San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-15
AN HUMBLE ROMANCE.
The Story of Il Daughters Devotion
And a Lovers Faithfulness.

Ahh u l4ONNA =
Twenty-Five years ago there was
romance at Maysville-a love story
in which there was nothing out of the
ordinary. 1t was like hundreds of
others, and there did not then appear
TO be a markable. 1t became known
there that two young people, who will
be called John Smith and Mary Jones
because that is not the name of
either of them-were engaged TO be
married. John Smith had been paying
attentions to the young lady about
two years, and the announcement of
their engagement did not cause any
surprise.
The wedding day was set and nearly
all the preparations had been made,
when the mother of the bride-to-be
become i'll. On account of her illness
the marriage had been postponed. In
short time it became apparent that
her mind was impaired, and still a
little later the terrible truth forced it.
self on the minds of her friends-the
mother of Mary Jones was insane.
Arrangements were made to send
her to the asylum, and it was then
that her daughter raised objections.
She would not have her mother sent
to the asylum at all and declared that
she would devote her life to taking
care of her.
When she made that VOW Mary
Jones was Is years old, a bright, in
telligent young woman handsome and
talented. In addition to that she was
engaged to be married to one of the
| best young men in the county-a
young man of wealth and refinement,
| to whom she had made n solemn prom
| Use She triumphed over the argu-
ments of her friends, and settled down
| to a life in which there appeared to be
little hope, except the reward for fill
| ial duty. She put aside all thoughts
| of the life she had contemplated, and
from that day she had been her moth
er's loving and devoted attendant.
| The mothers mind is a total wreck.
She is not violent, but her mind is
gone. and she must have constant care
and attention. Twenty-Five years have
passed since she became demented, and
during that time her daughter has not
| been away from her single day.
| Twenty-Five years ago John Smith
used to call every Sunday night at the
home Of Mary Jones. They sat on
the cool front porch during the sum
mer, and by the fireside in winter
Then they planned their future-the
happy life they were to live after they
were married.
John Smith still makes the Sunday
night visits as regularly as in the old.
en- time. If he should miss one Sun.
day night it would he understood al
once that he was i'll, or that some
other good and sufficient cause had
prevented him from being there on
time. His hair is grey. and there are
wrinkles in his face. The girl he ex,
pected to claim as his bride is an old
maid now, and her once bright eyes
are beginning to lose the luster OF
youth, but she is still firm in her de,
termination TO remain with her moth
er as long as her mother lives. The
engagement has never been broken
The young man said he would wait
until her task at home was over, and
he has waited. The years seem long
to him, but he is true. If he ever
grows impatient, the patient face of
the. woman whose devotion is more
than remarkable is enough to make
him ashamed of his impotence. 1t is
said to his credit that he has never
made the slightest effort to persuade
the daughter to leave her mother.
Stories like this are often told in
books. hut this is one in real life-St
Joseph News.