San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-09
GREELEY'S MARRIAGE.
HE WAS AN IMPATIENT, UNcON-
VENTIONAL YOUNG LOVER.
The Attire In which He Presented Him.
self Before the Fiance He Had Never
Seen-u Was All the Same to Him, but
She Felt Differently.

sell before the hau ENeNef
seen-It Was All the Same to Him, but
She Felt Differently.
Mr.. White had met Horace Greeley, a
young man from the country, who was bold
enough TO start a newspaper In the city, and
this brave adventurer did not stop there in his
reckless grasp at fortunes gifts. He had just
returned from the south, where he had mar
ried young lady of the north who was
spending year with some southern friends.
She was very young, handsome and attract
i've. One of her friends, from whom l
learned these facts, told me that she admired
Miss Cheney very much, and knew but one
man who would be the one to win her heart
and hand that man was the young journal
ist, Horace Greeley. She seq to work, as
some women foolishly do, to bring about the
union. Mr. Greeley and Miss Cheney had
never met. This matchmaker told her story
of the young lady with skill to the innocent
young countryman, and so awakened his de-
sire to become acquainted with the lady that
he allowed his friend to write to Miss c. that
he would like very much to correspond with
her. Her letters to the mutual friend were
written with frankness and originality sell
dom found, and rather pleased the young
man to whom they were shown, and, having
no experience in knowledge of the mysteries
of the female heart, he was easily caught in
loves net. His friends remarked the symp-
toms of the increasing fever, and lost no OPP
portunity to laugh at the poor fellow.
Miss c. enjoyed the innocent pleasure of a
correspondence with the gifted young jour
nalist, and ought to have known the danger,
but the letters were so delightful, each one
growing more and more ATTRACTIVE, and at
last Mr.. Greeley, III the simp!' .t of his hon
est nature, avowCd that his heart and his life
he offered to Miss c., and begged that she
would accept them, unworthy as they were,
etc He had been told by his friend that she
was beautiful and very young. 1t was not
necessary, this friend thought, as she told
me, to describe Mr. Greeley. So love born in
Miss C's heart from the letters allowed her
to picture him as fancy dictated. After a
suitable time had passed it was arranged be
tween them that Mr. Greeley should go
south, spend one day. be married and return
north Immediately. His paper demanded
this unromantc haste. But Mr.. Greeley was
not romantic He was severely matter of
fact.
Miss Cheney was in every respect the OPP
posite of her lover In the warmth of her
youthful enthusiasm she had clothed him
with personal beauties and graces that were
justified by the adornments of his character
as seen in his letters.
He announced to his companions that the
| fortunate event of his life was near a. hand.
and that short absence must be allowed to
him to bring home his young wife The hour
| of their first meeting was the one which both
parties anticipated with strange feeling Of
| curiosity, but neither doubted the full salts
| faction to be realized. 1t was a dangerous
| experiment and a severe test of love. They
| met and stood face to face. Miss C. had, with
| womanly coquetry, decked herself to meet
her lover, and locked charming in his eyes.
more than fancy had painted her. He stood
speeches. moment, while her large brown
eyes opened wide in utter amazement, scan
| ming the figure before her from head to foot,
and remaining in a state of almost breathless
bewilderment, as if unable to believe her
sight, so entirely was he unlike what she had
imaginedl
His fax white hair was long and fell around
his neck loosely his face was fair as woman's
| and its expression was the mirror of noble
heart; his chin was dimpled and ON his mouth
sat the firnness of his manly character that
| redeemed the face from effeminacy. But the
| figure of Mr.. Greeley, the young man before
| her, was to her painfully without grace, his
voice was in the extreme drawing and nasal,
and there was in his manner total disregard
| of conventional rules of ceremony.
Miss c. could not conceal her disappoint-
ment, but they sat down in the most matter
of-fact way to arrange the business part OF
the immediate marriage. Mr.. Greeley had
Travelled by land several days and presented
himself in all the haste OF an impatient lover
to his lady, without changing his apparel or
| even thinking Of his appearance, and his de-
light with her was so great that he failed to
see the effect his presence had produced upon
| her. Her almost utter inability to SPEAK was
attributed to a natural timidity on the oc.
casion.
Can you go now he asked, after a half
hours conversation. Go where!" she in
quired go to be married" replied Mr.
Greeley ITO be married. Why, | can't
marry you Now that | see you do not
love YOU" she said, half choked by tears,
No, ! cannot marry you" His surprise
was greater than hers had been. Then came
to his aid that firm, strong will that those
remember who knew him well in after years.
He stifed pride, bore the humiliation like
hero but insisted that Miss c. should keep
her engagement with him. What his ar
guments were she did not tell me later; but
she told me that he had a strange influence
over her at the time that rendered her sub
| missive She looked at his travel stained
clothes and boots and asked him to prepare
| for the marriage, but to understand that he
married her knowing that she had no love
for him Many, many men have ventured
| the same some TO win haDDineSS often more