The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-01-09
A MATRIMONIAL
ADVERTISER ENT.
BY MARY E. BRYAN.
Written for The Constitution.

| About her was a group of amused but sy@l-
| pathetic by-stauders, and she was telling
| them her story.
81 answered it in good faith, she said
! Here is his advertisement l cut 1t from
| matrimonial agency paper
She took the clipping from her pocket
| and read it aloud her black eyes swapping
| dangerously.
81 am a widower, thirty-four years old.
! [ live with my two little girls upon my
! cotton plantation. l have LOCO acres-nlore
| or leSs-my own unemcumbered property,
! situated on the beautiful bayou st. Lucas.
/ L have nice cottage home emboWcred IN
| vines, with gardens, chickens, COWS, har-
| ness and saddle horses, flowers, fruit
| every comfort except Wife With view
| to supplying the deficiency, [ ask cor
| respondence with some respectable young
| lady, hoping to persuade her to
Share my cottage-gentle maid,
It oply waits for thee,
| To add a sweetness to its shade
And happiness to me-"
references exchanged.
"ALEXANDER GRANVILLE"
II answered that advertisement" said
the black-eyed girl sitting on the zinc
covered trunk.
Il was a teacher in a small private school
in New York. The work was hard; the
pay was poor. I had a stepm0ther at home
and q houseful of small half-brothers and
sisters. | wanted to set away I-I-had
had a-disappoin tment'-the black eyes
tilled-"and L was unhappy. L had read
Jane Eyre, and I-really thought that
man might be another Rochester We cor
responded lie gave the postmaster as
reference. l to the postmaster. and
he answered that Mr.. Gravile's character
and standing were all right. He had q good
farm, he was honest and paid his debts
MIR. GRANVILLE wanted NE to come on and
be married at his home [ drew what
money l had saved out of the savings
bank, sold my watch and came on. My
stepmOther was glad to get rid Of me. [
got here yesterday. He had said he would
meet me at this landing; it would be u
pleasant ride out to his cottage. l had
written a letter just cover expat.. Saying.
G GneR VOWS 99b6dy ctf a e@pseae an t.
darby sung out:
dat white oman mus mean ole Sandy
Gravel He live back here i'll the swamp,
but he amt got 10 ca age to send Tor no
body. Got nuthin but er cyarl. Hlts here
now His son. Ben, driy in to git some
perViSiOns."
HAS he a son?' | asked
"Ciot a swarm of EN-" was the answer
"All done married but Ben"
My mind miagaVe me, but [ had no
place to go to-no money, so ! hunted up
Sen ana told him | was going to his father S
house. lie was Il freck!ed, patched, stupid
looking young man. He looked at me with
eyes and mouth open in amazement 3nd
was so bashful that / refrained from ask
ing questions. l never hinted to Zen th2t
I had come on to be his stcpmother.
ION we drove, over stumps and roots and
eullies-through mud and sWamps it SEEM
ed to be twenty miles. AT last we drew
up before n dingy tWO-roomed house win
a shed at the back. A few scruGSy peach
trees and a neglected grape vine were the
only green things in the yard beslue the
weeds A woman was milking a scraWny
COW in front of the gate She had her
back to us and a sunbonnet on Two
! shock headed, bare-lcgged children sat on
/ the fence They gave the alarm when they
/ saw a stranger in the cart; and . man,
/ who had been squ& tied in fence
! corner holding off the can
! got up and came towards us.
"Thats pap" said Ben.
He looked nearer sixty than thrty-ilVe.
He was grizZled and snagGle toothed; his
neck was red and WrinIIcd lie came up TO
the cart. He was agitatei and cheWed ms
I tobacco wonderfully fast. l got up from
the -four sack.
~ am Amelia Jones'"
He turned very red and told his son to
carry the sack of flour into the house
II wasn't eXpectin YOU" lie said. It's
! so Ions since you wrote
"You have deceived me- [ burst out
''You said you had a nice home, empowered
in vines and fruit trees. You said you were
thrty~five. You said you had only two lit
tie girls You said you We're rich
mo, ] didn't" he interrupted sac
I had a thousand acres of land-so L nave
though big part OF ii is swamp. Acres
don't make folks rich in these parts. IaiS
ain't New York. l said ] was thIrty-llFe
I didn't say 1 was a few years over, for n
spry and young enough for any woman
! said [ had two little girls livin' with me
said nuthin' about the boys. They're al
bis fellows, and married and gone, 'cep
Ben. AS for the house. amt that d goo
house?-double pen and shed to hoot
Don't leak unless it rains and got a hrst
IA .e chimney. And amt there vine? ans
what's the matter with them peach trees
amt there fruit.
''And do you imagine any young woman
In her senses would marry you ana I'VE
here?" I cried
"Do I? Wen. there's 10 imagination
about it, There's three women haW
married me and lived here. Two OF EN-
dead and buried, and yonder stands lothei
l couldn't hear from you. concluded yo'
was pl&yin' me yankee trick; coulun
wait nohow. SO / married Miss Susan
Barnes and if you say she amt q youn'
woman in her senses, Why she
/ "Nhy I'll show her-thatS what HI do'
said Mrs Gravel number three, dToppin|
her milk pail and rolling up her sleeves a
| she came to the side Of the cart.
Il begged Ben to drive me back 10 Ia
! river ard here I anl-waitinG to take IN
first boat. I've played the fool ana l Z
punished. It's crushed all the silly romanc
out of me. How I'm to pay my passage
I don't know. I'll offer to do champe
maids work.
But this Miss Amelia Jones was no
forced to do cole Sandy Gravel came
the front He proved to be not such pa
lot after all. He rode up presently on
bony mustang and promptly gave the nv!
yankee school marm enough money
pay her passage back, with an admton'
sum to cover the expense of her comm;
He had drawn his cotton crop. lie 1907
ed east down and sheepish. lie eXpia1he
to his friends in this wise
81 was Il fool-a dog-gone TOOL; put
. meant it all honest. | put a kind OF roS
. color over things in that advertisement. IL
, the way you do in the papers. so that your
, postmaster said. He put me up 10 IL. I
wrote the ad and the letters. real
, 'spected to marry her. but I'd give ~
promise to Susan in kinder Joky Wa