A MATRIMONIAL STORY.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 366, 19 October 1889, Page 2

A MATRIMONIAL STORY.

ROMANCE AND CRIME.

The London edition of the New York Herald publishes a story about tbe marriage of Mrs Frankie Brown McKee and Mr Arthur Branscombe, who is said to have a wife and child in New Zealand. The lady is a taMina. ting widow with some amount of money, and , a touch of romance iu ber career. It appears tbat when her father died she f ,und herself in the posseerion of £lO,OOO. Thie, together with her pcreonal attractions, snffioed to make her one of the belles of Ban Franonoz society. But her jealousy was aroused at tbe sight of a handsome and dashing young widow who received what sMmed to her female friends to be an unfair share of tbe admiration of the eligible amongst ths sterner eex, It seems! to tbs enrious mind of Mue Brown, as she then was, tbat if she too were a widow she might compete with bar rival on something like terms of eqoalily. So, through the office of a mutual fr,end. a marriage was brought about between herself and a man named McKee, who was understood to be far advanced in uonsumption, The lady undertook to keep him in oomfort, and supply him with that little which man wants when here below, always assuming that he would not want that little long. It was understood that McKee, on bis part, would do all that could reasonably be expected of him to bring about the speedy realisation of bis wife’s desire to don tbe widow's weeds. But "men were deceivers ever,” and no sooner had McKee wedded the heiress than he commenced to get better, rapidly approached a slate of robust health, and intimated his intention of living on his wife. The latter, ia disgust, got wbst remained of her fortune together and fled to Europe, while her husband went into a genuine consumption, tbe consumption, namely, of strong drink, which soon brought him to hia grave, When the welcome news was cabled to his disconsolate relict she at once returned, but not so much from a desiM to shins in the society of the California# capital, as became she wanted to And Arthur Branecombe. Arthur Bransoombe, to quote the simple but forcible diction of the New York Herald's

descriptive phrasemonger, is, or rather wse, a barn-etorming actor. At the time Frankie (this ia the Yank's polite way of indicating the lady) was waiting in expecta'ion of soon becoming a widow, he appeared in San Francisco from Australia. For a time he worked aa a reporter ou the Alta California, and while thus employed met Frankie, The two fell desperately in love with each other, and it waa agreed between them to marry after McKee’s death. Later on Bransoombe joined a travelling theatrical company, and with it made the Pacific Coast tour. It Is bellred that he end Frankie have oorreapous ded ever since their flrat meeting, He is a handsome fellow, with light curly hair and pleasant address, and is the only eon of an English olergmau who, before hia death, lived in Kent, where it la said the family still reside. Young Bransoombe drifted out to Melbourne several yean ago. and there became an actor. A theatrical friend whq was acquainted with him in Australia oon. firms tho story of bls having a wife and child in New Zealand, and says he does not blame Bransoombe much for running away from bls New Zealand wife, as he is from a " way up family in New Zealand, and his wife is rather on the washerwoman style." Mr F, W. Kinqe, who was night editor of the Alts California when Brauscombe was a reporter upon it, eays :—I kuow that he hae a wife in New Zealand, and I was thunderstruck when I hoard of bis ma-riage to Frankie Brown McKee. Bransoombe told me that ha would never return to Aus'ralii. The impression prevailed ia San Francisco that fit was the second son of an E gliah lord, I never looked upon him as an adventurer, aa he was a hard-working reporter. The New York Herald is inclined to assume that there may ba trouble in tbe future awaiting Brane. combe and hie eccentric and dashing young wife. One of his friends says it is barely poseible that Bransoombe had secured a divorce from his New Zealand wife, but he did not think such was the cate.