Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-07-08
AS FRIENDS
DID Mr.. BALFoUR AND MISS
SARToRIS.
BUT HAD OFTEN QUARRELLED
End of This IdyII Called Triumph
of Common Sense-Gifts Returned
and All Is Serene Again-Young
People Unsuited to Each other and
Avoid Future Misery.

London, June 30.-Vivian Sartoris
courtship and engagement so squally
that they decided not to venture on
the stormy sea of matrimony.
This is the explanation of the bro
give. The granddaughter of General
Ulysses Grant and the brother-in-law
of the Hon. Alfred Lyttleton and dis
tant cousin Of Arthur Balfour, the
leader in the house Of commons, are
persons who know their own minds,
the end Of their idyll, though prosy,
is called by their friends triumph
of common sense.
They met scarcely eighteen months
ago at party given by an aunt of
Another party brought them together
toris was chaperoned by her late
fathers cousin, Mrs. Henry Gordon.
Archibald Balfour, at which Miss Sa-
few weeks LATER and the result was
that Mr.. Balfour was invited to Seven
Oaks, where Miss Vivian Sartoris and
her sister Rosie have a pleasant little
cottage close to the country house Of
Mrs. Gordon.
The engagement was announced
soon afterward. But familiarity in
creased only their mutual respect and
failed to fan the flame of love. Zach
held decided opinions and their points
of divergence were more plentiful
than their points of contact. They
could agree on few things of import
ance.
Tiffs were frequent, and more than
once the engagement was broken, but
the quarrels were patched up through
the good offices Of Mrs. Gordan.
Early this year the marriage was
announced for July and later for the
tenth of that month. 1t was to have
taken place at Seven Oaks, from the
house of Mrs. Gordon. Invitations
had been issued, the bridesmaids Sc
lected, page boys named and every
thing settled down to the minutest de-
tails. Miss Sartoris' trousseau was well
in hand She was to have worn
satin dress exquisitely trimmed and a
long court train.
Presents had begun to pour into the
little cottage at Seven Oaks, including
several from American relatives and
friends. While all this was going on
the lovers were meeting frequently,
generally at the houses of the young
woman's relatives in the west end Of
London.
BY this time it had become notice
able to all that they were unsu1ted to
each other. They could scarcely agree
on a single subject, and bitterness
broke into their conversation even be-
fore other people. Their tastes were
as opposite as the poles.
About a fortnight ago they had a
quarrel over furnishing and other
topics connected with the marriage,
and by mutual consent they decided
that nothing but misery could follow
if they were to take steps to bind
themselves to each other forever.
At a meeting of representatives Of
both families it was decided that the
interests of those most concerned
demonstrated that no attempt should
be made to heal this latest breach, and
so the engagement was broken off.
Miss Sartoris and Mr.. Balfour part
ed as friends. Mr.. Balfour returned
to resume his legal duties, disappoint-
ed that circumstances made parting
necessary, and Miss Sartoris to go
back to the company of her sister to
forget, in her humble but neat little
home in one of the most picturesque
parts of Kent, that she Slhad been so
near taking such false step.
To facilitate that frame of mind the
presents they gave to each other have
been returned, and those received
from friends are also being sent back.