Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-07-09

lUSCATINE, low A,
her from the room for air, with fact
white as q snow-wreath. It was .
Lmomentary faintness, she said, from
standing there so long In the perfum.
of the flowers. It was quite over now
and she fastened back, a. though
fearful that seme one else should nots
the vacillation.
entering the festal scene, her eye
involuntarily sought around till it fell
upon Arthur. He was in another part
Of the roem, addressing with the grace
for which he was eminent q beautiful
young lady, the belle of the evening.
.Annie observed that the young lady
blushed, and her luminous eyes softened
beneath the look that was upon them
and a pang of jealousy, sensation Of
injury swept her bosom. 1t was diff
cult in that moment to feel herself only
a divorced wife butsherouse herself
command, rallied her spirits, and was
gayer and more brilliant for the rest Of
the evening.
There was a lonely, wooded dell close
by the river side, quarter of mile
from the family country seat, whose
carpet of Eoss, 4whcn summer time
came, yielded often to a mournful tread.
Its wild flowers were wet with nightly
dews, but more by daily tears. Oh
Annie Clyde was in secret very wretch
ed. ~
So the season waxed and waned, and
the household prepared to return to
town. Annie dreading the removal
for the change in her habits which it
must demand, despising society now
more than she had esteemed it, paid a
farewell visit to the spot where she had
hidden her anguish as one might hide
thing coveted.
It was a sombre afternoon /; fitful
winds rent handfuls of faded leaves
from the boughs /; Aocks of birds sent
forth a wailing chirp, lowering over
flower stalks dead and rustling; the
river frowned back to the frowning
clouds, coursing on between its sere
banks. Annie took her familiar seat
at the foot of a giant tree, which
seemed deep rooted like her sorrow, and
there for hours enjoyed the sympathy
which nature offered.
At last she heard (did she not hear
sound?) sound like near footstep.
She had sometimes thought she heard
the same when here on other days /; but
listening to the stiffness, had though: !:
mere fancy-or, if more, still but the
bounding Of hare or squirrel among
the leaves. This time, however, the
sounds we're repeated, and there was a
sudden agitation of the encirling shrubs
densely festooned with wild grape,
whose burdening clusters had fallen to
the ground unplucked. Adelia, anx-
ious lest she was exposing her health,
had sought her out.
Thus thought Annie, but with tre-
NOR Of her unstrung nerves, and q
gasping Of the breath that was more
drawn in painful sighs. She had risen,
with a hasty putting back of her dis
hevelled hair, and taken up the mantle
which had fallen from her shoulders un-
needed. The vines and branches were
cleft asunder by strong hand, and to
her feet advanced Arthur Maybury.
Annie sank into her seat faint and
bewildered, without the power Of artic
ulatiug syllable. Speechless as her.
self, Arthur knelt before her, took both
her hands in his own, bowed his fore
head to her knee, and rested it there.
She bent her head upon his; and thus
their humbled spirits communed to-
gether, baptizing themselves with con-
triton before heaven, and rising to
newness of purpose and higher ap-
probation Of the mortal mission.
Stars lighted their pathway out Of
the grove, and seemed an alphabet of
love which they had never learned until
now. A few days later the broken
band of Hymen was reunited with
deeper significance, with better hopes
and holier aspirations on the part of
those whose experience apart had been
so rife with unhappiness.
1t was on the anniversary Of their
divorce that Arthur and Annie chose
seats on the deck of the Golden Pc
trel, about to weigh anchor for the shi-
ming shores Of California-their chosen
future home.
"One year, said the wife, softly,
"since our hopes perished so violently.
Our hearts term Of mourning is over,
for those hopes have burst their cere-
ments. and come forth as by miracle. -
"Again and again." returned the
husband, "did / follow you, Annie, to
your wildwood retreat, watching (oh,
how earnestly y to read your heart in
secret as I had never been able to do
in public, and see if it shared any.
thing of the regret which was consum-
ing my life. Words cannot describe
the Joy Of that moment, when at last
dared to WOO you to be my bride a
second time"
There was murmured interchange
of endearing words, and an interval ol
silence.
'Do you remember" said arthur
again, "the evening in the gay compa.
ny when we 50 suddenly met eye to eye
What impulse l felt to revenge myself
on the miserable fop who referred K
you with such bold admiration !"
! .Annie smiled as she recalled her owl