Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-01-03
A QUEER MATCH.
BY CHARLES o. STICKNEY.

If yen shall marry,
N"u g,ve away this hand, and that is nlin";
lou G,Nr away heavens VOWS, and thUn' arr
You give away myself, which is known
mine;
For by vow am so embodied yours"
A neichbor of mine at Bridgton, in
We t,rn Maine, while making a brief
s,ay in a rue al town in New York some
wears ago. hcl anne acquainted with
NCing married couple, from whom he
Obtained the following curious story
Of real lie He can vouch for the
truth of it. as this couple were not
only worthy reliable persons but were
then sely yes the TartieS concerned in the
affair. | tell the tale substantially as
twas tcld me, except for the substltu-
ton of fictitious names.
On the pleasant picturesque shore OF
Lako George stood the fine old man
sion Of Adam Belmont, an aged
WidaWyr who, with a young house
EccDc? namd Ruth Wilson, and her
tw5 brothe.& for hired men, were the
sllu O, cuIaEtS OF his spacious, elegant
abode.
BY Iigid industry ard strict e'cn my
ho h@d worked his way step by step up
ttn la der of fortune, until now, in
thn de ino of life. he could rejoice in
tbs po- >eS, ion of o @ # the finest most
fertile. and best located farms in
Warren coUnty, together with other
prG Q ty. His wifi" had been dead
many years: and T'homas and George,
- lis only children. Wild, dissolute
scaml $. !linG t. submit to their
fathers stud authority, lad left the
Iatcrnal roof while yet in their teens,
ard gone to seek amid the vices and
eNcitom mt of city life those pursuits
no / crngeria to their depraYed
tastes. Then the old gentleman was
left with none but strangers to care for
him. These. hoWeVer. he found much
better Gem any than his unruly, dissi-
pated sons.
EycrM pleasant week dav he would
stIr''l about over his broad domain to
lock a. the thriving crops, to direct
his laborals. a?d t. enjoy the warm
sun and bracing ar; then, when tired
OF this. his fayo.i.o exercise, he would
slowly rctracc his Steps to the house,
and taking seat by tie front window,
sit licking out unOn the delightful
sccnely-th lake and its romantic
be! De :.
But y-and-hy camo the time when
ho coUld n l0"@er cajoy his daily
ramb'e The ion constitution which
lad sustai' ed lin t. a ripe old age
was now yielding to the weight of
yeais; and by brief illness he became
SO reduced in stlenctb that he could
mcva about on'y by the aid OF crutches.
HIS waywad sons heard of their
ia hers illness with unfeigned JOY
Tho old fellow will soon be out of
the way" they sad, land then won't
we go it -
They IN toned home. Nothing
could exceed their expressions of con-
cern for his health They addressed
him by every endcaling title; they
seemed unwilling to be absent mo-
ment from his side. But skilled as
they were in the practices of deception,
they signally faiIod in this instance,
for their Parent, though old and feeble,
was too shrcwd and discerning a man
not to disc over their real motive, and
an obstinate silence on his part was all
the return they received for their
duplicity. But as no recovered in q
measure from his illness, instead of
obliginply dying in order to gratify
their base wishes and, moreover, as
there was 10 prospect of his immediate
demise. tho two wolthies again de-
parted. to await the time. which they
hoped was not far distant, when they
should be summoned to attend his
funeral.
Mr.. Belmont's housckeeper, Ruth
Wilson, was ono of the kindest, most
cheerful. aud vital most industrious
beings thai ever ministered to the
wants of ago or soathed the brow of the
sufre, e. From early morn to the late
hours of evering her hands were busy ;
but though ever so deeply engaged,
she would leave her work the instant
she heard her employers voice, and
cheerfully hasten to do his bidding,