The Lost Lover Reappears at the Quilting Bee
A decade-long disappearance ends in a fainting spell when a long-lost suitor wanders onto a back porch during a game of blindman's buff.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Ten years ago, Josina Button was a pretty girl in love with Will Kingfort. He left for California before they were married and, for nine years, she heard nothing from him. Friends whispered that he had died, which was why she never married. During a local quilting bee, the conversation turned to marriage and divorce, with neighbors pitying Josina's 'old maid' status. Later that evening, the young folks played blindman's buff. Josina, while blindfolded, groped toward the open door and stepped onto the porch, where she bumped into a man who asked, 'Is this you, Suna?' Recognizing the voice, Josina tore off her blindfold, cried out, 'Oh, Angle, here’s Will at last!' and fainted in his arms. It turned out Mr. Kingfort had returned to his native state after many misfortunes, having heard a rumor years ago that his fiancée had died, which stopped him from writing. They were soon wed.
“Oh, Angle, here’s Will at last!”
This quintessential 19th-century 'scandal' and romance piece highlights how isolated communities were—a rumor of death could effectively end a person's social life and prospects for a decade without any way to verify it.
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