Year: 1877

Choose Between Two Lovers ana LOST


Both.


A marriage in Detroit was recently
broken off in the following mysterious
manner The parties are bookkeeper
in large wholesale house, clerk or
salesman with firm few doors away,
a Young lady of more than ordinary at
fractions and her parents. The two
men were persistent and determined
rivals for the hand of the young lady,
and her parents were inclined to favor
the suit of the bookkeeper, who is about
thirty years of age, tolerably good look
ing. in receipt of snug salary and with
money in the bank. His rival was a
Young man of twenty-four, quite hand
some and stylish, but drawing small
salary and without penny to his name.
The young lady was unable for long
time to choose between the two, and
every day increased her bewilderment
and uncertainty. The bookkeeper would
spend the evening with her at the opera
house. and she would seek her pillow
with feeling of tender partiaity for the
man of columns and figures. But next
afternoon she would 60 out buggy rid
ing with the clerk, and his youth, good
looks and winning ways would turn the
scale temporarily in his favor. Both
had proposed and both had received
eyasive and noncommittal answers. Lat
terly, however, the bookkeeper seemed
to gain in advantage, and becoming
more assiduous in his attentions to the
girl and her parents, again urged his
suit and was accepted. The clerk first
learned of his defeat from the lips OF the
object of his affections, but did not seem
to be cast down by the unwelcome in
telligence. He replied mysteriously, IN
the following words: "What you have
told me shows me conclusively that l
have failed to gain your heart, and with
out that I should never seek to marry
you, and I now renounce all claim and
pretensions to your hand. l have done
my best and failed Iwish you to un-
derstand that what am about to tell
YOU is not instigated by spite, revenge
or jealousy, but solely by regard for
your happiness and future welfare: You
can never marry Mr.. -! 1 will pre-
vent that; andI thank God it is in my
power to prevent such marriage.
When he had delivered this extraordl-
nary speech he took his hat and pre-
pared to leave, but the girl, her curl
osity and interest reused to the highest
pitch. pressed for an explanation, even
holding him by the coat to prevent him
from going. But he was immovable.
"I am simply doing justice to all, and
particularly to you, by preventing TINS n
marriage" lie said. "By revealing the
means of prevention of which 1 am pos
sessed I should be doing an injustice to
nv fortunate rival, and l am too proud
toproft by his downfall. He the last
man in the world would seek to injure.
But I am determined he shall not iniure
you by marrying YOU" Then he took
his leave, and next day he went to the
store in which his favored rival was at
work. The two adjourned to a quiet
corner in the store, from which the voice
of the bookkeeper was shortly heard in
excited and angry tones. The voice of
the clerk was low, cool and calm all
through the interview. The other clerks
saw papers and copies of old newspa-
pers pass between the two, and finally
put away in the pocket of the clerk.
After brief space the bookkeeper's
voice sank to whisper, and listener
got the impression that he could discern
the accents of entreaty. After about an
hours conversation the two separated,
the clerk going out and the bookkeeper,
with a palid countenance, returning to
his desk. It was observed that he did
very little work with his pen during the
remainder of the day, and finally left
the store in the middle of the afternoon
on a plea of illness. The young lady
received note next day from him, an
nouncing in guarded but delicate terms
that the engagement was broken, and
that he would never call at the house or
seek her company again. A passage in
the letter read: "To marry you would
be the sun of my earthly happiness, but
a cause, with which you are entirely un-
connected and which I cannot reveal,
makes such an event impossible" By
this stroke the lady loses both of her
lovers and is entirely in the dark con-
cerning the cause. Any shrewd reader,
however, can make good, general guess
at the heart of the mystery. Detroit
Netos.