The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-27
From the New York Sun.

Norwich, July 1S-All New London
county is a-titter just now over Jennie L.
Treadway's very odd breach of promise
of marriage suit against Uncle Stephen
NJ Mech, and since the county is rather
narrow for so much sport it has over
flowed its borders, trickling all ABOUT
eastern Connecticut.
According to Miss Jennie's story sworn
TO by her mother, the perfdious Uncle
Stephen has been counting her for more
than a year, the wedding day was set,
the wedding guests had actually gathered
tn witness the nuptial rite in bright
array. and then Jennie opened a letter
from Stephen M, saying that the die
was cast or something of the kind, and
he had called the match of.
Most of this, especially the climax part,
came to pass in June.
Not long ago the Sun printed brief in
dividual map of Uncle Stephen NJ Mech
of Preston City village, in so far as twas
possible to depict him successfully with
out colors, parallels, and meridians, and
marginal scale. Uncle Stephen is GER
tainly the queerest case in the county or
any other county. He is an old bachelor
farmer of the adjoining rural Andrew
Jackson hill town of Preston, who dwells
all alone in a shady farm house on a nice
farm in the outskirts of the pretty ham
let of Preston City, the capital of Preston
township, six miles east of this city.
He is only y, while Jennie is going on
IS years old in fact she is just ~.
Uncle Stephen is little. short, round,
stubbed hind of man, with thatch of
milk-white hair a very rudy face, clear
blue eyes, with the quick, active step of
the bounding gazelle. a tremendously
smart walker he bounds off the earth
with a hop, skip, and jump fight of a
ball of thistle down blown by the autumn
wind He never goes anywhere so far
away that it is necessary for him to use
a team in travelling thither, unless, per
chance, some one else furnishes MIN with
the team-for nothing; but then, to Uncle
Stephens marvellous pedestrian powers
almost any place is accessible that is
south of the Canadian border.
He is decidedly near in the New
FINLAND Interpretation of the term He
dresses principally in cowhlde boots,
with trousers stuffed into their tops, one
suspender. with a couple of single nails,
achip-straw hat, and hedgerOw of white
whiskers under his chin, like a fringe of
ripe rye about a rare-ripe pumpkin in the
happy autumn fields. Everybody in this
land knows Uncle stephen, and he is
"toler bly, familiar with everybody in his
section
Uncle Stephen had been a happy bach
elor, dwelling with his old mother, for
lust seventy years, with no bias toward
the QuiCksands of the ma trimOnial sea, no
especial leaning to any mermaid in that
sea, when suddenly one morning all the
long latent affection in his bosom rose up
and kicked.
The old man had always been intensely
fond of music-his only weak point-par-
ticularly of the female voice warbling al
ter nghtfall, and country musical sOirees
and concerts in halls and schoolhouses
were the only blessed diversions that
ever were able to tap his stock of provi-
dence through his pocketbook. He never
begrudged 10 cents, or even quarter, he
said fur a Swarey or a fiddle concert"
Music "sorter lifted him up and carried
him away he explained, and not seldom
it bore him as far north as Danielson-
vile, in Windham county, thirty-seven
miles distant from his home. He walked
IL both ways.
With a concert in Da vidsonville. or
Jewett City, or Poquetannuck, or Volum-
town, ne could fill himself with melody
enough, as a camel loads up on water to
last him for fortnight afterward. He
apparently just let it swash around in
him while he was busy with ''chores"
and his other farm duties, and while it
was oozing out of him in this way,
dwindling like the water of a reser-
voir in a drought. his aged mother
pieced ought his failing supply with even
ing songs.
But when he was a little over 20 he
Il buried his mother, and then there was no
one to sing to him at home, and the old
Il house seemed dark and lonely. So he be-
gan to cast bout in his minds eye, seek
ing a youthful female nightingale VINO
might be williag to wed him and sing to
B him 'Stiddy'' for her board and clothes
board more particularly.
& In the course Of a yeer he tried a num-
Der OF sparkling ventures, always with
royal SOngStresSeS; in fact, 'SOt up
suddy' with young woman every Sunday
night ''fOrlwell onUer three months but
10 each instance, right in the midst Of
nuptial proposal, the designing young
III woman apparently began to hedge in a
financial way evinced a soriid. mercen-
airy craving for more subs tantial after
marriage perquisiteS in prospect than
board and "clus."
They were all alike. Every one of them
wanted the old man to sign papers and
legal things giving them half his farm
and bank deposits in Norwich
But Stephen is awful "skeery'' on the
pecuulary side OF him, and Just as soon as
ne discovered that Susie or Jeanette or
Oeorglanna was in the affair for business,
"hlle 1t was all love and music and ro-
nance exclusively on his account, he told
all 30 ter thunder" He could draw out
Of thing of the sort with amazing alac-
l'y and he did draw out, too, and don't
yer forgit it"
Some folks dew say" round Preston
NY that the old man had successfully
drawed out of Jest six affairs of the heart
with royal singing bells" before his seri-
nus complication with Miss Jennie L.
roadway Of Ashwillet village. He hadn t
uraWed outer theU sollum betrothal cove
ldat as yet; and Preston City and Ash
"uIgt folks are giving odds tibet there
H. Mou be no DRAWN in the lottery on Ste
b. puen part this time" In their opinion
Is Miss Jennie that is "goin' ter dew
too"
Mss Jennie is Farmer SWANS step
Gaushter over east" in Ashwillit ham
three or four miles distant from
ncIe stephen S farmhouse. Miss TreId-
"lJ IS as pretty as peach. Every one
-S mat She is plump, petite, bright,
parhlng and as trim and quick as a wren.
Is sings like nightingale. dings ravish-
NY melody out of a piano, carols and
1'SIes, and all that surprising layout
t-uI Jhe old man in his tenderest ten
IN about a minute. She was the
.'IIcal nightingale he long had sought,