Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1875 — William Grimm’s Courting. [ARTICLE]

William Grimm’s Courting.

Some people w-ho w-rite books never marry. It’s a pity, because those who write books are good folks. Jacob and William Grimm, w-ho w-rote fairy stories, were bachelors. They always lived together and worked together and wrote in a wonderfully contented way before either had a wife or children. At last they thought it best that one of them should marry. Neither wanted a w ife a bit—which should it be ? After long w-aiting, Jacob, the older brother, concluded to be generous and self-forgetful, and relieve William of his share M the difficulty by taking the burden of a wife upon himself. So he selected a handsome young lady, but there he hesitated again and delayed, for he did not like to do the courting. William thought he would encourage him a little by going to see the young lady himself. He found her so handsome and engaging that he immediately fell in love with her, and to his surprise found courting the most agreeable thing in the world. But the lady was Jacob’s by selection —now what was to be done? Here was trouble again. An old aunt went to Jacob, very kindly, and said: “ William is in love—he cannot wrong you—what shall he do?” “ This is the most joyful tidings I ever heard,” said Jacob. “Let him have her —let him have her!” And he packed his trunk and started off for the Hartz Mountains. William married,’ and Jacob came to live with him. In time he loved William’s wife and little children very much. One of these children became a noble and useful man. And the two brothers grew old together, and when they were not writing books of great learning they did that other good thing —they wrote fain- stories for little children. This story ofbayhelor Jacob Grimm reminds me, though I hardly know why, of the crusty old bachelor who made a will leaving his entire fortune to be divided among the girls who had refused him. “ For to them,” he added, feelingly, “I owe all my earthly happiness.” —The Paterson (N. J.) papers tells the following distressing story: Mrs. Post, wife of Thomas V.R. Post, residing on the Erie Railway, near Ridgewood, sent her children to the store, about half a mile distant, on an errand. They were sb long absent that she feared they would be late for school, and accordingly,., taking her youngest—a little boy of less than two years—along with her, she started out to look for them and found them. They not having been to the store or else having forgotten something, she concluded to go herself and send them on to school. ..She left the little one behind and started, not intending to be gone long. Upon returning some half an hour later she observed as she neared the track express train No. 12 come thundering along at the rate of a mile a minute, it being two hours behind time. She also saw her child sitting carelessly tossing up the sand directly between the tracks and in the way of the incoming train. She rushed forward and, wild with affright, almost precipitated her own body beneath the iron wheels. So near was she that the locomotive struck her hands in passing, as she held them forth in her agonized attempt to do something for her child. The train passed and the little one was discovered with its head completely severed from its body—in fact, eye-wit-nesses aver that the child’s head rolled on one side as the body fell on the other. The mother is said to have become a maniac.