Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-12-17
20.

till the next day, when, II they could but
decide upon what was right it should be
done. For her sake, too, be condecended
to plead with the frantic man and seeing
that Mary had tainted in his arms he laid
her down, aud led Holt from the room,
that the sight of her might no, longer mad
den him. His rage died out from sim
pie exhaustion, and throwing himself into
a chair he wept like child.
Ashley reused him. ,"Holt, be man.,
This is an awful tragedy. | wish to
Heaven I had died rather than played my
Fart in it. There are not upon the earth
two men so bro ken hearted as you and 1;
Let US accept what is inevitable, but let
US spare what anguish we can to that un.
happy woman. Leave me now, and, to.
morrow I will see you again. Perhaps
BY that time l shall have thought Of some.
thing for her.
"Holt rose passively. "You are no.
bier than T. he said, as he turned to 20.
1t seemed to Ashley that his grief was
but beginning when he tried to explain
the whole thing 10 Mary. The torture Of
putting it into words was so Intense that
all before was nothing compared with it.
And when at length she comprehended,
and asked him if be wished her to leave
him, even that agony seemed slight con.
trastcd with what he endured in telling
her that he believed she ought to do so.
Living as she wa1, shc could not com.
prehend the sacrifice to duty which Ashley
was striving to make, and her thorough
ignorace of the world rendered it imposs-
ible to make her understand what her po.
sition would be If she remained where ahe
was. And yet this was case--so As.
tley tried to persuade himself-so extra.
ordinary, so different from anything that
had ever been in the world before, that no
law, human or divine, could apply to it,
But above all, the thought rose dominant,
that by whatever mystery Of uncoscious.
ness deprived her of memory she wac still
Hollis wife and not his, and with this
thought piercing him like a sharp sword,
he said that he believed she ought to leave
him.
She rose up, cold and proud in a mo.
ment, and would have left him then, but
at the threshold her spirit failed, and she
turned again to throw herself at his feet,
with tears and sobs.
? Night has veiled many sights of woe,
then clouds of night have many times been
pierced BY clies of anguish bitter cries Tor
t faith and patience, going up above the stars
Q to the feet of God, but never shrouded
e deeper woe than this, bitter cries never
pierced the sbuddering darkness.
e When morning dawned they were both
!. very calm and still. Their tears were
/ shed, and their eyes were dry. He had
Q decided for the right,though his heart was
= broken in the conflict; and she, woman
k like, had accepted the right, not because
i, was so, but because be said it was so.
!; ~ shall die" he said, ina voice from
which all passion had departed. ~ can
bear no more and live but can bear even
t this and de-"
/. Who can describe that partingl When
% the sun set, it was upon Ashley broken.
hearted and alone, Holt had taken away
,t his wife.
" Seven days passed, and Ashley never
It left his desolate home. He made no de-
stinction of day or night, but lay down to
ot sleep-i(the stupor which from time tc
time rendered him unconscious could b,
u SO called at any hour that sleep cam,
to him.
- At the close of the seventh day he tried
= for the first time to look his fate boldly il
the face. 81 am not Dead" he said
Of therefore it is clear that this grief will no
lis kill me-" That night he updressed anS
went TO bed.
y. The night six years ago when the shee
a. ted figure lay upon the table, and he dream
er ed fantastic dreams of terror conneote,
with it came to mind more distinctly thai
i ! it had efet done before. His sleep wa
lot broken and feverish, and haunted by viii
ou dre ans. Twice he awoke feeling certai
ne that he had heard knocking atfhe dool
~ and twice he slept again he found that al
8" was silent. But he awoke the third tim
in the gray dawn and heard the soun
Is again, "a feeble Knocking at the outer door
which cea4si suddenly. He rose detel
IL mined to ascertain the cause he unbarre
ny and opened the door, and there fell fo
ward across the thresholed the dead bod
ed Of Mary.