The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-20
WON BRIDE WITH RIFLE.
Unwilling Father and Brothers Forced
to be witnesses.


west he was not the last of his kind.
You who think that mankind to-day, in
respect to certain elementary emotions,
| has changed greatly from the type of
that day or the day long before it,
when marriage was made by capture,
may read and change your views.
With that as a preface, here is the
proof of the proposition:
In Oregon there lived young girl
with three large, strapping brothers
and her father and mother. The broth
ers, it was current opinion in the local
ity, could whip their weight in grizzly
bear. AS they were called chips off
the old block" it was to be assumed
the father was Of the same type.
In this family the daughter. Marga-
ret Black, was regarded as the idol
also the slave. Margaret was to be
worshiped so long as she obeyed.
When she wanted to disobey, then she
was to be ruled. 1t was another case
Of Lorna Doone.
| Margaret's obedience was not mat
| ter of dispute until one day when she
| happened to walk farther than usual
into the great woods around the Black
home and lost her way She walked
and ran through the underbrush with
out finding familiar path nuttl she
was a thoroughly frightened little girh
Then she woefuliy sat down facing the
prospects of night in the woods.
In this predicament she was found
by a young man who carried q rife I'M
der his arm. He was not lost. That
was evident He smiled when the girl
confessed that she was, OF course he
would take her home. Then they both
laughed, and the work which forms the
basis of this story was done.
ST am Roland Lee" he said. why,
I live within ten miles of your home.
To walk ten miles and more out OF
the way just to see that pretty girl
found her way home was nothing-not
in Oregon,
After that the disohedience Of Mar
garet began. It would have been
something wonderful the way they
managed to meet In the woods II that
were not as old way as the story IT.
self is old. al
When the three large brothers and
the father who claimed Margaret dis
covered this they found that they had
not been consulted, and that was rea-
son enough to oppose It, They found
they did not like Roland Lee. They
discovered an unimagnable number of
reasons why he would not do, all of
which were communicated to Margaret,
only to be received in the usual fash
ion. The more they argued the more
the girl decided that he would do.
Finally the family brought matters
to a crisis by locking Margaret in her
ROOM You may have read Dorothy
Vernon of Haddon Hall" That. ex-
plains how such course of action does
not bring the desired results. 1t is not
necessary to read It, You may be able
to imagine that 1t would not
Lee walked about the woods for some
time without finding Margaret before
he learned that she was prisoner.
He also learned that he was the cause
of it. Being a young man of decided
convictions, upon which he was accus-
toned to act promptly, he followed his
usual custom in this case. He went to
the nearest town and secured q minis
ter.
81 want you to marry me" he said.
with plea sure" said the clergyman;
"but where is the bride?"
well have to get her. Can you
stand long drive?"
The minister said he could. Lee got
his rifle and they set out for the Black
home.
Lee and his Clergyman walked up to
the door and knocked. The eldest
brother threw open the door, revealing
the whole family seated at the table.
Margaret had been allowed out of her
room to eat dinner, and she had been
sitting silently, refusing to discuss her
love affair with her iailers.
The three large brothers and the
father had threatened to thrash Lee on
sight If he came near the house, ana
when Margaret saw him appear sud-
denly in the doorway she jumped from
her chair, expecting to see her lover
set upon by the fighting brothers and
put in a condition for the undertaken.
Nothing of that sort happened. Lee
was too quick for them. Before one
could move he had his rifle in position
where it could be used rapidly and eff
fectively
Gust stand where you are, please,
he said. Mr.. Black, will you sit down
again? Thank you. Miss Black, will
you come out doors? Now, if any one
moves toward a gun there'll be trouble
II just wanted a moments talk with
Margaret heard that she was keep
ing the house, so had to come here tc
see her 1 understood that you Were
looking for me. so I thought 1 would
avoid trouble.
Margaret, I just wanted to ask II
you will marry me?"
Yes" said the disobedient Margaret
IT will. / won't be prisoner any
longer. I won't stay in this house and
I will marry him!"
Then, If your brothers and father
will just step outside" said Lee, and
pointed the rifle toward each in sue
cession. In certain parts of the west a
gun play usually means! business and
not bluff. So the three brothers and
the father came outside.
Nov, if you will just move about
fifty feet away" said Lee, and they
moved.
The minister had been standing
through this proceeding, a rather star