A PRETTY LITTLE ROMANCE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1879, 16 April 1889, Page 4

A PRETTY LITTLE ROMANCE.

The young gentleman had just been admitted to the Bar, had opened an office in the city, and was waiting, Micawber-like, for something to turn up. He was engaged to a young lady whose beauty and true worth were not to be equalled, in his estimation, either in this country or in Europe. She had once been wealthy, and at that time had moved in that social circle known to fame as “ M’Allister’s Eour Hundred.” Her reduced circumstances, however, had brought her to the circle in which she met and won the love of' the struggling young barrister. His sense of honor was one of the finest —perhaps too fine—and he congratulated himself that she was no longer an heiress, for had she been she would not have become his fiancee, And he was sure his finer feelings would never permit hiin to “ marry money.” For this reason he was anxious to make a start in his chosen profession which would enable him to hasten the happy day. His first client enabled him to do this, but tad not this initial case been a long time in coming there never would have been occasion to chronicle this romance.

To cut a long story short the youug lady, through the death of a distant and almost unknown relative, fell heir to a property larger than she originally possessed. The young man, true to his sense of honor, gave her her freedom in a short note, although the act cost him a great pang. This brought from the young lady a longer note, asking him to reconsider his action and requesting an interview. He thanked her by post for her kindness, and told her that as an equal in wealth he would have been honored by a union with her, but that she was now in a position to make a much more desirable alliance. The days that followed this generous renunciation of wealth and happiness were sad ones for the young lawyer, made doubly so by the fact that they were spent in solitude in his office, uninterrupted by clients. About a week after breaking off his engagement the young man way startled by the appearance in his office of the girl he had given up. 15he smiled beautifully on him and said ; If you wiii not marry me let us at any rate bo friends. I need the advice of counsel in a suit which I am about to bring, and for the sake of old times I hope you will do your best forme.”

“ By all means,” replied the astonished deseiple of Blackstone. “If you will give me the facts of tho case I will attend to it at once.”

“ I wish to bring a suit for damages for breach of promise against , I would not do this only I know ho loves me still, and will not marry me because he •thinks I can and want to do better.”

It is needless to say that the case was compromised and never brought into Court,—Australian Star.

THE TE KOOTI SCARE AT HOME. Tho London correspondent of the Mow Zealand Times, writing on February 23rd says:—New Zealanders m this country are pestered out of tfieir lives this last few days for information with regard to the reported trouble in Poverty Bay district. The first intimation we had was a Reuter’s telegram dated Auckland, February 18th, which said “ Serious uneasiness prevails in the Gisborne district, Cook County, owing to the approach with a large following, of Te Kooti, the leader of the Poverty Bay massacre in 1886 (sic), when 33 Europeans and 39 friendly Natives were killed. The settlers are arming, and the relatives of the victims threaten to take revenge on Te Kooti. The families of the settlers have been sent into the town of Gisborne, and the Government are preparing for an emergency. The news has caused general excitement.” To us who know something of the colony, it is very amusing to read of the massacre taking place in 1886. People here are asking if that was a second massacre, as they have an idea that one took place ever so many years ago. I see m one or two papers some one Las taken the trouble to correct the date. The news has put a damper on W. B. Rees’ Co-operative Colonising Association, to despatch a lot of settlers to the Gisborne district. The friends of those who left here by the Aorangi lately are half scared out of their wits, and imagine that general massacres in New Zealand are the order of the day. The trouble with Te Kooti will have the effect of retarding the progress of the country to some extent, for it gives an impression to many people that tho colony is over-run with half civilised semi-cannibals.