The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-01-04
TO GIRD THE WORLD FOR HIS SWEETHEART.
"A NEW ARKANSAS TRAVELLER.
The Romantic Trip ofa Young Man
Around the World in Eighteen
Months Before He Can Wed His

8 Months Before He Can Wed III
. Sweetheart.
$ The Yorkville correspondent of tn
/ News and Courier tells this interestin
story.
, Mr.. Z. Allen McQuary, who starte
out from Mountain Grove, Missouri
to make trip around the world for al
Arkansas girl and $4,000, arrived il
: 4orkville last Saturday afternoon, anC
remained until this morning, when he
proceeded on his journey. 1t Is no
probable that similar task has ever
before been undertaken for similar
reward, and under such peculiar cOndi
tions. The story is especially interest t.
ing in view OF the fact that it is q
genuine romance in real life, and will
be read with interest by all the read
ers Of the News and Courier.
Here are the leading facts: Mr..
Nj, Quarry Is young man Of good fam
il y, the son Of u minister Of the Chris.
tian Church, who lives at Neosho, Mo,
is about % years of age, and has under
taken to make q trip around the world
In eighteen months, to convince an &C.
centric but wealthy father of beauti-
full young girl that young men of to-
day are made out of as good material
as was in use when the old gentleman
was young, and above all to receive
| upon his return the hand OF the young
lady in marriage.
The fail details Of the story were
published In many Of the leading pa
pers Of the country, including the New
York Journal, the ST. Louis Globe
Democrat, Cincinnati Post and others,
when Mr.. McQuary started out on his
journey, but your correspondent will
give it as told to him briefly as fol-
lows.
After several years experience as
printer and publisher in Neosho, Mo-,
i am now % years OF age-I sold out
my business and took work as q COM
mercial traveller. My business carried
me into several Of the Mississippi Val
ley States, including Arkansas. Rail
road facilities in portions Of the latter
State are not very good, and on account
of this, in one little town | was invari-
ably detained for about twenty -four
hours on each trip. Here [ became
acquainted with pretty little girl
ana this acquaintance was renewed
upon subse quent trips, until I finally
realized that had met my fate. it
developed that the young lady's father
was rich ExConfederate VINO owned
many thousand acres OF land and lived
about four miles from the town. When
my sweetheart and | at last decided
that we would get married, we found
opposition on the part of the old gem
tleman. She is his only daug hter, and
her mother having died at her birth,
the old gentleman is peculiarly at
tached to her. [ begged and persuaded
the old gentleman, until one day he
tried to put me oil with the assertion
that young men of to-day are not made
n ( lnNn LT ND f,f Stn uh h
was young that they did not try to do
for themselves, but were always on the
lookout for rich wives with whom they
expecte d to get u fortune without work.
L Insisted that the young men were all
right II they had the opportunity to
sh wv 1t, and told him that was willing
to submit to any test. He took me up,
and a few days later handed me a writ
ten document with a request for me to
sign it.
The document was in the nature Of
contract between us, and provided
that | must start out on the 10Th of
May, 1897, without a cent Of money in
my pockets, earn enough to buy
horse, clothe myself in a velvet suit,
grid sword about me, take two dogs
and make the trip around the world
in eighteen months. Must pay my way
wherever | go, in an honorable manner,
and must do 5000 miles Of the trip on
horseback the other 20 600 by ship. |
must get the signatures OF the Cover
nors OF the States [ pass through and
the postmarks of the towns along the
route, | must go to Cuba and get
the signatures OF the generals on either
side. If [ return within the eighteen
months allowed, then am to have the
old gentleman's permission to marry
his daughter 1T is 3 condition, how
ever, that under 10 circumstances must
| ever mention his name until after
have performed my task.
When the oil gentleman first gave
me the contract to sign thought he
was joking. [ hesitated; he bantered
| and | finally signed it. My sweetheart
did not want me to undertake the jour
ney, and was willing to settle the'mattcr
20 another way. She is true blue. For a
time 1 thought the old gentleman
would relcnt, and he thought would
back out. But | made my arrange
ments to start, and when he became
convinced that L meant business he
amended the contract by Offering in
addition to the hand of his daug hter
after | completed the journey, the sum
OF So, 900 cash.
Well, | started from Mountain
|
newspaper reporters OF my undertake
ing, worked in various printing Offices
until | got enough money to buy 6
horse and the pres ribbed costume. Mr.
James Douglas, OF Mountain Grove
gave me my sword. | bought one o
my greyhOunds and Chief Kennedy, o
the Springfield fire department, gave
me the other on condition that it shall
wear q collar engraved with the name
of his men. Mr.. s. }. lmmel, OF Spring
field, fitted me out with my horse fur
niture at the cost OF the material, ant
other friends, helped me out will
small contributions In cash.
Thus, under the most encouragin!
auspices, | started forth, and here
am. | have been through the State
of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio
kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia
Virginia and North Carolina. Gen
orally have not had a hard time of II
The newspaper men along the rout
have generously given me work wher
ever | have asked for IT, and at tw
places got out special advertising ed
tions of newspapers. Up In OHIO
worked four days helping to grade
railroad, driving u scraper. Frol
= here go to Lancaster, thence to Can
den, thence to Sumter, thence
@ Monck's Corner, and taence to Cha
d lesion, whore | will sell my horse bl
o still, with my dogs, will take steatne
8 TO Key West, and from there will go
= Cuba.
Q "Up to this point have ridi en2
q miles. The water part OF the journe
Ill kn H. natt IL