What prompted Georgiana and Howard to elope and move to Nebraska in the story, A Wagner Matinee?

When Georgiana was about 30 years old, she visited a small town near the Green Mountains of Vermont, as some of her ancestors used to live there. During the visit, she met Howard Carpenter, a local boy, and they soon fell in love. Georgiana’s family did not approve of the marriage, so Georgiana and Howard eloped and moved to Nebraska.