The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-11-30
bling with terror.
'.Let her CO." shouted Holt, ''or by"
The oath was interrupted by Ashley.

y
past to her memory, and if she can remem-
Der you In the faintest degree 1 will give up
my claim to you. But if she does Dot--oh, |
Holt, | saved her life!'' The struggle was |
an awful one, aud shook him as the wind |
shakes a reed.
''You tell her." said Holt, bitterly; ''per- |
haps she will believe what you say. At any |
rate, she will listen to it,"
1t was hard to begin the cruel task; yet
for her sake he undertook it. his voice trem-
bling, though he tried with all his will to
steady it.
Mary, love, listen. You know that you
must have lived moro than twenty years be-
tore you were brought here that night"
II do not know, she said; Il cannot re-
member"
But it must have been so, for you were
woman then"
Il cannot understand" she repeated. l
have no recollection OF anything before
Ashley turned to Holt with look of agony
''You see how it Isl let us end this tor
ture"
give me my wife" said Holt fercely.
you will not take her" Ashley cried, as the
thought of his doing so against her will struck
him for the first time.
''She is mine" said Holt $50 on, tell her the
whole story. If she does not understand it, she
will believe it when you tell it to her" The
sneer with which the words were spoken
cruel one, but misery had made him cruel, and he
scarcely knew what he said or did.
| And Ashley told her all in few words. She
! looked bewildered
at must be true if you say so, but | cannot
recolect; and oh, Ashley, | love only you"
"She must come with me-" shouted Holt, saw
! agey. The demon had got the better of him,
/ and the poor wretch, mad with jealous pain,
! spoke bitter, unjust words that made the terrif-
ed woman cling more closely to Ashley for pro-
! lection.
The scene must be ended for her sake. and
! Ashley besought Holt to leave them until the
| next day. when, if they could but decide up
! on what was right it should be done. For her
| sake, too he condescended to plead with the
| frantic man and seeing that Mary had tainted
/ in his arms he laid her down, and led Holt from
| the room, that the sight of her might no longer
madden him. His rage died out from simple ex-
haustion, and throwing himself into chair he
| wept like child.
! Ashley reused him. ''Holt, be a man. This IS
! awful tragedy. | wish 10 Heaven | had
died rather than play my part in it. There are
not upon the earth two men so broken-hearted as
/ Won and l. Let Us accept what is inevitable, but
let spare what anguish we can TO that unhap-
/ DIV woman Leave me now, and tomorrow
| will see you again. Perhaps by that time l shall
/ have thought of something for her"
Holt rose passively. "You nobler than ], -
he said, rs he turned 10 90.
1t seemed to Ashley that his grief was but be
ginning WGen ne tired 10 explain the WHOlC thlilS
clearly to Mary The torture of putting il into
words was so intense that all before was as moth
ing compared with it. And when at length She
comprer ended, and asked him if he wished her
to leave him, even that agony seemed slight con
trastcd with what he endured i'll telling her that
he believed she ought to do 80.
Loving as she was, she could not comprehend
the sacrifice to duty which Ashley was striving to
make, and thorough her ingOrance of the world
rendered it impossible TO make her understand
what her real position would be if she remained
where she was. And vet this case-sO
Ashley tried to pursusde himself-sOk ext-aordin-
AIRY. 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 mys-
terry of Inconsistencies deprived of memory, she
was still Hollis wife and not his, and with this
thought piercing him like sharp sword, he said
that he believed she ought to leave him.
She rosed up, cold and proud in u moment,
and would have left hm then, but at the TIRES
hold her spirit failed, and she turned again
to throw herself at his feet with tears and
sobs.
Night has yelled many nights of woe, the
clouds ofnight have at times been piercedDy cries
/ of anguish, bitter cries for faith and patience,
going up above the stars right 20 the feet OIL
God but night never shrouded deeper than
this bitterer cries never pierced the shuddoriug
darkness
When morning dawned they were both very
| calm and still. Thesr tears were shed, and tbeir
eyes we're dry. lie had decided for the right,
though his heart broken in the conflict
| and she. woman-hke, had accepted the right
not because it was SO but because he said it wa:
81 shall die, ;" she said, in voice from which
all passion had departed II can bear no more
AMI live, but | can bear even this and die"
Who can describe that parting? When tn,
sun set, it upon Ashley broken-hcarted anC
alone Holt had taken away his wife.
Seven days passed and Ashley never left hi.
. desolate home. He made no distinction of day
or night, but lay down to slcep-if the stupo
which from time to time rendered him uncon
scious could he so called--at any hour that siecI
3 came to him.
At the close of the seventh day he tried for the
first time 70 look his fate boldly in the face
= 81 am not dead he said, therefore it is cleal
that this grief will not kill me-" That night HI
undressed and went TO bed
That night six years ago, when TIE sheeted hg
ure lay upon the table, and he dreamed fantastic
dreams of terror connected withsit, came TO mine
more distinctly than it had ever done before
i. His sleep was broken and ieversh, and haunted
a by wild dreams. Twice he awoke feeling Ger
tain that he had heard knocking at the door
i and twice he slept again when he found that al
q was silent. But he awoke third time in TIL
@ gray dawn and heard the sound again, feebl
| knocking at the outer door, which ceased sud
| denly. He rose, determined to ascertain TIN
8 cause He unbarred and opened the door, ant
e there fell forward the threshold the deaf
q body Of Mary.
What the Farmers of Iowa Lose by High
d Freights
A writer In the Washington Press, In IL
g article showing the advantages of railroad
"a | III NV VIII oh tha rra