The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-10-20

Hom you speak from love to me-"
wen men,, continued the dame, "opeu
Catherine was silent.
"Is your husband harsh ?v asked Hannah
mo, mop" cried the wife; "man could not
be kinder to woman than he is to me-"
perhaps he indulges in drink-in pri-
Hannah, you mistake altogether" was
GATHERINGS reply my husband is as free from
all such faults as ever man was"
"My dear child" almost smiling as the idea
entered her head, 'you are not suspicious
not Jealous"
nah,' answered Catherine. "No my griefs
are not of that nature. He is one of the best
ofhusbands.n
Old Hannah was puzzled by these replies,
! as much as she was distressed by the now
open avowal Of GATHERINGS having some hid
| den cause of sorrow; but seeing that her
| young friend could not make up her mind to
disclosure at the time, the aged dame gave
! up her Inquiries, and'told Catherine to think
seriously of the propriety of confding all to
her.
Hannah conceived that on mature consid-
Grafton Catherine would come to the conclu-
sion OF seeking counsel at the cottage.
She was not wrong. In a few days after
their conversation, the young wife came to
visit Hannah again, and after a little absent
and embarrassed talk, entered upon the SUBJ
lect which was uppermost in the minds of
both.
Hannah" said Catherine, II fear YOU can
serve me nothing-I fear no living being can
serve me. Oh, Hannahl good as my husband
appears to be--good as he is--there is some
dreadful weight pressing upon his mind which
destroys his peace and mine too. Alasl the
gloomy fits which you and / noticed in him,
are not without cause, fear" as-eE
Catherine wept in silence and continued:
All that know OF this cause arises from his
expressions-his dreadful expressions-while
he is sleeping by my side, Hannah, he speaks
IN broken language ofmurder-of having COM
mitted a murder! He muttered about the
streaming blood that his hand drew from the
innocent vlctimP Alas have heard enough
TO know that he speaks of young woman.
ON, Hannah, perhaps woman deceived and
killed by himr'
As Catherine said this she shuddered, and
buried her face in that of the babe which she
carried in her arms.
Hannah was shocked to hear of this, but her
good sense led her at once to suggest, for the
comfort of the poor wife, that 1t was perfectly
possible for her husband to imagine himself
murderer in his sleep, and speak of it, without
the slightest reality in the whole affair.
"Ah, Hannah" said Catherine, sadly, 'fthese
dreadful sayings are not the result of night
mare slumber. They occur often-too often.
Besides, when first heard him mutter in his
sleep of these horrible things, mentioned the
matter to him in the morning at our breakfast,
and laughed at 1t; but he grew much agitated,
and telling me to pay no attention to such
things, as he sometimes talked nonsense he
knew in his sleep, he rose and went away, leav-
ing his meal unfinished indeed scarcely
touched. / am sure he does not know how
often he speaks in his sleep, for / have never
mentioned the subject again-though my rest
is destroyed by it. And then his fits of sad
ness at ordinary moments Hannah! Han
nah there is some mistery under it! Yet" |
continued the poor young wife, she is SO good |
-kind-so dutiful to God and to man. He |
has too much tenderness and feeling to harm
a fly! Hannah, what am to think or to do,
for am Wretched at presentP"
1t was long ere the old dame replied to this
question, She mused deeply on what had been
told to her, and In the end said to Catherine:
My poor child, cannot believe that Will
liam Is guilty of what these circumstances
lay seemingly at his door. But if the worst be
true, 1t is better for you to know it. than to be
in this killing suspense forever. Go and gain
his confidence, Catherinej tell him all that has i
come 10 your ear, and say that you do SO by
my advice"
Hannah continued to use persuasions of the
same kind for some time longer, and at length
sent Catherine home, firmly resolved to follow
the counsel given given her.
On the following day Catherine once more
presented herself at the abode of Hannah, and
as soon as she had entered exclaimed:
Dear mother, have told him all He will
be here soon to explain everything to us
both'
The old woman did not exactly comprehend
this. "Has he not" said she, given an 9 K
PLANTATION then to YouW
mo Hannah" !" said Catherine, ebut oh he
is not guilty. When had spoken to him as
you desired me, he was silent for long time,
and he then took me in his arms, Hannah, and
kissed me, saying, "My darling Catherine,
ought to have con6ded In you long before. / 81
have been unfortunate, but not guilty, Go to
kind Hannah's, and viii seon follow you
ana set your mind at ease, as far as 1t can be
done. Had ] known how much you have
been suffering, ! would have done this long
before,
sThese were his words, Hannah Oh, he
may be unfortunate"
Hannah and Catherine said little more to
each other until the husband of the latter
graYely by his wife, and commenced to tell
his story;
"The reason Of the unhappy exclamations
in Sleep" said he, "which have weighed SO
much upon your mind my dear Catherine,
may be very soon told, They arose frpm q
circumstance which mas much embittered my
ownpeace, but which hope, is to be regard
ed as a sad calamity, rather than crime
When ] entered the army, which / did at the
age of nineteen, the recruiting party to which
attached myself was sent to Scotland, where
we remained for few months, being ordered
again to England, in order to be transported
to the confident One unhappy morning, as
we were passing out of a town where we had
rested on our march southwark, my compan-
ions and CHANGED to see a girl, apparently
about fifteen years of age, washing clothes in,
tub. Being then the most light-hearted
among the light-hearted, took UP . large
stone, VITA the intention Of splashing the wa
ter against the girl. She stopped hastily, and
struck her on the head, and she fell to the
ground, with, fear, her skull fractured. Stu
peied by what had done, stood gazing at
the stream OF blood gushing from my poor vic
TINS head, when my companions, Obserying
that nQ ope had seen US, Ifor it was early in
the morning, hurried me- off. We were not
pursued, and were in few weeks on the con-
tinent, but the image Of that bleeding girl fol-
lowed me everywhere; and since came home
have never dared to inquire into the result,
lest suspicion should be excited, and should
suffer for murderI For / fear, from the dread
full nature of the blow, that the death Of the
poor creature lies at my doorp
While Hutton Was relating this story, he
had turned his eyes to the window; but what
was his astonishment, as he was concluding,
to hear old Hannah cry aloud "Thank GodP'
while his wife burst into hysterical passion
of tears and smiles, and threw herself into his
arms;
Why dear husband,H cried she, as soon as
| fs,t,,I II
Morpeth ?"
1T was.n
EDGAR William" the wife then cried am
that grip f5l..
"You, Catherine!' cried the enraptured
husband, as he pressed her to his bosom.
'Yes," said old Human, from whose eyes