Year: 1873

StlOCkcU IoT NIQoNEQ llObltl ullQ OlHOI
relatives by runaway marriage with a
young man whose acquaintance she had
clandestinely formed during her educa-
tional career. The wedding was solem-
nized somewhere on Long Island, and
soon thereafter the youthful bride return
cd alone to her old home, quietly inform
ing her pleased and puzzled mother that
her husband was too poor to support her
just yet, but would come for her as soon
as he could obtain employment profta-
bic enough 10 justify housekeeping. Ma
ternal Tenderness welcomed her back
without exacting question or condition,
and save by letter there was no commu-
nication between herself and the BRIDE
groom for several months. Finally,
however, the young man appeared at the
house and had a brief, private interview
with his child d-wife. He had found it i'm
possible, he said, to obtain the employ
ment be desired and was resolved CON
sequently, to go elsewhere. What con-
versation then ensued was neverrepeated
by the wife, but the parting was cold,
and tor several succeeding days the former
schoolgirl spent much of her time in hys-
terical tears. And from that time forth
she neither saw nor heard any more Of
the needy, improvident partner of her
matrimonial folly. AT the end of year,
when her mother died, she resumed her
maiden name and became a school teach
er. In another year when family friend
in California wrote to her that at Gilroy,
in that State, there was q fourishing
school which she might take on highly
profitable terms, she journeyed to the
Pacific. Here again she changed her
name, taking that of her mothers family,
for the purpose, it is supposed, Of making
less likely any possible Identification with
the circumstances Of her Eastern history
Such an experience as hers had been is
always more or less bunting to the femi-
been in any manner socially compromised,
even though herself blameless in the mat
ter, can never be exactly the same spirit





ually refined, clear natured creature she
was before. A certain roughness of the
grosser world has "brushed from the
grape its soft blue" and the woman is
the less dainty of character for the rude
contact, After nearly five years Of the
most crcumspect bearing as teacher at
Gilroy, the heroine of our story allowed
herself to be attracted by an advertise
ment in literary paper Of San Francisco
wherein person who styled himself a
lonely miner at Grass Valley solicited
correspondence with some lady as lonely
ms he. In this plea of loneliness there
was, perhaps, some peculiarly sympa-
thetc appeal to the unspoken feelingsg Of
of the poor schoolmistress. At any rate,
she wrote to the advertiser, who answered
promptly and gratefully; and then sue
ceeded stated interchange Of letters, in
which was developed growing fascina-
ton for both writers. Neither scribe told
much of the past-their thoughts seemed
all in the present-and after few months
of transcendental postal friendship the
miner besought the schoolmistress of Gil
roy to come to Grass Valley and become
his wife and was not denied.


3 It should have been told before, that
previous to her departure from New York
the bride of day had obtained divorce.
Furthermore, she believed that death had
more efiectually widowed her. Hence
her conduct in the above matter is devoid
Of any particular turpitude. 1t was new
erthcless, an equivocal proceeding, and
not without merited forebodings of evil
consequences did she start, a fortnight
ago, on her journey to the home Of her
yet unseen suitor. The stage was stopped
and robbed Of its treasure by highwaymen
Just before reaching Grass Valley; and
upon the arrival at the place, the bride
was not less unnerved than the passengers.
She was met by the cxpectant miner, n
sturdy, heavily bearded man, who had
clergyman at hand; and while yet the
excitement about the robbery was at its
hight, and the lady still confused by it,
the wedding ceremony WAS performed BY
candlelight. The people around them
scarcely understood the scene until it was
nearly completed, and then as the BRIDE
groom approached to offer his first kiss
the bride added a new sensation to the
prevalent confusion by drawing back
with scream and falling senselcss to the
floor Ginnu1fa oo,,el,r ~ "a ,,,c, =, -, -4,.4
ed back with startled exclamation, and
before question could be asked he had
disappeared from the house. When re-
stored to consciousness the late school
mistress raved and sobbed HISTORICALLY
about THAT man ! oh, that man !" and
would say nothing else; and in the morn
ing, says the Nevada Transcript, when
the stage started upon its return, took her
hurried departure for Gilroy again in such
condition OF nervous excitement thatno
one dare ask her the meaning Of the mys-
tery. AS the miner had seemed to share
her sudden terror in the marriage cere-
mony and deserted the scene so abruptly.
there arose the suspicion that he might
have been recognized as one of the rob-
bers who plundered the stage coach.
Such an incident would not have been
impossible in such place. But this was
not the solution. After nearly seven
years the lonely miner Of Grass Valley
and the schoolmistress Of Gilroy had de
tacted in each other tho deserted child,
wife ard the vagabond bridegroom Of the
olandestine marriage on Long Island.-