Year: 1869

A Romantic Marriage.-A gay youn


man, residing in the neighborhood of Fai


Hill, who thought himself a little smarte


than the result warranted, and affected tn


role of heart-smasher among the ladies


was taken in and done for by a fair one


who resides not 40 miles from Elkton, il


the most approved style. This heart


breaker of nice young man was in love


it is fair to presume; "engaged," repor


says-and Madam Rumor is high authorit


i'll hymencal matters-to a beautiful youn,


lady, lovely as the daughters of Zion-w


don't allude to our Zion of the Empir


Store, where goods are sold so low-alway


for cash-that no one thinks of asking


something "knocked off"-but those darl


eyed Jewesses who wept by the rivers of Bah


ylon, and danced to the music Of the tim


brel and the harp when the rider and hi


horse were overthrown and drowned in th'


Red Sea. The fatcs SO ordered that thi


brisk young man, full of confidence in hi


own ability to manage the sex and JOKE


with matter SO real and dangerous a!


love-making and question popping, became


acquainted with young lady of sweet


sixteen at protracted meeting at Mount


Rocky Church. The young lady was


"sweet," and our young Adonis thought 3
fair prospect offered to do a little harmless
flirting before he resigned his freedom te
'tother fair charmer. But stealing forbid
den sweets has been the bane of many a
youngster and one visit to the enchanted


ground is but the precursor of second, >
the rapture increasing with every indul.
gence. Our young hero soon after the
first meeting paid the new charmer visit,
supplemented with a buggy drive, step
taught with imminent peril. The first
drive was only prelude to second and
more extended one, which was directed to
Elkton, that town prolific of mischief to
country lovers. All! fatal drive to the
fond, confiding fair one at home, whose
plighted troth was being betrayed; her
lover on the fearful brink with the voice of
siren filling his ears, and making him OBJ
livious Of danger.


In the course of that ride our hero was
so rash, so forgetful of his sacred VOWS,
pledged in presence of the witnessing
stars, in sight of the innumerable hosts of
of heaven, and beneath the chaste and
silvery moon


4 {1,a 70 .ofs
Byron says-that he bantered, yes, actually
bantered the young lady to make that
precious drive ever memorable by dedica-
ting it to Hymen. That apparently timid
and shrinking maiden, concealing all the
courage and daring of her sex under garb
of maiden modesty, Immediately accepted
the challenge. Our young brave being met
eye to eye, had either to back out and show
cowardice before the little beauty, or ad-
vance another step. He chose the latter;
fatal choice! The Clerks Office was visited
and a license obtained which was shown to
the lady, when our hero again inquired if
she would "back DOWN." "No sir-e,"
was her prompt reply. Those pangs of
conscience which make towards of us all,
began now to torment our luekless young
man, and the image of the loved one at home
began to haunt his imagination, and look
at him with tear suffused cheeks. Just as
he was on the point of yielding the joke,
and owning his defeat, the tempter wills
pered the fatal Zone more step" in his ear.
She will surely "back out !" when the min
lister asks her if she will take this man to
be her lawful husband, to cherish him in
sickness and health.


Now came the last scene of all; and the
romantic couple stood before theminister
He was asked the customary question, do you
take this woman, &C., when he promptly
responded, aye. Expecting, alas silly man!
that the lady would surely not plunge head
long into such an unconsidered matrimo-
nial adventure, and he would be hero i'll
deed; a victory won on the very threshold
of hymen. But the lady, wise beyond her
years, did no such foolish thing. She
answered eyes to similar question by
the minister. What could she answer un-
der the circumstances but yes? Was not
her name enrolled on the records of Cecil
county as an applicant for license to
unite herself in the holy bonds of wsdlock
with the young man, at her side, who but a
moment before had pledged himself in the
most solemn manner to protect and cherish
her in sickness and in health? Would it
not be a scandal never to be effaced, if at
the moment a husband was within her very
grasp, she would forfeit her roc and refuse
her assent to the nuptials? And then what
an awkward scene it would have created;
so mortifying, indeed insulting, to the
minister. No, no, she was too true wo-
man to be the cause Of such foolish scan
dal. And the matter would have gone the
dear knows where, for it would have been
sure to have found its way into the news
papers. There were weighty reasons for her
not declining, and but a moment given her
to consider them, but that moment was
sufficient, and her scarcely audible assent
was Immediately followed up by the parson
the twain one flesh.


The young brave who set out with the
intention of playing practical joke on the
minister, and cowing the young lady, found
his race run in short time, and he tried
pleading for his lost liberty; but his beau
tiful captor said, no-reminding him that it
was accounted disgraceful by the world for
a woman to leave her husband "without
just cause or provocation," and as good
husbands are not so plenty that they may
be lightly cast aside, she felt disposed to
rely upon that protection he had so readily
promised to give, feeling under the circum
stances more than ever in need of it to
shield her from the reproaches of cold
world.


The comedy having ended, the next act
was more serious. The young lady who
had been superseded felt this sudden and
unlocked for shock to her future happiness,