Perfidious Man!

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 49, 10 May 1884, Page 4

Perfidious Man !

Cases for breach of promise of marriage have always more or less of an interesting element in them, and now that Colonel Makins threatens us with his hard-hearted bill for the total abolition of this only protection of lone, lorn womanhood against the perfidiousness of deceitful man, the reports of such cases will be read with more than usual interest. One of the most amusing of these actions, which was, unhappily, not without its graver side, was heard at the Mayor's Court last week. There was no documentary evidence as to a promise of marriage — for, as the»'plaintiff herself naively remarked, "No d&rrespondence was necessary, as she and the defendant lived opposite to each other" — and when the learned counsel endeavoured to find some procf that these two people were, as they put it themselves, "engaged sweethearts," one Sarah Jane Lumbiss came forward with testimony to the effect that she invited both parties, on one occasion, to her house, and offered them the delightful, if incongruous, refreshment of shrimps and onions for tea ' She went on to say that the plaintiff would not take the onions until Mrs Lumbiss said to the defendant, "If you eat them, she will;" and thoa they both proceeded to partake of the oderiferous food, and Mrs Lumbiss felt sure, from that significant fact, that they must be engaged to be married. Asphing lovers will do well to take this story to heart, and unless their intentions are of that honourable kind which are destined to end in holy matrimony, it will be well for them not to ventme in future upon such tempting luxuries as shrimps and onions for tea. — " Modern Society."