Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-08-06

| Wtbo euS pso1f Wucn L bAl4 Il WOuEQ
die bachelor did not think should
live till | we're married" Often we
nave
THE LETTER OF THE vow
Eyaded with some specisus reasoning,
and the spirit then brokes with impun-
Ity. For instance, A modern Rip, who
might have given jefferson point or
two, vowed that be would never drink
another drop of liquor as long as he
had hair on his head. A few hours
later ke was met coming out o. barber
shop with poll as hairless as that of a
babe, typifying the condition of inno-
cence in whIch he returned TO his cups
again. The vows of perpetual widow
hood or maidenhood are usually re-
garded as meant TO be broken as lightly
as they are made. Still some soehistry
is occasionally brought into play to
avoid the too merited imputation of
fickieness. As, for instance, in tue case
of a widow who had pledged herself not
TO marry again until the grass was
green on her husbands grave, and was
found three months later planting some
grass seed on the mound and Fastening
ITS gerlniRation with daily applications
from watering can, that no time might
be lost in freeing her from her unlucky
| promise. FoltaIre tells IN one Of his ro-
Dances of a widow who vowed she
would never marry again las loLg
as the river flows by the side
Of the hill" Finding, however,
a few months later, that she
| was not 80 inconsolable as she thought,
the lady begins TO look about for some
means of freeing herself from her vow,
and finds it In clever engineer, who
turns the river from its channel, so that
1t no longer flows by the side Of the
hill" Tie matter thus happily COM
promised with the unseen powers sap
posed to be looking after the keeping of
vows, the lady loses no time IN
EXCHANGING HER WEEDS
For a bridal veil. But this story is
probably pure fiction, romance
through which Voltsire bears unwilling
witness to the ingenuity of the sex that
he was only too ready to villify. Not
less ingenious was the damsel who, hav-
ing made pledge that she would never
marry a certain lover ION the face of
the earth" accompanied him on the fol-
lowing day down into the recesses of
cave, where a minister and q ring were
in waiting, and the two were welded.
not on the face of the earth," but un-
der it.
In the life of Erasmus an instance is
given of sailor who, in storm, vowed
life-siSed effigy of st. Christopher If
the ship should get safely TO land,
| whereat the wise man was greatly
amused. A modern biographer of the
| great scholar comments on this super
stitious custom as obsolete. but il il by
no means so. The smaller shrines in
Europe today are supported almost
wholly by votive offerings-fhat is, gifts
brought in in fulfllment of VOWS or
pledges. And long chapter might be
written concerning historical pilgrima-
ges and benefices caused in a similar
manner. As late az 1867 a lady of
Madrid vowed when she was i'll that,
should her health be restored. she would
walk from Madrid to Rome on foot, o
journey which she afterward success
fully performed with no apparent harm
to her physical constitution. Some of
these vows made during illness are
naturally forgotten, since
When the devil was sick the devil
monk would be, a.
But when the devil got we'll the devil a
monk was he,
And methods of evading the too painful
| literal performance of the pledge are
usually within reach, as the lady found
who vowed TO make
PILGRIMAGE BAREFOOT
To certain shrine. and went there, it
is true, and without shoes and stock
ings. but riding comfortably in sedan
chair the while.
A church at Pool, England. was built
| h. tnK hn
ward Doughty. as he had vowed to do
when his son lay apparently dying.
should the child be restored to health
again. The boy did recover, to the
amazement of all, and the church was
accordingly built. When the Infanta
Eulalie of Spain lay very Ill. her mother
the infamous Queen Isabella, vowed not
TO build chdroh, but to make "A pill
primaQe TO Barcei ona and there offer n
Gift TO the patron saint of the oity. And
this Queen, albeit she Was rather indif-
ferent concerning the minor morals, and
certain of the major ones also, fulfilled
this vow with she most praiseworthy
punctiliousness possible.
Damsels disappointed in love often
make strange vows. We all remember
the case OF poor Miss Havisham. in
Dickens story, who was 30 overcome by
her lovers failure TO appear at the wed
ding that she ordered everything in the
house to be kept unchanged, as IL b ad
been placed on the hapless day. Years
went by, the wedding feast remained OIL
the table, the rich cakes nodded and
were eaten by the mice, while the poor.
half demented lady fitted in and out of
the deserted house like ghost, always
wearing the white dress and veil which
she had put On to welcome she faithless
lover who never came. similar case
to this was that Of lady OF high rank
in England, who. being Tilted by her
lover. wen, 20 bed and vowed she would
never get up again. and kept her vow
for tventy-six years. less excusable
case than this was that OF n man In
Peunsylvania, who. finding that his
wife was disposed TO demand too much
physical exeFtion from him, took 20 bis
bed with the avowed deter mination to
stay there. Aud for 22 years this
WORTHLESS OLD SCAMP
STAYED behind the sheets. Will, his
wife waited upon him. and fed him
with persistent devotion that exasper-
ated all her neiehbors, who rightly
iudoed that the application Of large
birch rod would soon rekeve the hus-
band from the necessity of keeping his
selfish aud unprincipled vow.
Vows of perpetual silence are numer-
Gus, the trouble being that those who
need thia vow most do not take it.
Probably Miss Caroline Brewer. OF
Portland, Maine, who, iu lsa0. vowed
she never woald speak another word 90
, auy human being. because she bad
, quarrel with her lover, did 50 with the
idea that she might thus do penance for
her hasfy speech. Her penance was
long and effectual. For 10 years, TIL
the day of her death. she was never
, known 10 utter q word. In New
, England, some years AGO. thrce sisters
, iyed together. Two OF them Qaarreled
! and vowed never 10 speak 10 each other
I again. They did not speak for over ~
: wears, when one of then died. the other
/ refusing 90 speak 10 her even on her
: death bed. Very soon after the quartet
r The third sister had died. She vas a
: delicate, gentle woman. and 10 was
= Thought that her death was FASTENED BY
! her fruitless efforts 10 effect reconcii.
l n 49,