Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-22
FORTY YEARS SEPARATED.
A Rom snssc ssery OF quarrel over
View Rsnues. and the Eesult.

EVha
A Romsnsie story OF q Quarrel over
anew Bsnpes. a.d the EesuIt
A curious romance in real life, culni-
mating In q marriage ceremony few days
AGO 10 A San Francisco courtroom, IS
told by a western exchange: The groom
was Walter H. Brooks, stalwart, rugged
specimen Of humanity sixty-five years OF
age. while the bride was buxom woman
of sixty, who appeared several years
Younger. The Judge. suspecting that
there was o romance in their history,
was rewarded by the following statement
made by the groom: :,
He said their history was very much
out of the ordinary line, and, in fact, ne
had married the lady once before. lie
continued:
"We were sweethearts when people
said we were IS pretty pair as You
could see in summers day. Both OF
us we're born and brought mp on Long
Island, New York. My father was g
ship builder and learned the same bust
ness. Catherine helped to run dry
goods store kept by her father, and IRON
the time wo went to school together we
were inseparables.
GAS matter Of course, when we were
old enough we became engaged to be
married, and on March -, ls4S, the
wedding took place. For ak months
we never had an angry word. and we're
as happy as twins. But one day we had
our first quarrel, and it was about the
silliost thing in the world.
my wife had bought new bonnet,
and wanted me to admire it. | thought
IT did not suit her style, and told her so.
She pouted, and said did not want her
TO have the bonnet, because it WAS the
costliest one in the store. Then one
word led TO another, and betorsnight We
had got into irregular frework display OF
temper.
Next day felt wretched, and acting
upon one OF those uncomfortable i'm
pulses which sometimes seize men, L
left homo with just n trihe Of money in
my pocket. struck out West and wan
dored through different States, working
and idling, drinking and frolicking, I'M
til / got into the style of the wild west
ern life. never wrote q single letter
home. and did not know what happened
aftrr my departure. -,
"For years / was q cowboy, and could
hold my own with the best of them in
all their rough sports. Several times l
nearly passed III my checks. After
twenty-five years of this kind OF life l
took another fit into my head and quit
this business. It seems that / have done
everything by fits aud starts.
"1he next thing l did was to come TO
the Comstock mines in Nevada and try
life in a mining camp for a change.
There was frightful accident one day
in one OF the mines. The ground had
caved away and buried thirteen miners
under it. Everybody rushed to the spot
and a party was organized to dig for the
bodies. AS we hacked our way through
the dS5ris We heard sounds Of human
voices. We had never dreamed Of find
ing anybody alive. so this nerved us to
toll until we were bathed in perspiration.
We answered the calls, and rs we drew
nearer aud nearer we urged the entombed
miners to bear up until We reached them.
"When at last our labor was success
full we found that two men had been
miraculously preserved 10y rocks falling
in such mAnner as to form shield,
protecting them from harm instead Of
crushing them TO death. Both, how
ever, were nearly dead from sufocation
and only one recovered.
"Ihe other was young man whose
name was the same as my own. ! had
never met him before, but yet it seemed
10 me that he bore resemblance to
some one / knew. When he was taken
into the fresh air no said he knew he was
dying, and begged some ono TO tell his
mother of his sad end. We questioned
him, and l was dumfounded when L
learned that no was my own son, born
after / deserted my young wife. He,
also, Ind run away from home, and the
resemblance detected was to myself.
"My son did not know where his
mother Was then, but when he left her
she was living in st. Paul, Mimi, and
had married man named Williams, by
whom she had three children. i told
him who | was rs We all gathered around
him, and promised TO do rs he wished.
An hour later he died in my arms.
81 went to st. Paul but found that
my wife's second husband had died and
no ono knew where she hAd gone. L
knocked about the country aimlessly for
long timo, as had made q triile OF
money 10 the mines
AT last / cAme to this city. and the
result is that ! met my accident the one
whom most desired to see. WAS
walking on Market street last week when
l saw 3 TomaH crossing that thorough
fare just in front Of rae. She seemed to
got ratified little by the passing cable
cars, and in trying 10 get out OF their
way she stcered right in front Of one. /
sprang forward and tWirled her around
rapidly Just as she was in peril OF her
life. Az Apologized for the necessary
roughness / used she thanked me for
saving her life. and when our eyes met
the recognition was mutual.
"She almost tainted on the spot, for
she had long given me up as dead. Well,
we had lots to tell each other, and after L
broke the news OF our boys death she
told me of her second marriage and how
both her husband and children had died
within year of each other from con-
sumption.
1.-The result of it was that We con-
Guided to let bygones be bygones, and
spend the few years remaining to us to-
gethor. II We quarrel about anything
now it will lie something moro impor-
tant thau a bonnet, for We have both
had plenty of ups and downs in life, and
want to end our days peacefully"
Tie Penny Eskursed.
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