The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-04-30

, as n sister, as you promised upon his diving
, bed-No, no. l became your mistress but
God above can bear mo witness, knew no,
/ what did. | only know that loved you,
} worshipcd you with all the intensity of a
} strong hearts first Affection
, Il was very, very happy in those few, brief
months, Gilbert. ! say it with shame, but
: yet | cannot help but say it. fused to watch
for your coming the few times week which
you spared to me, oh! so eagerly, so earnest
ly.' .....
i well remember the night which decided
my fate. have thought of it many times,
and never without bitterness and hate until
to day. You came to me as usual, and after
our little supper-how sweet those little sup
, rers were-you told me that great change
: had come over you that your daughter was
growing up-your wife, a good, faithful wo-
man was suffering from your neglect; that
your friends stunned you that your own
conscience smote you; and many other things
Of like import and then, to cap it all, That
Iwas the cause. You said you had deter
mined, while it was yet in your power, to
break, at single stroke, the ties between
US, and that each must go our ways, never
been matter deliberately thought of BY you,
for me, you could not see me 60 unprovided
for, and that to satisfy your conscience and
your heart, and to insure for me permanent
support, you would divide your fortune with
me, and settle upon me the sum Of ten thou
sand dollars in cash.
sOh, Gilbert Thorne what a wretched,
wretched night was that! When life came
back to me, after the full realization of your
purpose had left me insensible upon the floor
found myself upon the bed where you had
placed me, while you, bending over me,
chafed my temples, and sought by every ten
der epithet, to bring me back to reason-l
felt all broken, and as though life was worth
no further struggle. You asked me many,
very strange thing would promisenev-
er to see you more-if would sign paper,
and if would be satisfied to take ten thou
sand dollars and call all things square. |
said yes !-yes-yes-to everything. What
did care for? What was ten thousand dol
lars to me? Well, you left me and prom
ised to come the next evening. You came,
and with you came a friend-you said a
brother lawyer-to witness the settlement,
and to make out the papers. remember
signed great many documents. You told
me to be calm, and not to let the stranger
see me affected, as it would injure YOU if
did so. | was calm. l signed everything
You told me to, and then, when all was fin
lshrd, you handed me paper and little
book, and told me that there was ten thou
sand dollars in the bank, for me, which
might draw at any time. The stranger said
was all correct, and he thought Miss Irwin
had received liberal settlement aud then
he went away
She went on, slowly and distinctly, but
her voice was very low aud soft:
you closed tie door Of our little home
that night, Gilbert Thorne, upon the most
wrctched being God ever permitted to live.
You went away from the spot which, in my
foolish pride, had thought was the dearest
one on earth to you-without even looking
back, and without siugle tear.
'Now come to your crime-and my dis
grace and sorrow. You thought you did Il
generous thing, perhaps, when you gave NE
so large a sum US ten thousand dollars but
what did know of money? scarcely knew
the difference between hundred and ten
thousand dollars. had ally ays been cartd
for in that respect, and was never taught to
take care Of myself, Or to believe | ever
should be thrown upon my own resources.
| will not dwell upon what followed !oTeI
you so sincerely and so dcvot"diy that had
great difficulty in keeping my oath that
would not seek you-but | kept it. With
returning health | sought new associates.
and about this time learned that the gin-cup
would drown much misery. Well, lived II
gny life. had no love no tie to bind me to
virtue or higher aim. You took from m
everything but ten, thousand dollars and
that soon followed. Then came more mise
ry, more degradation, more shane: my beau
ty began to fade: my temper grew violent.
Through my ignorance and inpr0vid"ncr,
poverty came at Il time when having Il little
child, found myself friendlcss and without
mcaus Of getting food ; then death came, and
took away my little boy and then was
compelled to pawn my jewels to bury my
child; then my appetite for drink grew more,
and, one hy one, everything went to the pawn
brokers' until. after long years OF sorrow,
and sickness. and wretcheinesS. and unhap
pncSs, and misery, and crime, came TO the
miserable outcast to whom YOU threw tn
! pultrv coins this evening in the Park
| 'Whatn = interrupted the lawyer. were You
that wretchcd being who crossed mT path
this evening, to whom threw some small
/ change =
. Yes y she replied, Il am the same. Three
p.cayunes and Il dime. and have laid it 0 1t
at interest--whcre think it will help me to
a better life. But don't interrupt me-tll
| finish what have to say. am going away
to distant country to live, cannot ike here
more; and before | went, determined to
come and tell you plainly how well have
come to understand the great wrong which
you have done me, as we'll as those who are
sleeping under the snow, away over in
/ 'Grcenwood.' understand it oil
! 4 II
Thorne, had You kept your ten thousand, or
my dead fathers money, whichever it was,
and have kept me too? Would it have not
been more like man and a Christian-yes,
/ better in the sight Of God. had you turned
my too loving heart to its best account, and
permitted me to have lived out my little
dream? should never have troubled you
or yours. The little child who sleeps now in
Greenwood might have lived to some good
purpose. Gilbert Thornc, wish you to re-
member this night, and to call to mind that
have come here on this Christmas eve, the
anniversary of our first meeting, to have a
| final reckoning with you. | came not for
money, you have placed the last in my hands
which | shall receive from you-three pica-
yuncs and a dime-I only came to say that
knew it all, and hnoc the source of The
riches Of Gilbert Thorne.'
| The lawyers face grew dark.
'But came not to upbraid you, came
not to expose you l came not to do you any
harm, only came, ere my departure, to bid
you a kindly farewell, and to tell you that
out Of the great sorrow and wretcheduess
which has made the miserable outcast which
| had come to be, holier, better spirit utters
a full forgiveness for all he evil which |
! have received Mt VOUr hands.
''This is all | have to say, Gilbert Thornc; !;
all the reckoning come to make, and now,'
slowly rising, 'lnay the great God, through
the lntercession of Him whose nativity the
ceremonies of this night commemorate, keep
you and yours from all evil and harm, and
not visit the sins of the father upon the chill
dren.'
! As she said this she had risen to her full
height, and her upturned face was lit with
radiance which it had never known be-
| fore.
'Oh! Jenny, Jenny groaned Gilbert
| Thorne, throwing himself ut her feet, sfor