The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-12-06
AN ORIGINAL JOKE.
How a Bright Girl Fooled Two
Lovers.

brary of American Elopements" we
may doubtless add the story of Miss
Eunice Marr of Carpentersville,
Ala, which has just been made
public. Miss Marr is young lady
rather under than above 20 years
in age, and of a most light and
blithesome nature. Indeed, her
vivacity and playfulness are her
prominent characteristics. We may
mention also in passing that she is
an enthusiastic amateur photo
grapher. Now this interesting young
lady has for some time been receiv-
ing the earnest attentions of two
young men of Carpentersville, Ed
win r. Cole and Alonzo Doubleday.
Each is an excellent young man, a
member of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association and a teacher in
the Sunday-school There was re-
ally little choice between them, and
Miss Eunice has found it impossi-
bic to decide which one to select.
Under ordinary circumstances
she would, of course, have taken
the one to whom her parents OBJ
jected, but unfortunately these wor-
thy people, from some unknown
reason, did not look with any great
favor on either. She did not, how
ever, allow her anxiety in deciding
to interfere with her buoyancy of
spirits. In her extremity she hit
upon this ingenious plan: She de-
termined to insist on an elopement,
arranging with each of them for
the same night, and then go with
the one who arrived first. She ac-
cordingly instructed Edwin r. Cole
to put a ladder up to the North
window of her room at 2 O'Clock
Tuesday morning. and told Alonzo
Doubleday to do the same at the
west window at the same time. One
must almost certainly come little
before the other, she argued, and
the other could scarcely blame her
for not waiting. Having thus set
tied the perplexing question salts
factorily she went about for the next
few days with even lighter heart
than usual.
Monday night when Miss Marr
retired she set the alarm on her
clock for 80 o'clock. Arising at
that time, she was ready in fifteen
minutes. Then she got out her de-
tective camera and put it in readi
ness, her idea being to take snap
shot at the minister during the
ceremony. This attended to, she
sat down and waited the arrival of
the man who was to be her hus-
band, with her young heart in a
pardonable hutter, something which
was doubtless increased by the
pleasing uncertainty as to whether
it would be Edwin R. Cole or Alon-
20 Doubleday. At one minute be-
fore 2 she heard a slight noise out
side the north window, as she
thought. She listened and it seemed
at the west window. A horrible
thought flashed upon her. She
rushed to the Iorth window, Edwin
r. Cole was wrestling with heavy
ladder below. She ran to the west
window, Alonzo Doubleday had a
ladder about half way up. She
stepped back and paused one mo-
ment. simultaneously through the
darkness she made out the upper
end Of a ladder rise at both the
north and west windows. She saw
that the time had come to act, and
she did not hesitate. Going to the
north window she spoke to the ar
dent Cole and told him to take his
ladder around the corner to the west
window. Quickly passing to the
west window she instructed the fer
vid Doubleday to carry his ladder
around to the north window.
Each impetuous young Romeo
seized his ladder and startrd with
it in an upright position. They
met at the corner in the darkness.
One ladder fell against the house
with a loud report-the other crash
ed into tree. Then these two
young men-Messrs. Cole and
Doubleday-fought. There, amid
the wreck of the ladders, they
clinched in almost a death struggle
for five minutes, and shouted and
used language which startled and
shocked the lonely night watchman
on his beat four blocks away, hard
ened and profane man though he
was. In the thickest of it, while
they were belaboring each other
over the head with rungs torn from
the ladders, there was bright glare
of light from above. The coy young
girl that each had thonght to make
his bride had taken a flash-light
photograph of them. The night
watchman then came up, and after
clubbing them judiciously arrested
them. They were fined $40 piece
in the morning, and each used the
bill to pay it which he had intended
for the minister. Nor was this the
end of it, sad as it is. 1t is now
announced in Carpentorsville that
Miss Eunice Marr will not marry