South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1891-01-09
A Romance in Real Life.

3o - INm ne ~ AaLtnA-
ton &sr oil ibtsress cur Fssders as
Dr. Davis y vel kn0En herss
II have seen dsscrsyslous Of good
many susll weddisgs In The society
eOlas,n OF tie STAR lately sad The
Colonel from Nirginis % . ss re-
porter, bat ] was Pressat a. . quiss
simple ceremony over In Geosseio-n
to-day that wss 10 those wao knew
about 10 . geouise romssee. tbe kibd
JSu read efin novels tut very seldom
run across In rssl life. I gBsss EN-
the only lefson 10 to~n bssids- tie
bride and glo)u and perhaps one 9th
or vhc knoss Of The true iove story
which eliminated today Ia the mar.
risgs OF Rev. DIR. J. uenry Davis
and hIss Ausis A. Han.sr, o. Chrisi
church, In GsorgssovD, by Rev. DIR.
stewart. This 10 no fairy tale I'm
going 10 tell you. for I've J.si put
he marriage notice in the Star.
Over thirty ys,rs ago Annie Hun.
ter Vac . ptssiy, rcd checked maid
belonging 10 o well.kpo~n VngiDls
family. That We before the var,
when hospitsbls virsisis planters
kept open house. and When . house
full OF guests vas 81 every day oc-
currencs. Annie Hunter happened
TO be visiting al the home OF her boz
som friend during a Pissbyi erian con-
vention in The village. The minis
tsrs were scattered about ~ the diff
fsrent houses. and among the guests
at this particular mansion was .
young theolog c4l student who bad
Just passed his examinatior for the
ministry, and she bri,liAhcy Of his ex.
animation vas the talk OF the whole
country round about lie was as
handsome % he Was bright. He re-
NAMED loRg enough TO become quite
fascinated with pretty AnEis Hunter
and for her friend to be greatly taken
With him. Neither of these facts
we've known, however, until later. A
week or 80 after his departure Annie
Hunter received q letter from the
young minister. 1t was Q great sur
prise TO the girl, for while il did not
contain a proposal exactly il wRs 80
worcei az to mean that If replied TO
in similar spirit. 1t took Mis-,
Hunter only about two days TO re A-
lie that abe Was in love with Lbis
yourg man and she procesd,d TO
write q reply. While engaged 10
the pleasant task her intimate friend
entered Armies room.
Nov, here is where the novelist
might get IN his work. Oh you are
writing a letter, Annie 2 she sand
wei, I'm going TO the village ant
will mail it for you.
'Oa, never mind said Annie, Il
won't trouble you, bat will send it by
the pos! boy.
But her friend insisted, and the
result Was that the fair letter writer
sealed her mlssiye aud intrusted 10
her friends care
THE LETTER THAT HRvKB GAME.
"She knew about what day to ex-
pect an answer, and when that day
bad passed and no letter came and
then months followed weeks the
gil felt much chagrinod, bat Der
pride prevented her from telling any
one Of her trouble. She sndeayored
10 Danish tho memory OF her tickle
lover.
The whole thing was q secret for
several years, when q mutual friend
told the disappointed girl that tie
letter bad been destroyed by her bo-
som companion 10 whom she had en-
trusted 1t. Annie could not and
woald not believe it, but when several
years the same faies friend prevented
what would HAYS been q happy mar
riRRe with another suiLor che could
dsuOt no loager. She never told
her secret, though, and II was only
years afterHard that the family knew
the story. TIE young minister wac
called 10 q thriving city, became
prominent and popular. aud in she
course OF years married. All this
Annie Hunter heard from time 10
time, and could not help tbinkiDg
what her lot might have been. She
was stiil very attractive. and before
she reached middle life received nu-
msrous offers OF marriage. She was
engaged more than once, but the en-
gagsments ali came TO nothing. She
told me this morning why it Was that
she didn't marry. She didn't know
the reason herself though until last
year.
"TherS was q Presbyterian conveD,
ton In Winchester then, which was
attended by Rev. DR.. Davis, q more
than middle.aged minister. He heard
10 some way that Annie Hunter val
IN the nsighborhood and wrote 9 po-
lite note asking permission to call
and renew an old friendship. ThS
request was granted. The mlnis,e l
came. He did not not find toe pre,t.
ty girl who Won his heart over thirty
years ago, bu! bis old love was re-
awakened. Annie then learned FOL
the hrst time that be was a widowei
and he learned for the first time Of the
letter that never came. II didn't
take long for them TO come 10 an I'M
derstaDding. They were mnTried to-
DAY. AMI now about the false eIrI
, friend who postponed this wedding
for over thirty years. She lives not
very far from here. She is married
10 man she doesn't love, has no
children and altogether doesn't lead
a very happy life, and when she reads
TO. nights Star her "reminiscences will