Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 April 1891 — SPOILED THE ELOPEMENT. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SPOILED THE ELOPEMENT.

A Goat Encaged in a .Nocturnal Prow* Smashed a Romance to Piece*. Not long ago a young lady who desired to get up with the lark, in order to go on an eloping tour, adopted the schoolboy’s plan, and the lover was tobe on hand at daybreak to give the signal. The string used for the pedal communication was a stout cord, and one end was dropped out of the third-story window into the back yard, and the other end, of course, was attached to the damsel’s great toe. The legend runs that a healthy goat of the William persuasion arose early next mornings and wandered into the yard. After eating up all the old sardine tins, barrel staves and broken crockery, he found the string and took that in as dessert. As soon as the string was drawn taut the goat stood upon his-

hind legs and gave an impulsive jerk. The girl awoke. The goat gave another sudden pull, and the maiden jumped nut of bed with a smothered cry of pain. Then she stooped down to detach the cord just as the ridiculous beast gave another violent jerk, and she nearly ■lost her equilibrium, and her toe, too, the cord cutting into the tender flesh. She sprang to the window and called down in a hoarse whisper: “Stop pulling, Harry. I’ll be down in a minute. ” Then she made another effort to lihtie the cord, but the persistent goatgave his head several angry bobs, and each time the girl uttered a cry of pain. Again she called into the darkness: “Harry, if you don’t stop jerking like that I won’t come down at all.” She was answered by another savage pull, and the cry of anguish that escaped her brought her mother into the room with a look of affright and a. lighted lamp. The young lady fainted, the elopement was nipped in the bud, and the disappointed ma’den’s toe was sore for a month. The goat escaped.—* Sheffield Telegraph.

THE GOAT SPOILED THE ELOPEMENT.