Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1851-09-12


have occurred since our marriage. tha!
you consider me as occupying that po-
sitinn." " s@ N
Then i, is your intention To go with
this mani" said Canning. again speak,
ing in calm, bu, deep voice.
'Ceriainly it is"
Very well. | will no, make any
threat Of what viii. do, Margaret. But
this can assure YOU, that lightly as
you may think of this mailer, if perse-
vered IN, il will cause you more sorrow
than you have ever known. Go! Go
against my wisli--against my command,
it ynu will have il SO; and when you
teet the consequence, lay the blame up,
on no one but yourself. And now lei,
me say 10 you, Margaret, that your con-
Guetsas wife has tended rather TO es-
TRANCE your husbands hear, from you.
than 10 win has love. | say this now,
because | may not have"
"Jomes! IL, folly for you to talk to
me after thai fashion," exclaimed Mar
garei, breaking in upon him. i"
But before she could finish the SEN
tence, Canning had left the room, closing
The door hard after him.
Jus, an hour from this time, Mr.. aud
Mrs. Richards called in their carriage
for Mrs. Canning, who went with them
TO The assembly. An hour was a long
period ior reflection, and ought TO have
afforded sufficient ,Ipe for the wife of
Canning 10 come to wiser determina-
tion than ,ha, from which she acted.
Not half dozen revolutions of the
carriage wheels had been made, howev-
rr. before Margaret repen.ed of what
she had duue. Bat it was now TOO late.
The pleasure of the entertainment pass
ed before her, but it found no response
in her breast. She saw little but the
pale, compressed lip and kni, brow of
her husband, and heard little but his
word of disapproval. Oh! how she
did long :or the confused pageant that
was moving before her, and The discosl
an, minGling of voices and instruments
to pass away, that she might return and
TIL him ,ha, she repented of what she
had done.
A, last the assembly broke up, and
she was Tree to go back again 10 the
home. that had nol, alas, proved as pleas
ant spot lo her as her imagination had
once pictured il.
And that it has not been so," she
mnrmured to herself. "he has not been
all io blame." #&
On being left a, the door, Mrs. Can
ming rung The bell, impalien.ly. As
soon rs admitted, she flew up stairs to
NEE, her husband, intending to confess
her error. and beg him earnestly To for
give her for having acted SD directly in
to his wishes. Bat she did
not lind him in the chamber. Throw
ing Oh her bonnet and shawl, she went
down into the parlors, but found all
dark there. .a.. T..
"Where is Mr.. Canning!" she asked
of servant. ....
''lle went away about ten O'Clock,
and has not returned ye,," was replied.
This intelligence caused Mrs. Can
ming to lean hard ON the stair-railing for
support. She isl.i an instant as weak
almost as an infant. a.......ua
Without further question she went
back tn her chamber, and looked about
fearfullv on bureaus and tables for let
ter addressed to her in her husbands
hand writing. But nothing of This kind
met her eye. Then she sa, down to a,
wait her husbands return. But she
waited long. Daylgh, found her an
anxious watcher; he was still away.
The anguish oi mind experienced du-
ring that unhappy night. il would be vain
Tor US 10 atlemp. to picture. In the NOR
ming. on descending TO the parlor. she
found on one Of the pier tables a letter
bearing her name. She broke the seal
lrembIingly. |, did not contain many
words, bu, they fell upon her hear. with
an icy coldness.
"MARGARET:-Your conduc. tonight
has decided me 10 separate myself from
a woman who | feel neither truly loves
nor respects me. The issue which |
hav, for some time dreaded has come
Ii is better for us 10 part than to live in
open tscord. shall manage everything
for your comfortable snppor,, and then
leave the city, perhaps forever. You
need not tell our child that her father
lives. would rather she would think
him dead than at variance with her moth
er. JAMES CANNING.
These were The words. Their efItc,
was paraIy zing. Mrs. Canning bad pres
cnce of mind enough to crush The fatal
letter into her bosom, and strength e,
nough 10 take her back TO her chamber
When there, she sunk powerless unnn
her bed, and remained throughout The
day TOO weak in both body and mind ,o
rise or think. She could do little else
than feel.
Five years from The lay of that unhap.
py separation, we find Mrs Canning in
the unobtrnsive home of Aunt Hannah.
who took the almosi heart. broken wife
into The bosom of her own family, after
the passing Of nearly year had made
her a.nos, hopeless Of seeing him again.
No ore knew where he was. Only once
did Mar hear frn,u him and tha,