Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-12-17

"Now, Mary, you must go back to bed {,

Nov, Mary, you must 60 back to bed,
and tomorrow"
She did not wait for the end Of the sen.
tence, but rose at once 10 do as she was
hidden, threw down the bo k, and letting
fall the coverlet that had enveloped her,
walked quietly back to the inner room.
Ashley fastened the door, and felt as if
he were mad from sheer bewilderment. -
She must have clothes the very first thing,
and how we're they 10 be procured without
taking some one into his confidence !
Even if he knew where 10 90 for them, be
knew nothing of what woman's clothes
should be. 1t WAS evident, that some one
must be told of the extraordinary adven-
ture, and i: was equally evident that it
must be woman in whom be confded ,as
he required practical help of kind no
man coald give him.
The morning dawned before he could
arrange any settled plan, and finally de.
cided that he could not il he would rid
himself of the charge of her, therefore she
should remair in his house, and he would
tell all the woman who acted as his house
keepers who chanced to be absent at the
time, but whose return he was expecting
that every day. He wonld bind her to
secrecy by the most solemn oath be could
devise, and if she failed to keep it, why
at any rate be was in a terrible scrape ,and
this sectied the best thing to be done.--.
The woman returned early in the day,
and Ashley ct once told all, and implorad
her assistance. To his great relief she
agreed at once to d, all that lay in her
power for the unhappy girl, and few
arrangements made, Ashley left the house
for the day, determined to shake off the
unpleasant impression which tire whole
thing had made upon him.
Returning at night be found Mary COM
forlably clothed, aud looking less pale and
i'll. His housekceper told him that she
had beeu dressed like a child, having ap-
parently no idea of assisting herself at ALL
1t would be impossible 10 describe min
utely bow intelligence dawned, and grew
swiftly in the poor girls mind. 1t was
not gradual groth from infancy but came
in itful snatches. The greatest change
came first, when her tate brig tened from
> its sweet, blank vacancy Of expression a
Astley's approach, and then she began t
wait upon him like loving child. II
r devoted himself to her very tenderly, al
most as mother devotes herself to he
D child,and with infuate patience taught he
D to read and write. She learned also t,
I sew, aud was not unskillful in such wo
J mans craft but what he taught her wa
! learned quickest, best.
Two years passed, and Mary had devcl
0 oped SO rapidly that she was much lik
C other women in knowledge and acquire
d ments, but she had no memory Of any
n thing before her trance. Ashley told he
e the whole story, and urged her to try an
d recall something of the time before, but
It was in vain her memory was clear gone
r And the present tiune was SO happy tn;
y they cared little for the past. She WI
e something belonging go entirely to hin
b even her life she owed to his care, an
u loved him SO Intensely, there being no OIL
| 10 the world whow she knew or loved b,
y side, that he could not fail to be very hal
if py; and the mystery Of the bond betwee
u them enbarced its charm,
They were married, and still she live
le in the same privacy as before her hu
at band and his love suficed for everything
d she shrank from entering world Of whi'
It, she knew nothing, Aslcy's acquaintan
b. had long ago decided that if he was n
sr mad, he was at least eccentric enough
p make his society undesirable, and h'
pr fallen off one by one, leaving him none b
professional circle. He had the rep
,u tation of being skiIful, aud bis practi
was large one; his spare hours We
y, devoted to bis home, VIII ch was his he
IL ven.
40 Two more years passed, years of
'y most perfect happiness. Mary differ
te now in nothing from other women, sa
e, for that blapk existence Of more tb
ell twenty years. Her memory Of that til
~ never returned. She lived entirely wit
e. in doors Asley had one evening tax
Ok her for walk, and the unaccustom
. sights and sounds of the streets had ter
to fed her so much that he never repeat
the experiment.
nu AT times longing to introduce
e' beautiful wife to bis old hends and rel
~ tives ia England was very strong, but I