Litchfield enquirer., 1855-06-07

| Inc IoiloWlng IS an extract from Nelly
Bracken,a tale Of forty years ago." BY Mrs.
Annie Chambers Bradford, of kentucky. Il
is an account of the last interview Of hus-
band with his wife, whom he had driven from
him by career of unmitigated cruelty:
The lights in the chandelier were burning
dimly when she entered the room. The
stranger stood beneath them, so that she
could not see his face. She advanced tow
ard him and said, in dignifed tone:
"What is your pleasure. sir I"
Robert Blackburn turned and exclaimed,
smelly dear! dear, dear Nelly" would
have caught her in his arms, but she recoil-
ed from him, and with one hand pressed
against her forehead, while with the other
she waved him from her, she gazed with a
wild, fiery look into his face.
He knelt before her.
"See, am at your feet, Nelly. Oh! will
you not let me love you again!"
"Arise," she said. mournfully but firmly.
81 had hoped-oh how evoutly-that l
might never see you again! But, since you
have come, l must say to you what ! feel,
so that this interview may be the last.''
81 left my peaceful hotne," she contin-
ued, "when but child, and went with you
to yours. gave heart full of devotion to
you and your family, and life whose ev-
cry act was one of service and self-sacrifce;
and | received in return, GOODNESS and con-
tempt and contumely from them. and sever
i,y and neglect from you. But even after
they had cast me off chung to you, and
was willing to do and bear anything for the
sake of the occasional kind words you gave
me.
"You remember the rest. You know how
| went to you from all knew and loved,
and was denied and spufned; and when l
crept to your feet. and, clasping your knees,
begged you to let me stay, it only as your
servant, for the sake of the child had borne
you, you tainted me with having no pride,
and worst Of all, told me you had never To-
we'd me, citing as proof the Indifference with
which you had permitted your family to in
suit and Willy me-"
"But. Nelly, that was done through
not forgive and receive me againl"
"Forgive!" she said, and her voice trem-
bled, she struggled al forced back the tears
that gushed up to her eyes. 81 forgave you
even while you thrust me from you; but
when you averred to Col. Pontalba, and all
around you, tina. You did not know me, and
called God to witness the truth of what you
said-and then they left the room, and you
threatened that il did not 60 from Natchez
you would take my boy from me and have
me imprisoned as insane, every vestige of
love died out of my heart, and | fed from
the presence of the one whom had trusted,
as if the arch6end himself had been on my
track. y
Where did you go, Nelly I" he asked,
for he had become so interested in her mar
rative he seemed to have forgotten he had
caused the misery of which she spoke.
Where did go,' she said. at mat
ters not to you. have lived honorably, if
obscurely. But, until a year ago, have
never lost sight Of you and if you had ever
striven by one act to redeem the past, l
might receive you very differently now
After casting me off, however, you went to
your old home, and with mock sorrow told
them of the death of your wife and child,
and your incurable grief"
t" But my boy-our boy, Nelly-whereis
he I"
"Do not" she said. wildly, "Do not
speak Of my child. 1t is enough that he is
dead, and beyond the reach Of Human mise
~, Dead ~ and the tears rained over her
face. "Oh, my child 7" she sobbed, "my
beautiful, starved, patient lamb IL might
only be one Of the dead leaves that fall on
thy lonely grave, and moulder away into its
holy dust! Do not tell me Robert Black
burn, that you loved my child. 1fyou had
loved him, you could not have cast him off,
nor have been so cruel to the mother who
bore him, whose highest pride was to teach
him to lisp your name aud pray for you at
her knee while you were disregarding eve
ry vow in the pursuit of something your.
self could not define. But cannot say
regret your per6dy. You won me before l
knew the necessities Of my own nature
When became woman was wife al
ready; and when the deep strong voices of
my spirit sent forth their inquiries and
hopes, they found no echo, but died away
in darkness and silence, leaving the cham
bers Of my heart So deso,a;e, shuddered at
the void within me, though did not know
its cause. But you have taken the scales
from my eyes, and | thank you for it. lf
you could be presented TO me tonight,
stranger, you are not the person to whom !
could give the deep love | am capable Of
feeling, for there Is nothing harmonious be-
tween US. Less than ever then, had you
never wronged me, my life would have pass
ed in tranquility, and might never have
known the depth and intensity Of my nature.
There is that within me which had never
been verified when you took me to your boz
som and though may be at times over.
whelmcd with misery at the knowledge Of
it, do not regret that have learned to know
myself. Henceforth, Oh God Of Love and
Truth, by Thine unerring aid will walk
steadily ia my own aonI's peaceful pathway,
nor strive TO keep the dusty high-road Of
mis-directed destiny, wherein so long pam
ted beneath the hot sun of false and most
wretched life ~
She stood for moment silent, while Ro-
bert Blackburn watched her features with a
bewiidered look.
.Oh, Nelly !" he sobbed, and again kneit
at her feet. " You told me 10 Natchez that
remorse would come. have wandered hith-
er and fhither for the whole past year. seek
ing YOU everywhere. with the fullest purpose
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