Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1857-10-23
Prom tho Tsmplau Msgazins
THE FOURTH WIFE.
by HATTIE n. oRAyEs.

and let me feel the warm clasp Of your
hand once more. as was wont in the
first flush and JOY of my welded life, for
| have something to say ere | leave you,
and my time is short"
"Say not SO, my dear Louisa--l can
not bear TO hear you talk Of dying l
hope you may yet live many years TO
bless me with the light Of your love and
your sweet smiles.
ut can not be, Amos; l feel even now
the chill fingers Of death playing with
my heart-strings; and perhaps 'twere
better thus; our welded life has not been
a summer day Of sunshine-many a
dark, heavy cloud has overshadowed il
and many cold blast swept over IL. /
was not formed to make you happy
may you be more fortunate in your
next choice"
80 Louisal my life my love; talk not
thus or you will driveme distracted. |
can never, never love another-I shall
never marry again, for my heart will be
buried in your grave" and the sobbing
husband buried his face in the pillow
beside the pallid one over which the
death-dews were creeping. apparently
convulsed with anguish at the thought
of his coming bereavement.
The dying woman gazed wonderingly
upon the bowed head as il unable 10 CON-
prehend the meaning OF such display
Of grief, and then laying her wasted
hand upon it. she murmured: Thank
God that, in this last hour, he has given
me the assurance ofyour love. Ii will
rob death of half its sting to know that
| shall be remembered after the cold clod
is laid above my pulseless heart. But
you will be lonely, my dear husband,
and l would not selfshly retain all your
love after the spirit has taken its depar-
ture, as il could do me no good and would
deprive you Of much future happiness.
/ will only ask you TO not quite forget
me when another shall lay pillowed up
on your breast, for no other can ever
love you with truer. deeper love than
your poor Louisa. But il would give
me great comfort in this last hour 10
know that your choice would fall upon
the one whom have selected for your
future wife. Lift up your head. dear
Amos, and tell me if you think you can
like her-love her well enough TO give
her my place"
"Who? what-of whom were you
speaking. love?" he asked, slowly rails
ing his head and passing his hand across
his eyes. as II wiping away the grief
drops, though they gave no signs of
having received any such dewy visitors.
cit is of the widow Flint that would
speak--her who has watched over me in
my sickness with all the tenderness OF q
sister and soothed my pains and suffer-
Iings with the gentleness, yet firm endu-
rance. Of one who is capable Of battling
with any Of the stern struggles and
varied emergencies Of life. should
yield my last breath more freely il /
knew that she would be my successor,
for cannot bear to think that another
l--so young--so inexperienced--as L"
she gasped once In utter exhaustion,
raised her eyes wistfully to his, then
closed them forever.
Well was il for the peace OF the depart
ing spirit that the death-flm had hidden
from her sight the CLEAN Dissatisfaction
that lighted up the features Of the hypo-
critical mourner as the name of the fair
widnw mingled with the dying request;
well would il have been for the latter had
she remained at the bedside she had left
i (unobserved by him when she found
that the dying wife had a private messa-
20 for her husband. for that gratifed
smile would not have escaped her watch
ful eye.
The last sad rites are performed--the
last tribute paid TO the departed wife by
Amos vulphin, when allwas over and
hecareful Mrs. Flint. in picking up and
regulating the disorder that house il
always thrown into on such occasions,
happened to find the yard of cambric--
which the bereaved husband had bought
expressly for the occasion as nothing
grief thoroughly saturated with wat
, cry fluid. she murmured to herself
Poor mani he has surely wept his eyes
almost outl How | pity him. for well
do remember the keenness Of my owl
sorrow when my dear William wa,
a laid forever away from my sight. Oh
| then thought | must die; but time ha,
!. partially healed the wound and no doub
Il will his. But never before saw
man manifest such deep grief"
!. Poor. sympathizing Mrs. Flint coulc
you have seen the "bercaved husband
stealthily dipping his handkerchief il
the wash-bowl and then carefully plac
>; ing IL in a conspicuous place, where h
y was sure you would find II, pity woul
have flown from your breast and loath
8 ing and disgust filed it's place. Blu
the gift Of divination was withheld iror
you. as il has been from thousands Z
your sex before you and will be- fror
IN thousands after You.
= Amos vulphin was one of the double
refined hypocrites that Luciier, himself
would chide for their baseness. He wa
not destitute of wit either, as man
hypocritos are. who have not enough {
l. that material to teach them how 10 pra,
10 tice their arts with adroitness and thu
y are often read through before they get
d. the end of tho chapter. Not so wit
'e Amos; he was we'll supplied with ii
10 commodity, Luciicrian though il wa
ID and he played his cards 80 skillfull
10 that mono save one Of his own clique {,
u sit takes rogue TO catch a rogue
9. could have detected him. He had see
Id enough ofthe fair young widow to kno
8. that she was no ordinary woman ar
ut would never stoop to marry a mean
to low-minded man II she knew il; so
~ commenced the game accordingly
'u for commence il he did from the ho'
% she hadstepped her foot over his thres
~ old to nurse his wife who was dying
consumption--alias, broken heart.