WHAT GALLANTRY MAKES PEOPLE

Otago Witness, Issue 2252, 29 April 1897, Page 50

WHAT GALLANTRY MAKES PEOPLE

A young and promising barrister showed the gallant side ef his nature in a touching manner recently. He fell in love with a pretty woman of good family, and was blind enough to believe that she reciprocated his affection. That this was not the case, however, he quickly learnt, for the lady gently but firmly refused his offer of marriage. She explained that she was already engaged to a young man who had gone to Western Australia two yearß before and had not since been heard of. He had quarrelled with her father, and the latter had forbidden him the house and refused to allow him cither to see her or correspond with her. Some time later her father rued his harshness, and decided to freely forgive the youDg man should he again return to the old country. But every method of traoing his whereabouts failed, and the lady was inwardly much distressed.

The barrister listened to thiß story in silence, and then, after a sharp struggle with his disappointment, he expressed his intention of going out to Western Australia and making an attempt to find tbe missing lover. The lady did all she could to dissuade him, but he was obdurate, and at once started on his journey. So ardently did he pursue his quest, too, that in less than a year he came back and quietly restored the exile to his promised wife.

To tramp li miles through a blindiDg snowstorm in search of a lady's glove seems a mad freak, indeed, but a chivalrous gentleman of middle age actually did it one Christmas. He had been with some friends to a country house some distance from the town where he lived, and had returned with them by train at night. On arrival at the station a young lady of prepossessing appearance, who had made herself very agreeable all round, complained that she had foolishly left her glove somewhere in their host's residence. It was a glove which she was very fond of, she said, and she waß really very sorry to part with it. Had there been another train she would certainly have returned for it.

the handles, assumed an indifference which I he was far from feeling, and made tbe dash. I To the credit of bis chums, not one of them was cad -enough to jeer at him, and he accomplished his journey without any shock to his feelings.