The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-08-31


and the servant, terrified at the horrid
look on his masters face, fed from the
room. 1t was dreadful scene; and had
not the old gentleman been wealthy, and
Sarah his sole heiress, |, too, should have
departed, rcsigning all claims to her
hand
Finally speech came to him. 1t shook
with mighty oaths, sometimes ascending
to shrill scream, and suddenly drop
ping to hoarse, cultural sound, almost
unintclligible. 1t would be useless to
attempt to report his words here, but the
last sentence of his harangue has never
left my mind
IF you do not, tomorrow, marry this
man. (pointing to mc,) i will kneel and
pray that power may be given me to
curse you as never before father cursed
child. l will curse you hear me
curse, curse, curse you, hourly, daily. al
ways, until you end your miserable life
in gutter There shall be no peace
for you on this earth, for every where
my curse shall howl in your ears p
The girl rose and cast a long, despair
ing look at Tom, and said Then may
GoD forgive you, father, and help me |
will obey you
Tom, added she, reaching out her
hand to him, but before he could catch it,
she fell swooning to the floor.
See, said to Tom; see the result
your meddling in my affair."
L., ,,l L..
and staggered from the room: he must
have been quite broken up by the misery
he had caused but his interference was
of no advantage to him, for Sarah and |
were married the next day.
1 entertained no doubt that all would
now 60 smoothly. Ny wife accompani-
ed me to the home | had furnished for
her-a home to which had been brought
every thing calculated to make woman
happy. During the first week she seem
cd to be in dream-cold, pale, and re-
signed. Then recovered little, and
took frequent rides about the country.
She was restless, and talked much in her
sleep. and sometimes even scream
cd while dreaming, SO that once or twice
| was greatly alarmed. was panied to
notice, too, that the color never return
cd to her cheek, nor the old light to her
eyes. | found at last that she had re-
solved to be unhappy. Nothing could
do would bring smile to her face, and
sometimes she was wicked enough to
shudder when came into her presence
When her father visited us-an event
seldom occurring-she treated him with
cold respect, and l think she was so un-
filial as to dislike even him. In truth,
did not lead very happy life, and it
was only the hopes of the large property
which would belong to her, that induced
me to bear with her whims and humors.
For some time l had not seen Tom.
No doubt, feeling that he had grossly a
bused me, he purposely kept from my
path. About six months after my mar
riage, however, l met him one day in
the street intoxicated, and of course tool;
no notice of him: he seemed to recog.
nize me, and paused to give me an impu.
dent, drunken stare, as l passed. Upon
inquiry, / learned that his habits were
very bad; that his employers, astonish-
ed at the sudden change in his behavior,
had borne with his Irregularities, and re.
monstrated with him, without inducing
him to change for the better and that
at last, he had been discharged from his
situation, and was then residing with sis
ter Nancy, who, when he was prostratcd
by excess, took care of him Once, when
under the influence of liquor, he called
at my house, and demanded an interview
with my wife. She very properly rcfus
ed to see him, but was so excited by the
event, that I was driven to call in ply
sician.
We had been married year when my
son was born. A thrill immensely diff
fercnt from any thing had ever before
experienced permeated my whole being
when | found | was father. l had
never loved children, but the possession
of this one filled me with a strange Joy.
Scarcely was the child a week old when
my father-in-law died from a stroke Of
apoplexy lie left by will his whole
property fortune-to his daughter.
My object now was, knowing how un-
fit Sarah was to take charge Of money
to obtain possession of it. For this end
| formed and rejected many plans for
working upon my wife's mind, to induce
her to resign her claims. But there was
no necessity for it, for my usual good
fortune attended me even here One
day she sent for me, and commenced, in
the usual cold, blunt style which charac-
terized her intercourse with me:
'You married me for my money
interrupted her with deprecating
shake of the head.
do MT lie to me- said she; Il know
you too well. You made a stepping.
stone of broken hearts, to grasp with
your avaricious hand at my fortune. My
father is gone, and the money is mine.
You have been devising schemes to get
it from mc--hayc you not p
NO, upon my honor ? replied l for
she was getting excited, and prevari-
Gated little to save her unnecessary
pain.
'Pshaw + sneercd she; 'deceiviug al.
ways But no matter. You know !
hate you; you fear that | will, in some
way, deprive you of that for which you
have damned yourself: you fear that
now, perhaps | am about to give to works
of charity this money which has ruined
me.
You surely do MT intend, Madam, ex
claimed |, terrified, 'to toss away this
valuable property in any such way Peo
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