The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-03-27
HIT HARD.
ONE OF CUPID'S FRANKS IN THE
Beginning OF HIS SPORTS
AT TEXAS CAPITAL.
Worse Than Romance in the
Realities of the Life of
an Austin Lawyer.
Deserted and Re United-True Love,
FOOt-SOre, Successfully Climbs
Rugged Path.

There is something strangely fascin,
ating in the past and everything of q
romantic nature adds tenfold to its
romance by lying for a time in the
cob-webs of the forgotten atics
of old Times Like well
executed oil painting its beauty
is not fully seen unless the observer
stands far enough from it to get the
effects of its color blending. Close to
it you only see the rough daubing of
the paint. So 1t is with the actions OF
men-close to them they appear COM
monplace, but when time has re-
moved humanity distance from the
scene, their effects are brought out
unmarried by the familiar common
places of the times in which
they originated. A STATESMAN
representative was told a romance
that occurred in the early days of Aus
tin that illustrates this. The gentle
man, who in a Dovel would be the
hero, has since become
A PROMINENT POLITICIAN,
and the most of the older settlers will
call the incident freshly to mind after
reading this account. A young law
yer came to Austin and entered upon
the practice of his profession. He
was well to do both in the "needful.'
and possessed a thorough prac-
tical knowledge Of his vo-
cation; and of course was con-
sidered highly eligible to the marri-
ageable ladies of that day. He was
not ladies man, and paid little at
tention to the many sweet ones who
would have been but too glad to have
received such from him. One day he
went hunting in company with sew
eral companions, AID during the day
they stopped at the plantation of a
planter who still lives where he did
then. The planter had most beauti-
full daughter, and for the first
time in his life this lawyer was
smitten with the charms of woman.
From that time on he became exceed
ingly sweet. He was as devoted to the
planters fair daughter as dude is to
his agony. Twice week he went to
the plantation
TO PAY HIS DEVOTION
to his enamorata, and to have the
bloodless wounds SO deeply cut by
Cupid nursed by her fair hands. His
companions were Wonderstruck; they
had looked upon him as a
woman hater, and now he de-
veloped into the most faithful of
devotees at the lovers shrine. 1t was
certainly a bad case of goneness. He
proposed and was accepted and the
wedding day was set. The planter
sent his daughter to the east to have
her trousseau made, and while there
she met a dashing young son of
wealth, as she thought, and with this
man she fell in love and eloped, to the
great disappointment of the young
Austin limb Of the law. He for
sWore Woman-kind forever. and took
the matter very hard. The plan
ter's daughter soon found she had
Instead of being wealthy as she had
been led to believe the man was a
pauper. He did not even have
A PROFESSION
and worse than all he turned out to
be drunkard. She lived with him a
year or more and suffered full pun
ishment for her folly. In about two
years after the elopement her husband
was challenged to fight duel by
a man whose wife he had insulted,
and the fellow was shot through the
heart at the first fire. The hayward
woman had not been home since her
marriage, but when the planter heard
of the death of her worthless husband
HE SENT FOR HER,
and she returned to the paternal roof.
One day, after her return, she was
walking along Congress avenue,
and suddenly came face to face
with her old lover, the Austin law
yer. She blushed, hesitated and was
greatly embarrassed, and he-man
like, the world over-no sooner saw
her beautiful face and pleasing figure
than he felt just as he used TO in the
old halcyon days Of their courtship.
He extended his hand she took it,
and no sooner had their finger tips
met than the bushes faded,
She no longer hesitated, and
not a trace of the embarrass
was left. They had a few moments
talk and she invited him to call
AND SEE HER,
and he called. He called again, and
the old flame was famed into blaze,
and in less than three months they
were married. They have lived the
happiest possible married life. He
became quite distinguished in his pro-
fession; had some success in politics,
became very wealthy and moved
away from the capital several years
ago. The facts, as given here, were
obtained from the planter himself,
who permits them to be made public
with the provision names should not
be used. All the parties are yet living
witnesses to this romance of their
youthful days.