Waggon Wheel and its Women.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 179, 20 November 1886, Page 1

Waggon Wheel and its Women.

Idaho territory lies very far west indeed, and there is an alarming scarcity there of •women. This ha 9 been curiously illustrated of late, according to the " Dublin Mail," in the town of Waggon Wheel. Recently two young ladies travelled to that remote region to attend to their dying brother. The poor fellow did not require their ser ■vices, and immediately after his death the sisters prepared to return home. Before, however, they could get away nearly the whole population of the town — headed by the Mayor and other high officials— were making matrimonial overtures to them. Feeling ran very high during five or six anxious day?, and the Mayor's chance?, dospitebismature years, ruled thebetbing at six to one. At the end of the week both young ladies had capitulated, and were duly engaged. The Mayor -\\ as, b.ov» ever, cut out by a handsome young miner. The wedding day was fixed, and the mother of the young ladies was summoned upon the scene. She duly arrived, and was hotly indignant with her daughter? for the scant respect which they had manifested towards their brother's memory by such indecent haste to wed The girlo had replied that they had literally been besieged, and had yielded to the overwhelming force of circumstances. As usual, explanations increased the offence, and the mother vowod that neither of them should be married out there at all — that in fact the engagements were " off," and that they must be off to. The cup of felicity was thus rudely dashed from the lips of the two accepted men, and they made haste to toll their sorrows to the town. An indignation meeting was held, and the Mayor appointed a committee to wait upon the irate matron in order to ask her to reconsider her resolution. The Mayor, with rare magnanimity, considering the crael blow his own hopes had just received, placed himself at the head of the deputation, and in the name of patriotism humbly implored the good lady to grant the petition which he ardently urged. She, howevor, stood firmly on her parental rights, and declared she would not leav6 the town without her daughters. Then thegenius of the Mayor shone forth like the sun. He blandly proposed a compromise. Why need she leave at all ? He drew her attention, of course in moie delicate terms, to the fact that she was fair, fat, and 50 odd, and that similar language might be, taken as descriptive of himself. There and then he offered her, his hand and his heart, and the young ladies a kind father and protector. That settled the matter, and three marriages have just come off with a great flourish of trumpets at Waggon Wheel.

A correspondent of' the "Pall .Mall Gazette" suggests "the institution of an Imperial Gallery of Art in London, for the exhibition of the best specimens of colonial art. •' •' ■ '