The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-09-05
A MYSTERIOUS MARRIAGE.
Il was Christmas eve.


green piles which supported the pier.
II called to me the voice of a friend, and |
Heaven knows that the voices of friends |
were not numerous enough in my ears at |
that time. oh, what dreary Christmas
time it wasl
1t wasthe old story. Twas a Journalist
IA literary hack-with some talent; but
my style, they told me, was out of fashion;
and lust then there was ne call for that
particular kind of article" and the cour-
teous editors showed me to the door, and
handy remarked on the weather, as 1t
poor creature who was starving cared
what the weather was.
| had tried for work at anything which
offered had gone out into the country
and sought for employment on farm, but
nobody wanted to hire man with white
hands like mine.
| had offered to work for board and
lodging. but the shrewd old farmers told
me that man who weuld work SO cheap
as that was not worth his salt; 90 l re-
turned to the great city, spent my last six
pence for meal at cheap restaurant,
and went down to the river, resolved to1
put an end toit before Christmas morning
broke.
Yes, there was woman in The case.
There generally is when man comes TO
an extremity such as was in.
had loved her from boyhood up. She
was fair and sweet, and | thought the
little house we had so often talked iabout
would be an earthly paradise; but when
luck went against me. and everybody
seemed anxious to help me down hill, she
Joined the majority, and told me, with
cruel GOODNESS. that her papa did not think
il best that she should marry man so
naturally shlftless.
Two weeks afterward she was the bride
of old Goldbeater, who had one wife living
and one dead. and five grown-up children,
besides money enough TO dress her IN
cloth OF gold, if he had chosen.
was fool. no doubt; any man is
fool to wreck his life for a woman like
that; but l was young, and Agnes had
formed hitherto so much OF my life.
Never mind; let her pass.
| had written no letters to leave behind
me. Nobody in the world would care,
when they found my dead body. some
day, what led to the act; it would make a
nice newspaper paragraph, and that was
/ looked up at the sky set with stars, a
faint. waning moon just coming up in the
east. No man looks his last on anything
he has loved without feeling of sadness.
The sars were no more a part of my
world: henceforth I should be above
them, or-God knew.
l closed my eyes and said a little prayer.
When / opened them again, was not
alone. Two figures stood beside me-
tall men, well mufied up, and with an
air of authority about them One of them
laid a heavy hand on my shoulder.
.sYoung man." said Ee, give it up and
come with me. You are desperate enough
for anything. You are our mani"
For what2" l asked, strugg ing to free
myself from his grasp, but in vain.
For marriage" ne answered in an inn
pressive tone.
laughed aloud.
1.Mariiagel' l cried. Where is the
woman insane enough to marry poor
wretch like me, who has not courage
eneueh to live-who is cowardiy enough
to fee from troubles that he has not pluck
enough to grapple with?9
"You are to know nothing" said the
man. tightening his grasp on my shoul-
der. "Come with me; ask no questions;
do as you are hidden, and for your nights
work YOU shall have the sum of one thou
sand pounds paid down 10 you In cash. =
Without a word more. spoken between
us. turned and followed him, the other
man. who had Joined in the conversation.
bringing up the rear. At the foot OF the
street n close carriage was in waiting. l
was asked to step into it. did so. One
OF the men took his seat by my side, while
the other mounted the box beside The
We started of at a rapid pace. An
hours hard driving took us beyond the
confines of the city, the pavements were
succeeded by soft countrysroads.
Bv-and by-it had seemed an age to me
the carriage turned out of the road, and
drove through ponderous gateway,
lighted by lamp, up long avenue,
closely set on each side with trees, and
stopped before large house whose win
dows were dark as a tomb. Somewhere
in the distance | heard a bell ring, and
the great door of the house was opened,
and a voice babe us enter.
NV companion drew his arm through
mine. and led me up thickly carpeted
stairway. along corridor lighted by one
dim lamp, and ut the extremity of the
passage he raped lightly on a closed
It was opened silently from within, and
we passed through.
saw long, shadowy room. furnished
in male blue, and sitting together, on allow
couch, we're two ladies. both veiled.
These two women rose at eur entrance,
and nv companion spoke few words to
them 10 a language did not understand.
Then he turned to me.
This lady" said he, touching the
sIjghter of the women on the arm, lis to
be your wife. Her name, her family, you
are never to know. But you are to hold
yourself in readiness to appear at any time
before a Justice, aHd swear that on the
night of December oath, 49,, you were,
to the best of your belief, legally married
10 the lady whom we shall for convenience
cali Mary Marston. And in return you