less elas-
tic, but she would not think of marriage
Friday. December Z, of this month was
just twenty years since the disappearance
of William Craig. In the twilight a
bearded man OF forty came up the walk,
and as Miss Barker opened the door, he
put out both hands and said:
"Mary, have come again.
81 am sorry you waited SO long, WILL"
was the quiet reply, as she led him into
the house, where each told the story of
the weary waiting, and Christmas was
fixed upon once more as the day for the
wedding.
To the eager questions of old friends as
to where he spent the time, he told them,
as he had already told his wife, how he
had at once gone to Philadelphia, enlisted
in the army under an assumed name.
then, after the war, gone to Nebraska and
taken up tract Of valuable land. This
he had diligently cultivated until at pre-
sent he is in more than comfortable cir
cumstances. Craig will leave early in
January for their Nebraska home.