The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-10-22

81 can never forgive myself If he should
dep said Mr.. Bancroft to himself. ooh
what evil is sometimes wrought by passion il
an unguarded moment! Why did l not think
before speaking?"
Alasl the dreaded evil came. Mr.. Ban.
croft was at his store an hour earlier than usu'
al on the next morning.
"Have you heard from Mr.. Cartwright?'
he inquired, anxiously, of clerk.
"Yes, Sir" hs
"How is he?o
"Dead." a
s.Deadp' Mr.. Bancroft stepped back a
pace or two, as if strong hand were bear
ing against him. ..r.#aa#
''Yes, Sir. He died at seven O'Clock last
evening; so the paper says"
Mr.. Bancroft sighed heavily; and then walk
ing back to his desk, sat down, and remained
in troubled thought for long time. There
was only single aspect of the case that gave
him any relief, and this was the probable ig-
norance OF every one but himself of the i'm
mediate cause of Mr.. Cartwright's DEATH
He had not, it was presumed, mentioned the
unfeeling repulse which he had received, when
at the eleventh hour, and as a last resort, he
had gone to one from whom he had confidently
expected not only kind consideration, but
prompt relief; and so the secret had died with
him.
Mr.. Bancroft did not visit the house of
mourning. He could not look upon the dis
tress which his own conscience charged him
with originating; but his heart was velled in
gloomy shadows. ~
There was no one to represent Mr.. Cart
wright in his business, which had to be closed.
An active, hard-working merchant, he had
succeeded, through many disadvantages, in es-
tablisi ing trade that, prosecuted with indus
try for few years, would have given his fam
lily moderate fortune. But he was stricken
down in an unauspicious moment. Serious
losses occurred in the settlement of his affairs,
and when all his debts were finally paid, there
was nothing over for his family.
''Poor Mary Cartwught!" said Mrs. Ban
croft to her husband, one day, about six months
after the death Of Mr.. Cartwright; "I saw
her at Mrs. Marvin's to-day. She gives mu-
sic lessons to her daughter Helen. How
changed she wasp
Mr.. Bancroft made no reply and his wife
was in some doubt as to whether lie had really
heard her remark.
ssShe says that her mother has never been
out Of the house since her fathers DEATH"
Still Mr.. Bancroft made no response. But
how the words did smite him! Ali there was
a thorn in his memory that time could never
extract.
s.There was not dollar left for the family
from poor Cartwrishts estatep' said fellow
merchant. ... .
ESQ have heard +"
Mr.. Bancroft answered with seeming indif-
ference, but his heart quivered as if blow
had been given.
'It is said that the failure to raise money to
lift one of his notes killed him!" said another.
''Penple will say almost anything" replied
Mr. Bancroft, with assumed coldness.
Time moved steadily onward. The seeth-
ing spot on the surface of trade, where Mr..
Cartwright went down, was obliterated by the
onward-moving corrents; ana he was scarce
ly remembered in the business circles where
once his busy face was familiar object.
But there was one who could never thrus
aside his image; one in whose memory his
presence was ranking thorn. Many time
had he tried to pluck out this thorn by secre
acts of kindness to the family of MIR. Cart
wright. But the offort seemed to make the an
guish more intense; for the little he offered By
stealth contrasted so poorly with all-snstain
ing life-deeds of husband and father, that b,
was shaned back into impotence.
The case was hopeless. That single act o.
unkindness, so fatal in its consequences, wa
done forever. II had gone beyond his utmos
reach, and there was no surgeon skilled enough
to extract the thorn it had left to rankle in hi
memory. +a &s @ r. s. A.