Year: 1877

A Cartons Case of InfatuatiOn.


Jennie June, writing from New
York to the Baltimore American,
says:


1t is generally supposed that
when beautiful young women marry
elderly men they do it simply and
solely as matter of business-so
much young flesh and blood for SO
much mOney-and there is little
sympathy for either side if the bar
gain does not turn out as good as
was expected. A young lady of
Brooklyn has recently, however,
reversed all the traditions in this
respect. She is an only daughter
and the apple Of her parents eyes.
She is extremely pretty and petite,
with a rose-leaf complexion, a
plump yet delicate form, and pro-
fusion of golden brown hair. She
has been educated at home exclus-
lively and seen but little of the
world, except one year spentabroad.


This trip was projected in order
to get rid Of an attachment which,
to her parents horror, she had
formed for a man of nearly sixty
years old, who was in the habit Of
visiting her father occasionally,
but who took advantage of the
privileges accorded to his age, and
Of a still somewhat fine and even
distinguished personal appearance,
to make passionate love to the
daughter. He is a very poor man,
so poor that his board and washing
bills are always in arrears, and he
is overwhelmed with debts for per-
sonal indulgences for which he
never thinks of paying.


All this has no effect upon the
girl. She insisted upon hurrying
home; and the parents, really know
ing but little of him, after hard
contest, finally gave conditional
consent, their daughter to first ac-
company her mother abroad for a
year, and if she, on her return, de-
sired to marry her elderly lover,
they would no more oppose it, but
pay his debts and give him home
at their house, for they have abun-
dant means, and the daughter has
every advantage that wealth could
bestow.


A few months ago the mother
and daughter returned from Europe,
the daughter still determined on an
alliance so repulsive to her family
that the thought had made her
mothers hair turn gray. But ia
the meantime her father had made
himself acquainted with some pre-
yious passage in the mans career,
and as soon as possible after her
arrival placed them strongly before
her. The man was proved to be a
thoroughly unprincipled old scamp,
the father of an illegitimate child,
whose mother he had refused to
marry-the boy, now fifteen years
of age, supported and kept at
school by his mothers daily labor.
He had even been compelled TO
leave one place where he lived to
escape lynchlng, and left everywhere
in debt.


The father with tears told his
daughter he could not let her marry
such a man, and that her death
would be almost preferable. He
pictured her ten or fifteen years
from this time, in the flower off
womanhood (she is not yet nine
teen), with a husband decrepit and !
helpless, whom she could not even
respect. But it was all of no avail. !
She insisted that he had been
wronged, and said it was
the one desire OF her life to be able
to comfort his remaining years and
smooth his pathway to the grave.


There seems to be something
radically wrong and morbid about
a case like this, and | think her
would be justified in taking
strong measures to save their daugh- !
ter from her self-imposed fate. Ill
they do not she will certainly blame
them some time for their failure to
rescue her from her situation; and
should she ever die, as she threatens,
her death would be easier borne
than the long, horrible sacrifice to
which she wishes to cOnsign herself.