The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-12-08

w hich he made with fearful oaths. FL
nally, however, the carriage was driven
off, with the lady inside, and the lunatic
taken before a magistrate. During the
night he was securely confined in COM
Portable apartment. and in the morning
the person he claimed as his father-in-
law was sent for and came. Through the
influence of the latter, the examination
was held in private-but enough leaked
out by certain channels to show that the
following strange story of manly con-
stancy and woman's perfdy was revealed:
1t seems that James was young
man employed as a clerk in dry goods
establishment on Broadway, in this city.
He received rather meagre salary for
one obliged to support himself alone );
yet he would probably have remained
there had he not lost his parents. Both
died within a week Of each other, by
cholera, and left their only son to breast
the world alone. Keenly feeling his great
loss, and unwilling to remain in city
where almost every object reminded him
of it, the young clerk "threw up" his
situation and went to Chicago, carrying
letters of recommendation from the en-
ployers he had quilted. In Chicago he
found new employer in the person of a
wealthy commission merchant, who re-
ceived him into his store as assistant
book keeper.
His refined manners, sensitive dispo
sition, and practical ability, SO won upon
the merchant, that he invited him to his
house before he had been in his employ
two months, and treated him as son
rather than as employee. The merchant
had beautiful daughter, just entering
her teens. who, also. took great liking
to the modest, retiring young book keep
er, and as she always saw him when he
visited the house, they soon became well
acquainted, then innocently familiar. and
finally loved. The rich merchant saw
how the affair was likely to terminate J;
but he had formed resolution to let his
daughter select husband for herself, and
though his clerk had only salary then,
he resolved to make "a man. of him, if
l. ,,,ol1 L. L.
done.
He was not much astonished, there
fore, nor very indignant, when the young
man informed him that he loved and was
beloved but told the youth he was very
foolish, and then consented to the alli-
ance. In short, the pair were married,
the lady receiving dover Of fifty thou
sand dollars, and the husband accommo-
dated with a sum sufficient to enable him
to go into business with the father-in-
laws nephew. They were very happy,
and for nine months call went merry as
a marriage bell !" but at the end of that
period, and just as the young husband
began to feel himself able to repay the
loan with which his wiie's father had fa-
vored him. his partner basely absconded,
after drawing so heavily upon the credit
of the house that he left it completely
bankrupt.
This cruel blow filled James with de-
spair-he found himself in debt, his cred
it gone, and, to crown all, his father-in-
law unjusIy accused him Of wild specu-
lation, or something worse, and refused
to have anything more to say to him.
He still remained friendly with his daugh-
ter, however. We have before stated
that our hero was possessed of a strong
ly sensitive nature had he been consti-
tuted like most men, he would soon have
forgotten his ill-luck, and comforted him
self with the thought that his wife's for
tune would carry him handsomely out of
his trouble and into luxuriant ease but
he spurned the idea of touching the pro-
perty of one he loved best on earth and
endeavored to gain another clerkship. In
this he was unsuccessful no house would
employ man whose reputation for hon
or was tarnished (no matter how unjust
the charge might be, and he finally dis
covered ihat he must either apply to his
unsuspecting wife for aid, 60 to another
city, or starve. The first alternative he
contemned, the second he resolved TO
adopt, after terrible mental struggle
that few can appreciate or understand
He told his bride Of his determination
and after steadfaslly refusing her earnest
offer of her fortune, declared that they
must part.
She knew well how he almost idolized
her. and that parting from her was more
than death. yet his soul revolted at the
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