River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-08-21
A PHILADELPHIA Eslnond.
Marrying the Mother After Having Be-
Rejected by the Daughter.
Philadelphia Times

Rejected by the Daughter.
Philadelphia Times.
A prominent minister in this city was
asked whether he often had widows
come a second time to have nuptial
knot tied.
"I don't think I could strike an aver
age for you, if that is what you want, !"
hereplied, "but widows do come very
frequently to be REMARKED. And why
not? The second marriages of widows
are rarely unhappy ones.
Nearly thirty years ago l married a
very young couple in this city. The
husband, whom l will call Mr.. Tomson,
was not more than twenty one and the
wife was only eighteen. They
were very fond of each other. After
three years of happy life Mr.. Tomson
was taken sick with inflammation of the
lungs and died, leaving his widow, with
a little daughter, in fairly good, circum-
stances. She was quite lnconsolable at
first. but after time became recon
ciled and devoted all her time to the
bringing up of her little girl, who grew
into the veriest little fairy. She was
the apple of her mothers eye and the pet
of everybody, and very naturally became
rather self-willed.
"When she was sixteen years old a
young Englishman came to this city to
live. He made the acquaintance OF
Mrs. Tomson and fell in love with Mel
lie. She had many other lovers, but
she appeared to prefer young Edwards,
at least she firted more with him than
with any one else He was amember OF
my church. Nellie would not engage
herself to him. She said she liked her
freedom and didn't want to be tied down
to propriety just yet. At last Edwards
went west and did well as cattle raiser
in Colorado.
HE was away two years, and came
back still thinking of Nellie, who was
still unmarried. He asked her again to
be his wife. She took his presents and
helped him to spend his money, but was
not only as obdurate as ever, but was
very much faster and more of "a firt than
before. Mrs. Tomson, who was at this
time thirty-six years old, had de-
veIoped into charming and
beautiful matron. She took pity Oh
the young man, whose age was about
eight and twenty, and appealed tc
Nellie in his behalf Then he took heI
into his confidence, and she was very
kind to him. Eventually, i am. sorry
to say, Nellie disappeared. Edwards
spent hundreds Of dollars hunting for
her. but without success. He had
taken up his abode IN Philadelphia at
Mrs. Tomson's house, and his heart was
nearly broken at the loss of Nellie and
the terrible mystery which hung around
her disappearance.
ct was about six months after her
elopement that one morning, while |
was sitting In my study preparing my
sermon for tie next Sunday, Edwards
came rushing in upon me, with a tele-
gram in his hand. He was in state of
the most intense excitement, as white
as sheet, and hardly able to speak,
took the telegram. 1t was from Nellie
and dated from hospital in the city,
It ran thus:
4 am dying, Willie. Won't you
come to me?'
eve went together to see her. Well,
we brought her home and she cid die,
but not before she had seen something
happen, which, Think, she must have
anticipated long before.
THAT was nothing less than the mar.
riage of Edwards and her mother.
married them myself in her sick room.
She told me before she died that she
knew her mother had loved him from
the first and she believed that he had
only fancied he had loved the daughter,
because he couldn't imagine that he
was In love with her mother. They
made a very happy match and are now
living on the ranch In Colorado. They
have three lovely children, are very rich
and usually spend their summer in
Europe.