River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-09-11
rransmigrations of an Anecdete.

Transmigrations of an Anecdote.
From Harper's Magazine
There is a story about wedding trip
that has been knocking about the coun-
try for some time. We have tried to
keep it out of the drawer" but it is Of
no use to kick against it any longer.
II was first told to the drawer editor in
October, 1888, by a clergyman of strict
temperate principles and high charac-
tern fact, total abstamer-who had
it from a friend of his, first hand, who
had Just returned from the West This
friend, mind you, saw on board what
he related, and he was a person of nm
doubted veracity, though, perhaps, as
an abstainer, when travelling, not so
total as the clergyman. 1t was, in
brief, to this effect: In the car
on a train from Toledo to Chi
cago was a man who sat alone. look
ing absently out of the window, and
appea ring detected. During the passage
an accident happened to a newsboy, and
the generous passengers passed round
the hat for him. The solitary man alone
of all the carfull refused to contribute
anything, not even a quarter. Some
body remarked audibly upon his stingi-
ness, when he turned round and said:
"Gentlemen, it may appear strange to
you that give. nothing; but | haven I
a cent ofmoney. The fact is, was mar
ried yesterday, and ! am on my wedding
trip, and / hadn't money enough tc
bring my wife along"
In December following the editor OF
the drawer" was seated with two other
gentlemen in a library in New York.
One of them said heard good story
the other day from q friend of mine who
has Just returned from Europe. Going
down the Danube from Pesth last su M
mer, he noticed on the steamboat a mel
ancholy- looking man, who did not APP
pear to care much for the scenery, but
leaned over the guards and yacantly re-
garded the river. Falling into CONVEX
sation with him, he ascertained that the
man was Prussian. Remarking that
the journey did not seem to interest him
the Prussian said: No; I'm on my we'd
ding tour, and / could not afford to
bring my wife.
The editor of the drawer" said that
it was good story, and that he began
to think it was true, as it was confirmed
by so many independent witnesses.
Thereupon he took from his pocket a
letter which he had received that morn
ing from Paris. In it the writer. gen
tleman of culture and travel, said that
curious incident happened to him last
summer. He and his wife were on
Rhine steamer, when they noticed
melancholy passenger whom all the
beauties of the scenery failed to rouse
from his detection. He was an object
of interest to them all the morning, and
at length he wife's sympathy was so
much excited that she proposed TO go
and speak to the melancholy stranger
and learn the cause of his sadness.
The husband said that would be fool
ish thing to do, and she might get into
trouble. But the wife insisGesilr (for
though American women have little
curiosity they have warm hearts,, and
crossed over to where the stranger
stood, and accosted him, and they en-
gagged in conversation. In few min
utes the lady returned, laughing.
"What is it?" asked the husband.
"Why, the man is south German.
He says that he is on his wedding trip,
and couldn't afford to bring his wife.
The editor then related the
original true story as it was
told him by the 7. A. clergyman.
So it appeared, on unimpeachahle
testimony, that the Same strange incl
dent happened in the experience of
three persons the same year-one near
Chicago, one on the Rhine, the other
on the Danube. Did it happen to any
one of these veraclous people? When
the editor had raised this question, the
third number of the party, who had
been silent and who had not intefered
with the story in any way, said: Il can
tell you the real original of that story.
Several years ago, in well-known
wholesale house in tins city. an old
bachelor bookkeeper, who had been
many years with the firm, suddenly an
nounced that he was going to be mar
ried. The partners gave him a weeks
holiday and his fellow clerks raised q
little purse and presented it to pay the
expenses of his wedding trip. A couple
of days afterward one of the members
of the firm went down to Newport, and
there, lounging about the Ocean house,
and apparently unjoying himself immen-
sely, he saw his recently Unmarried old
bookkeeper-but alone.
where's your wife?" "She's al
home"
"But I thought you had money given
you for wed ling trip 80 / did,
but didn't understand that it was to
include her"
Now We are not saying that this is an
unwise way of taking what is really one
of the most perilous journeys in life, a
wedding tour But what could have
induced all these different respectable
people to appropriate this particular
instance to their own personal observa-
ton? 1t sometimes seems as if people
are not what they should be.