A ROMANCE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1229, 18 September 1885, Page 3

A ROMANCE.

About twenty-five years ago Mr R. M. Gilbert marrio I Miss Elizabeth Martin, rn ntiractive young lady under 20, and settle i in the little village of Pine Grove, of Centre C un'y, Pennsylvania. Their life together was not. the happies , and in about a year Gilhc t abando .oil his wife without making any provision for her maintenance and went West. So n a daughter was horn to her. She n >vor heard of him aft rwards, and us ye r after year rot'ed by shs began to be iieve bun to be deal. She left. Pine Grove, an I. going to Huntingdon, creditably sup ported herself and daughter by serving in private f unities. S e o»n gaine 1 a ni.-h reputation as a carcfnl and thorough housekeeper. He.- daughter grew up and was comfortably married to a well to-do cilizm of that town. Amongst the (oldest anil ra st respected residents there three yoirs ago was a bachelor, Christian Colestock. th- last remaining stem of a once large and i flu ntial family. He lived in a substantial house on the comer of Fifth ami Washington streets, ami possess' d considerable property. As the feetdenoss of ace increased noon him he none to feel the need of someone to relieve .him .of the core of his household affdrs, and accordingly tiio deserving widow G-lliert was secure 1 as housekeeper and manager. Shortly after this Mr

Coles took, although seventy-four years of age, ma le a proposal of . marriage to his faithful housekeeper. She hesitated at first, fearing that her husband might still he alive lut finally accepted. On Decvm bar 19, 1882, this somewhat incongruous couple were quietly wedded. The gossips wonderfully linked one another “What if Gdhe t should come back ?’ But he did not come b-ck, although be was alive and is said to have known of his wife’s second marriage. Enoch Arden like, he did not wish to emhairass his wife hy returning wh< n she was married to mother, and so he waited. Old Mr Cole«tock a : ed on December 24 of last year, a little over two years after his marriage, and thus the obstacle in the way of Gilbert’s return was removed. A few weeks ago he made his appearance >n town, sought out his wife of Tong, ago, and, bewailing his wild wanderings, re~ newed his attachments to her. Mrs Coleatock is sole heir to the Colestock property. In law she bears no relation to Gilbert, as the seven years’ limitation has long since expired, As soon as her estate shall be settled it is their intention to link their several fortunes together again.