Year: 1871

A tale comes to us from San Fran
cisco so oddly dramatic as to be worth
recording. 1t appears that a charm
ing young lady-of course the story
would lack interest were she common
place-fell IN love with person, call
ed by his own class and those with
whom they consort, a sport" In
other words, he was a dealer at a faro
bank, and as such excluded from the
society wherein his fair enslaver
habitually moved. But they met by
chance at public ball; and, just as
Claude Melnotte admired from among
his flowers and cabbages the naughty
Pauline, who was destined to become
his bride, so, from among his marked
cards, chips and coppers, did the
young gamester lift his eyes to this
lovely girl of San Francisco, and for
get the gulf between them. So in the
sequel did she. Somehow they were
introduced at the ball, and afterward
they met-this time not by chance
at photograph gallery. They were
subsequently, described by the sympa-
thetic artist as they appeared on the
occasion. She wore blue, and had "a
wealth" of golden hair. The captive
sport" was "faultlessly dressed" in
full black, garnished with diamonds,
and had "a love of mustache." The
first clandestine meeting was followed,
as is apt to be the case, by others, and
to tell the tale briefly, wound up in
secret marriage. All went on smooth
ly for a time, great as was the risk,
and the honeymoon, masked in secret
as it was, seemed to promise we'll.
But presently tiny cloud darkened
the skies of happiness. 1t came, to
quote the words Of San Francisco
journal, Gin the shape of a live,
healthy man of business, occupying
business relations with the young
lady'a papa" This healthful and
eligible gentleman soon 5ecame d
suitor for the young lady's hand. The
father who is represented to be a "mer-
chant prince" of conventional pre-
judices, favored the suit. 1t was
avoided, quite naturally, by the
daughter, and finally entreaties, ex-
postulation and menace brought on an
explosion. All was confessed, and the
horror stricken parent was dumb with
rage and modification. But this
young, yet astute child of the setting
sun was equal to the occasion.
whats the use," she pertinently
asked, making fuss about it? The
things done. The only question is,
how can it be undone so that | can do
as you wish ?" The father listened in
silence, and the daughter went on; 81
believe my husband is already tired
of me, and know am of him. No
one knows of this. Go and buy him
off. Make him consent to divorce.
Give him what money he wants, and
then | can marry the rich and pros,
porous New Yorker" The guileless
scheme appealed strongly to the busi-
ness instincts of our merchant
prince" and he straightway set to
work to realize it. Several interviews
followed with the sport" who proved
as tickle as the blind goddess he fol-
lowed, and finally $4,000 was agreed
upon as the sum to be paid him for
consenting to the divorce. This was
promptly carried through. The rich
New Yorker, none the wiser, soon
came for his bride to the golden gate,
and their engagement was formally
/, announced. And now follows the pith
of this romantic story.


The marriage was to take place in a
week, and the intended bride was all
blushes and complaisance. Father
and bridegroom We'd with each other
in lavishing costly gifts upon her, and
the unsophisticated creature had a
sumptuous trousseau made ready to
brihg eastward to New York. But
the night before the wedding a thrill
of dismay ran through the household.
1t was the story of young Lochinvar
over again. The bride had fled, and
worst of all, with the insidious sport. "
The $4,000 and the trousseau, to-
gether with the wedding gifts, we need
hardly say, bore the faithful pair com
pany. A letter was soon found ad-
dressed to the father. 1t stated,
simply, that the young lady changed
her mind, and that when the epistle
was read she would ne far on her way
to New York, escorted by her former
husband, whom she had married again.
Whether the whole plan was arranged
beforehand by way of getting start
in life that faro had failed 10 supply,
must be left to conjecture 1t is said,
however, that the father had not been
obduratate, and that on the accepted
condition, that the green cloth should
. be abandoned forever, he has forgiven


the twice welded pair, and made his
son-in-law his business agent in the
Atlantic States. Such is life.


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