Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-12-16

OyEIfSHt "@on 'DS"tHO1i "lVSAi nii' " SnH
HMrs. oliver, 1 don't like to tell you, but.
-but-ihi 30 1nJJs 07 aENl th2T0 'lLlr oi
rH0hl you've heard bad news of Charlie?7
Janet, turning with ashen cheek, Glung to,
her arm.
H'sNo, my dear. On! no. thank good
ness, it's quite different. nYour husband
paid your board six monthsin advance,you
Aa9T t.Wss sus has '-5asI .a mldttLI 9iili7o
"Well, aheml it's nearly ten months since
ne went, and Pm quite poor, and I'm often
cheated, very often--7and--the fact Is can.
"Oh I no. Charies-Mr. Oliver win settle
with you the moment he returns" 'i' uL
-"Y Yes--but it's no use mincing matters,
my dear. I'd be glad to wait. But are you
sure he will come back? The sea is treach-
erous, and they say sailors are alsO-a wife
In every. port. There, now, don't take on,
Hayent Hay = you relations, r., or somebody who
"My father, I'll 90 to my father" said
poor Janet "He will forgive me, now" e..
She left the house as a. weary child might
have done, longing for that good old breast
that used to be her shelter. Far out Of
town that homestead stood, and its doors
were locked and Its windows barred against
her. A strange servant came at her sum-
mons. She had anticipated that, and writ
ten a few lines begging that her father
would see her. They were returned to her,
aud on the envelope was written: 1t,l,3
II have no longer a daughter. She is
dead to me-" .t.
Janet Oliver went back to the city board
ing house, and there that night babe was
born to her--a wailing thing that struggled
for life and won it at last; and Janet, hold
ing it to her breast, felt that fragment of
her Charles life lay there, and clung to it
as drowning men will cling to the trailest
floating. But for those little hands, those
strange innocent eyes, that precious moth
ing holding the embryo soul, Charlie Oil
yer's wife would have let go of life and
floated away upon the sea of death that
night. Her babe kept her alive.
And now her watch, her rings and-her
little jeweled keepsakes began to go; and
by-and-by her cOstlier clothes, the white
furs she had wrapped herself in when she
eloped that night with Charlie. One by
one everything went, save some cotton
dresses, her hood and large shawl =,
At last came the climax. She stood with
her baby befor the landlady, who said firm
ly though not unkindly-
"Mrs. Oliver, | am sorry for you; but
you have father and he must keep you, as
can't" ,... Ed. ... ..f...,
| Janet took her child ard went out into
| the midwinter afternoon. She had no hope
of her fathers pity, but she said HN.Uag
| 1--WE can die, my child and /, within
| sight of the old house; and perhaps he may
forgive me when he sees me dead" '' ''
Then another hope entered her soul she
would wrap the child up carefully; the little
one might live, he would have mercy on
that for its innocence.
Poor girl! she had no money for stage
fare; she plodded on through the cold streets
and out upon the weary road for hours; and
it grew dark and darker; eight was rung
from the city clocks, nine, ten, and only
then, by the clear frosty moonlight, she saw
the roof Of her fathers homestead, with
the elms about it as leafless as they had
been when she had fled from it with Charlie
Oliver, ... .....f ...... ... .....I
She had matured her plans, and dragged
her weary steps up the porch. Upon it
those deep windows opened to the floor.
There she would lie down, and in the morn
ing they would find her dead. Ahl poor
child. | dare not tell what she did, it was so
wicked, but she was very miserable. At the
bottom Of her pocket lay bottle which
was labeled ''laudanum." - "H .1 sH
At last she stood before those windows,
and one of them was open-wide open on o
God had opened it for her. So she said.
And she knew not the strange truth Of her
words. d. ."'
''Ohl my home, y she walled softly. "Oh! +!
my. fatheri l viii 90 In. will lie In my
little bed, will die there, and my babe will
live, and all good angels help her to be
better child to her father than have
been.n Y3H tr- s'-' tTor -..s 81 an
So she crept in ontip toe, unfastening her
shoes and leaving them without that she
might make no noise.
She gained her little room. BY the moon
light she saw that it was just rs she had
lett it and must have been carefully kept
from change. The sleeping babe was laid
upon the soft pillow, and then she thought
OF her garments in the bureau drawers
We're they there yet? 1t would be more
seemly to die in clean, fresh white robes
than in those travel-stained clothes which
she wore. So she peeped in and found the
white raiment. She put it on, then knelt
down to pray-to pray with vial of poi
son in her white hand and with mad suicide
in her heart. ''S
AS she knelt she faced the door, and as
her eyes glanced thither, she saw light
flashing up and down the wall,land heard a
footstep. Could it be her father? She
crept to the door and looked. Along the
passage came man servant, bearing alight,
coming very stealthily, with strange look
in his face-the strange man servant who
had turned her froEa the door by her faith
er's orders months before, and whose wick
| ed face had haunted her ever since. But
where was he going3 and what was he go
| ing to do? . t-s'' ...
She watched him with heart suddenly
stilled in beating, and saw him enter her
fathers chamber. .'-1,. .,ll,' .i!
Then she made haste to follow him as fast
as her trembling limbs could carry her.
| Net too soon. She saw as she glided in an
open safe, rifed chest papers and gold
| upon the floor, and che servant bending
over her struggling father. 81, 4,
She uttered d Shrek, and sprang forward.
| In prison, afterward, the villain said he
| tancied her spirit, and the sight benumb-
| ed his arm. He started, and half arose, and
with this opportunity the strong and Wig
orous old man recovered himself and turn
| ing on him, had him down in an instant.
The father knew his child knew that she
had saved him, but this was no time to
| think of that He only said - ~ y.
''Raise the window, Janet, and call John,
the coachman." t.SlI Is ~ i'',t.s
Janet obeyed. In a. few moments the
wiry rascal on the floor had no chance Of
escape-le was bound hand and foot and
he lay there whining. ~ w D93l.'V rs '.5 ,
Janet was soon Ia her fathers arms. She
| led him to the bed where her baby lay, aud
told him all. He had known nothing Of her
woe, not even oflhef baby's birth! TO his
mind she had. .beenjoytal IN her Young love,
ungrateful to him. God had left the door
~