The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-12-28
THE LITTLE WOMAN.
A Real Romance Much Queerer
Than What You Read in Novels.
Wounded Pride Causes n Now York Belle
to Cast OF Her Afianced Lover and
Wed Another Mana Chicago
Divorce and Its Results.

Standing on the corner where the Bruins
wick overlooks Madison square u day or
two ago, says the "New York Gossiper" in
the Brooklyn Eagle, l saw a pretty little
woman in a neat, quiet, black and white
gown coming In my direction. She was
about thirty-three or thirty-four, had a
clear, peach-like skin, handsome dark eyes
aud bright, brown, curly hair drawn up un-
der her stylish little bonnet. Her figure
was as pretty Us a girls, her step light, and
altogether she was as plump, pleasing and
wholesome a small female as one would
care to STE. AS she passed close to where
l stood with a friend, she said, without
turning her head or looking in our direc-
tion GLOW do you do, Mr.. BlankF' and
pressed on without a perceptible pause.
Blank started violently, said 'By Jove"
In an amazed tone. and bolted after the lit
tie woman, who had continued her quick
pace through the square. He caught up
with her, spoke, n | saw some few words
passed between them, after which no
Joined her and the two went on down to-
ward Twenty-thIrd street. l left them
there and did not see Blank again for q day
or two, when he told me the story of the
little woman in black and white.
1t seems that she was u noted belle ten
years ago and was engaged to be married
to a man who had his way still to make in
life. The marriage had been fixed twice
and both times something unforeseen had
incurred to prevent it. Finally it was ar
ranged for q third time and the cards is
sued, when the young man came to his
fiancee and begged that she defer it for the
third time, as he had just been ordered
away by the heads of his firm on a very
tedious and unpleasant journey, on which
he would not be permitted 20 a k her, and
ne could not possibly return in time for the
date fixed. His whole future depended
upon this and he was obliged to ask her to
wait. Her pride was wounded deeply, for
both Of the previous postponements had
been made by hum, and without stopping to
be reasonable or considerable she promptly
broke the engagement and entirely severed
all connection with him. Another lover,
who had long and yainly sought her, came
that evening TO sec her and she told him her
troubles. He begged her to take him in
stead and on the day that she was to have
been married the ceremony took place, but
the bridegroom was the persistent lover.
Like all marriages OF plque, 1t was a failure.
1he man was in no way worthy of her and
a knowledge Of this had dictated performer
refusals. He spent all her fortune and his
own, drank, outraged all her feelings, and
at the end of eight years of married life she
found herse I in a ifth-rate filthy boarding
house in Chicago with three little children,
her health wrecked, her husband a gambler
and a drunkard who was permitting her
and her children to starve. They only
had one visitor, a gambler and
sharper who had met her husband in
the course of his downward career, and
whose acquaintance her husband had thrust
upon her With that of many others much
lower; but this man at least, whatever he
might be morally, was kind to her and the
children, loaned them money when they
would otherwise nave starved, and did his
best to make her lot q little less intolerable
to her. The husband meanwhile went al
ways deeper into the mire, and began at
last to beat her in the most brutal way.
Even this she bore until in one of his
drunken ~frenzies he attempted to kill her
baby. Then she sent for the gambler, and
said: "Help mel' ''There is only one way
in which l can protect and help you," he
said. "Get a divorce from this brute and /
will marry you and adopt ali your children
as my own. You know what my life is.
Don't attempt to interfere with it, and you
must obey me in all things, but l will never
ask yeu TO do amy thing wrong, and l will
love you and care for you and your babies"
She thought it over for twenty-four hours
and said Eyes"
There was a quickly obtained divorce
and an immediate marriage, and the gam
bier, to save her annoyance from her dis
carded husband, brought her 10 New York
Here he secured a handsome fiat, furnished
it luxuriously, and said "You must be con-
tent with me, with your babies, your books
and music, for you can not AVE friends of
any sort. 1t is too dangerous for men
'sFOr husband" she explained, sis what is
known as a crook He not only CANDLES,
but is at the head of the counterfeiters. He
makes, or rather buys, n little of it-not
much, for his business does not require a
great deal. All day long he sits at his desk
addressing circulars to people, to whom he
offers to send fifty dollars of counterfeit
for ten dollars Of the genuine, and so on in
proportion. OF course he does not send
counterfeits back TO them. There would be
TOO much danger in that, but he does send q
package which, when opened, contains only
bits of newspaper. OF course the man who
is cheated dare not complain, as it has hap
pened while he himself was trying to COM
nit a crime. My husband makes a great
deal Of money gambling, too, for he Is q
very cool and careful player. OF course
this is all very hideous, but even thisi is not
so bad as when my babies were in danger
of their lives, and he is the soul of good
ness and tenderness 10 us all. l nave i'm
plored him over and over again, in spite Of
my promise, to give up the LIE and earn our
living honestly, and he has promised at last
TO abandon this business within the next
three years, for he constantly invests what
he makes and, 1 believe, is getting rich. /
never see any one but him and my babies
and l rarely 60 out in the daytime, but to-
day as l was passing you could not help
speaking, the memory of the old days was
so strong upon me at the sight of your face.
l shall very probably never see you again
and for my sake if you see me anywhere in
the future with any man don't speak to Inc.
1t will be my husband. Goodbye. 1t has
been a great pleasure to see you and to pour
/ out my heart to some one"
Blank told me this with q suspicion of
| tears in his eyes. IF you could have known
her as / did r. he claimed. "How pretty and
| proud she was, and to see her brought to
thus ~ at only demonstrates l replied,
what / have often said hat half the peo-
pie whom you pass in the streets Of New
York could, if they chose, tell you stories of
their lives a great deal queerer and more
romantic than o read in the novels"