Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-09-20

Deen AWAY!
Il believe l fell asleep.D
Tea is waiting in the parlor-will you
make it?''
j followed him. ! noticed upon how bag
gard face the lamp shone; but his manner
was cold and depressed tenderness. He broke
painful silence by saying:
MARY! | have made arrangements for your
going home Tomorrow
An angry refusal to go rose to my lips I
represse d it, and said nothing.
Your eldest sister passes through London
on her way home from Kent tomorrow l
shall take you to the station to meet her. l
have written TO her and to Your father Your
health requires change of air"
at is well you should let me know on what
plea you send me away"
''TLe scene of this afternoon taught me that
we cannot live together. feeling as we do now
towards each other. l win not risk again
feeling towards my wife as | did when you
laughed but now. In your absence, l viii
earnestly strive to discover where have been
wrong in my conduct as husband"
hardly needed his words; my foot was
beating the floor restlessly. / answered:
''You will be sorry; my day will come: Won
will repent this harshness."
Am harsh. Minnie? then i shall indeed
repent. | strive to be calm and Just, only to
act for your good"
"Oh, you are very calm; you will be harry
without me, quitel But you are most un-
justr'
81 repeat again, Mary, that suspect you
of no wrong. Your want of confidence has
irritated me. When | am alone hope to see
clearly how lost your confidence and how
can regain it. If you were reasonable, You
would own that it is best for us to part for IL
little while"
Il am very reasonablel it is best" | an
swered; and know my eyes shone gleefully,
for had jumped over dismal weeks and was
thinking of our joyful meeting. He left me
abruptly.
My heart was ready to break when next
day L was whirled away from my husband,
who stood on the platform gazing after US
Regardless of all lockers on, | gave way Ia
burst of weeping, hiding my face on my lis
ter's shoulder.
My time at home was chiefly spent in wan
dering about the garden, orchard, and fields,
recalling past courting-days and drea ming
over my coming triumph.
They were all very kind to me. petting me
as they had been used to do; but liked best
to be much alone, to think uninterruptedly
of Kenelm. Several times he came to spend
an hour or two with us; he rcjoiced at my
improved looks, but neither of US said any
thing of my return.
My friend had written to me in most ftrvent
praise of my book. She was working at it
diigently-was to write preface for it. and
had made favorable arrangements for its pub
LEGATION.
Time slipped away rapidly. My husbands
visits were the only events of my life, which
passed in full dreaminess. | suppose natur.
was avenging herself for the excitement n
which | had lived for so long.
At last my book was ready, and received
through my friend. what | considered very
large sum. as part paymeat for the work.
My family had reason to think me suddenly
demented. Home. home home! cried I
insisted on departing the very morning on
which ] received my friends letter, only
promising to give them an explanation of my
strange conduct before long.
Completely reused rom my tOrpidlty nov.
my longing for k'enc IN and home was intense.
l would travel alone, too; | had plannro
meeting of which ! could endure no witneSs
Leaving my luggage At the station, | walk q
hOmewards across weil-kaCwa fields. But the
nearer l approached. the more my cOura re
failed me. 1t was bright early afternoon; but
there seemed TO me something eerie in the
wind that swept the sun-stecped fields. II
Kenelm should be III
] paused at the garden gate; saw no sign
of life about the house. paused longer UT,
before | could bring myself to open the house
door.
My heart stood still when / knocked at the
door of my husbands study; then it beat
again so violently that | lost the sound of his
listess .'come in.'' l waited. A slow, heavy
step crossed the room the door opened-my
husband stood before me.
Minnie my darling! Come back to me
of her own accord?" He opened his arms
wide. did not spring TO him. had lost al
bnOyancy of spirit now-all expectation of
rapture. Triumph indeed IN what? In tn
sOrrow-stricken, weighed down aspect of my
husband?
''Yes. Kenclm. | am come back" answered
soberly. | stood before him, feeling very gull
ty and ashamed. "Yon must hear all now"
continued. 1T was for this" Iput bum
die of bank notes into his hand.
MY child, / do not understand" He turned
them over with perplexod air.
Tparfully and hurriedly / told him all.
When l paused. and in my dreaming had
planned that should be clasped in his arms,
and hear his EXPLANATIONS of delight and graf
itude, he still did not seem quite to under
stand. Presently he dropped the notes and
hid his face.
shivered Where was my beautiful tri-
umph? had suffered and made him suffer so
mnch-for what?
sank down at his feet I laid my cheek
against him, and said "Kcnelm, was l wrong?
| Cannot you forgive me?'
Minnie! l shall never forgive myself"
| He raised me up and kissed me many times.
! This is the pain of poverty indeed: that for
! these, or such as these. You should suffer as
| yon have done. Ny darling how could you
do it? How could you endure so long? How
! could you let me treat you so sternly? Dear
esti these were not worth your painI'
saw it clearly now; L had burdened him
with remOrse, overwhelmed him with seli-rc-
proach! |. his wife, had irreparably injured
him. And when prayed for forgiveness. he
only begged me to forgive him.
| With those notes, for which had worked
and endured. lying at our feet. we made a new
marriage compact of mutual confidence and
| forbearance.
All! but did earn holiday for Kenelm!
! | was very i'll after that evening of my ',tri-
umph." When | grew better, my husband
| took me to a beautiful little nook by the sea-
! side; there we had a sweet long rest from all
the WEAKNESS of our world.
| do not think that Kenelm understood his
| little wife's nature the less for having read
her book. and when he had grown accustomed
! to the marvellous fact of its existence. 1 even
fancied that | sometimes detected just a little
lurking pride in his eyes and about the corner
| of his mouth, when people ia our presence,
| spoke of "A Wife's S. cret." At such times
| only cared to hide my confusion. Even
now after the lapse OF so many years. | felt a
| burning flush upon my face the other day,
| when suddenly came upon heap of news
papers and reviews which Kenelm had accu-
INFLATED, and in them, read the name of my
| book.
From ihe Memphis 8GIistin, Sgt. I6.