Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-11-07


The boy was evidently anxious TO know
the object OF my inquiries, and fingered
about after had dismissed him so as did
not care to be watched, turned away after
securing particular description ofthe exact
door at the head Of the stair occupied BY
Mrs. Arnott. Iwent to the foot ofthe stail
that there might be no mistake | needed
some time TO collect my unsettled, throng-
ing memories, so walked away.
What were these memories?
Ii was now nearly eighteen years since
Minna Arnott became my own wife .r
1t was twelve years since that fearful
night, when i returned homo from a profess
slonai visit 10 find my ,yls<x wife she was
but seventeen when l married her) gone.
| Whittier? was too soon informed. The
friend had trusted, the wife / loved had
betrayed me--had fed together---where?
scarce cared to ask | Twas legally freed from
the now hateful bond. Her name was for.
hidden, and | strove (how vainly those who
have loved deeply will know to shut out
the memory Of her existence land thought
that save for the child she had left me had
succeeded. j had vowed that should she
ever kneel. pray for my forgiveness | should
| turn from her and leave her in her misery,
as she had left me- All these twelve lone
lly, unhappy years, / forgot the wife [ had
loved. l remembered only the woman who
had deceived and dishonored me---who had
taken with her the sunshine from my life.
| had even shrunk from the caresses of my
own daughter, when she too strongly re-
minded me Of her mother had looked
calmly forward---revengefully had almost
said--.to this meeting for twelve years, and
now that accidentally -proyidentially, if you
will-,-it had occurred, my heart Auttered as
1t had beat bu: for sixteen summers, in
stead of gathering rust fer five. and fifty.
My brain was in whirl. l could decide
on no single, course Of action. Like an ac-
cusing angel my conscience, long silenced,
stood up and charged me with being scces.
sorry to my wife's fall. She came to me
gentle, loving girl, grateful for the love that
mad placed her above want, a friendless or
phan, who elung confdingly, leaned lovingly
upon me: was twenty years her senior ;
had marked out for myself an ambitious
course, from which even my love for her did
not divert me; L. loved her passionately,
too; but my love, after its first heat was
second to my ambition. Naturally suspi-
cious, l doubted whether her love was aught
but gratitude, and to test it grew exact
ing. conscience now, upbraided me with
having frequently, coldly, even sternly, re-
pulsed hei when she sought by a thousand
devices that love only could suggest to win
IRON me the endcarlng epithets had been
wont to lavish so freely upon her Then he
my friend-came to reside in our neigh.
borhood, tie was much ySnpser- than /,
more nearly her own age, ardent In temper.
ament, generous, and kindly. The fire.
quency oil my absences made me glad to &C.
cept his services for her. ana the two we're
consequently thrown much together. I
must have been mad, infatuated. or would
have anticipated the result
And he? Where was he now? T could
not yet think calmly of the possibility of
his being yet alive. Unyielding, stern and
prompt in manner, had always been we'll
adopted to face and battle with the harsh
realities of life, but totally untitled for the
display of the gentler graces. Consciously
wanting the tact to pour the oil of consoa-
ton and forgiveness on the wounded spirit.
in the manner and degree that it was able
to bear, | felt strongly the need of third
party. able to sympathize with both, loved
by both, who should stand as mediator
between the injured husband and the erring.
desolate wife. And for that Office, who could
be more suited than our daughter, equally
near to both ? Partaking sufficiently Of my
stern, rugged nature to appreciate me. she
alone had dared to plead with me for her
mother, to beg of me to try at best and learn
her fate.
knew that the yearning for mothers
love was stronger with her than any feelings
Of resentment for the shame and dishonor
that mother had brought upon her. But
would not seek her till l had again looked
on my wife, (as l could scarce realize the
wreck ] had seen to be, till I had satisfied
myself that had not been merely giving
the rein to imagination, and investing a
stranger with the loved features, and grace
Of movement, once my pride.
/ crept again down the court, m the bro
ken stone stairway, carefully bending nv
head to avoid distractions, for from the
sitting air of the stairway Judged its hight
to be considerably less than mine. Up, up,
till l had passed four landings, with their
numerous doors, and still L had another to
climb. The increasing cracks in the doors,
and evidences Of dilapidation, showed me
that there the grades of poverty were dis
tinguished by their hight-first floor being
comfort in comparison with the wretched-
ness of the attic. When at length climb
ed as far as ! could 60, racking cough, the
same intensified which l had heard on the
street, directed me to the object of nv
search. The door, it would not close, was
tied inside by rope to nail, leaving a suf.
ficient crack for me to see in A small but
cheerful coal fire lessened while it displayed
the dreariness of the room. At the room /
merely glanced; the figure at the fire,
crouching almost over it, took all my atten-
ton. Her bonnet and shawl were thrown
of, but the face was still from me gazing in
tothe fire. She was weeping, knew from
her movements-very bitterly, as an occa-
sional sob told me- She had the shawl my
daughter had given her in her hands. /
saw her press it to her lips and murmur,
my child, oh ! my childI' stole softly
down stairs. could trust myself no longer.
The pride, anger, sternness, and resentment
of years were fast thawing away, leaving me
weak as any child. Atthe first cab-stand
hailed one, and directed him to drive me
home then requesting him to wait tor few
minutes, hastened up stairs tony daugh-
ter's room, and hastily told all had seen.
In moment, as / had expected, she sprang
up and said, II must 60 to her, 20 to my
mother" 'And tell her all,'' said. I
knew need say no more, for she understood
my strangely conflicting emotions. Taking
my arm she came down stairs with me,
strangely excited knew by the trembling Of
the hand that rested on my arm. would
WilliBely have shared her the main thu bu