A Young Civil Servant's Wooing

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4306, 19 October 1882, Page 2

A Young Civil Servant's Wooing

Mobs Love Letters. Wellington. | Only portionsof the love-letters produced at the recent breach of promise case, Swiaey v. Leybourne, were published during the progress of the trial. The correspondence seems to have been commenced by the plaintiff, who writes from Palmerston North early in ■ December, 1881. Love's course appears to have run pretty smoothly for some weeks after -this date; Writing on the Bth February, 1882, Miss Swiney says: "You"—meaning the defendant—" send me kisses and glances, but I can neither see nor feel them, so must imagine. They say imagination goes a long way, but I prefer the reality—what say you? Now, my dear Willie, I must say good-bye, good bye, good-bye—but not for ef er. It reminds me of the hymn: We shall part, but not for efer, There will be a glorious dawn, We shall meet to part us uever ■'..,; On our bappy wedding mom. —'Profanity V my dear one."

The 12th of the same month Mr Ley bourne replies. He asks his sweetheart to "Kindly add in her petition for him at the throne of grace, to give my loved one bis hearing. Collins is doing what he can, but it is doubtful. He does not understand, I think, but if you and I ask God to bless his efforts, in faith, I will undoubtedly get good. I am not a cricketer, always being afraid I might get a bad blow by not hearing the bait whizz through the air." Mins Swiney had actually omitted to write to him for the whole space of a fortnight, in consequence of which, on the 11th March, Miss Swiney pens along communication full of such words as 11 broken hearted," " grave," " poison," and containing •the expression " I trust heaven may soon take me." For. this her lover takes her to task, considering she is "very soft" to give way as she has done, and says it she repeats the offence alluded to, he "will not again open the correspondence." At the same time he assures her that he has not allowed anyone else to steal his heart. '• Indeed," b« says, " I have not gone a step with any female for some weeks, and I always make it a practice to walk out with those I am enamored of. I always get quit of one before going with or harboring another." The next letter from Miss Swiney is written on green embossed ornamental note paper, with a piece of poetry entitled " Ever Dear." She also calls him " a nasty thing." Replying on the 21st March, Mr Leybourne objects decidedly to that word, "nasty." It is a worse word than 11 rotten," and he admonishes her never to use it again if she would retain bis affection. Mr Leybourne, in another issue, proceeds to discuss the question of marriage from a medical aspect. In the course of her reply to this, Miss Swiney says: "As regards being ready and willing, I am both, whenever your lordship gives the wrrd of command, and what you can't or won't buy I will, and also if we cannot get two chairs we will sit upon one—it will not be for the first time. Ido aspire, as you know, to a nice house, but what is the use of killing our health for the sake of a bit of furniture. Let us trust if we do not have plenty of chairs we shall have the all-important ornament —love.

Love, love, beautiful love!" From Christehureh, where he goes to witness hia sister's marriage, Mr Leybourne writes on the sth April that he is enjoying himself immensely smoking cigarettes and not disdaining to partake of Scotch whisky. "I do not indulge at the publichouse, as I am still a Templar—but a bad one I suppose. You are well aware there are both good and bad ones." This is her opinion of him after making the disclosure: " You are a splendid specimen of a Good Templar. I bare a great mind to inform against you, and have you expelled, but while on this subject I think you promised me in Wellington that when you are married you would leave them. This I hope you will do." He had made some reference to her driving him mad, which she now disclaims any intention of doing, " unless," she says, " I drive you mad with kindness, and kissing that sweet, wee, small mouth of yours that was made for kisses and nothing else."' Returning to the subject of houses, and furniture, she adds—" This reminds me of your calm Nairn street, and the-dear old chair in the corner. I love it, I love, and who shall dare To chide me for loving that old arm obai<-.'-But alas! the course of true love never runs smooth, and a reference on her part to an ex«clergyman residing in the township who wished her to become an old man's darling and take care of his fire motherless children, had the effect of offending her absent lover, who on the 14th April writes from Wellington " that it must be very evident to her, long ere this, that he loves her no longer. Then why, in the name of all that is good and bad," he asks, " did you not say yes to that ere scerf. I would not for a moment stand in your way, should there be a chance of bettering yourself. It would just suit you, I guess, to lie still of a morning and have your breakfast in the bedroom. Such do ministers' wires. Ani then you can have another snooze, after which you can make a morning call on some poor family, who need comforting Mind you must not lose your temper, or they will say you are a hypocrite. . X was always against marrying shop girls—they are seldom of any use in a house and know not the worth of money. You told me what you might have had. This is not true. You will see~by the papers that he is a bankrupt, and his furniture is only worth £30. It was well you missed him, and -therefore can look any man in the face. Take my advice and accept this. Presumably the clergyman is an honorable and truly pious worshipper. I wish you had told me his name, and I would have wrote to him and he might have you.

Almos* the last letter the defendant wrote after returning her letter was addressed to plain " Miss S winey," and was written on a large sheet of plain blue paper, containing the words " Summary of goods traffic " printed on the back. In dismissing her he says, "it is for your.own welfare that I have brought things to an end. You need some rude large husbands to teach you better manners, and your remark, that you hope I will get someone to lore me as you did, it is the easiest thing in the world In allcharitableuessl wish for your future welfare, and I beg of you to curb your temper and act as a Christian, if nuly to your own kind.—W. J. Leviousne.—• P.S.—You need not reply, but retain yourrenom."