Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-01-13
ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.
The Story of Daughters Devotion and q
Lovers Eaithfulness.

The Story of a Daughters Devotion and .
Lovers Faithfulness.
Twenty five years ago there was
romance at Maysville- love story
in which there was nothing out of
the ordinary 1t was like hundreds
of others, and there did not then ap-
pear to be possibility that it would
become remarkable. It became
known there that two young people,
who will be called John Smith and
Mary Jones, were engaged to be
married. John Smith had been pay
ing attentions to the young lady
about two years, and the announce
ment 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 became i'll. On account of her
illness the marriage had to be post
poned. In short time it became
apparent that her mind was impair
ed, and still little later the terrible
truth forced itself on the minds of
her friends-the mother of Mary
Jones was insane. Arrangements
were made to send her to the asy-
lum, and it was then that her daugh-
ter 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 10 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
solemn promise. Her father own
ed large tract of land and fine
house. He was amply able to en-
ploy nurse for the demented wom-
an as long as she might live, and to
his mind there was no reason why
his daughter should not marry after
reasonable length of time.
There was a reason, however-the
strong sense of duty the daughter
had and her resolve that she would
never leave her mother while she
lived. She triumphed over the argu-
mentS of her friends and settled
down to life in which there appear
ed to be little hope except the re-
ward for flial duty. She put aside
all thoughts of the life she had con-
templated, and from that day she
has been her mothers loving and
devoted attendant. The mothers
mind is total wreck. She is not
violent, but her mind is gone, and
she must have constant care and at
tention. 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
summer and by the freside in win
ter. Then they planned their future
the happy life they were to live
after they were married.
John Smith still makes the Sun
day night visits as regularly as in
the olden time. If he should miss
one Sunday night, it would be un-
derstood at 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 gray, and
there are wrinkles in his face. The
girl he expected 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 determination to remain with
her mother 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, but this is one in real life.-
st. Joseph News.
Polygamy.
The Ogden (Utah) Commonwealth
says that while it is true that polyg-