Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-05-31


to me ever since saw her. Stephen and
| were nearly overcome with emotion
but she was calm and silent, with an in
tert, wistfGf look about her lovely face
that has haunted me all my life since | can
see it now when / shut my eyes, thongh it
is fifty years ago Need | say that | never
saw her again?
| went TO my sisters house, and began
the fashionable life | used to wish for II
was not all that l pictured it, thor1h it
was pleasant enough to occupy me in the
daytime bat al night | longed sadly for
my darlings.
Stephen wrote le ters full of hope. and
talked Of returning after spending two
years in Italy Marion, too, wrote favor
ably Of herself, and my anxiety began to
lessen. There was another reason for
this at the same time-my late husband,
the friend and partner of my sisters
husband, was at that time beginning to
pay his addresses to me; and the tender
troubles Of my own case made me careless
of others. Summer came round again, +
and one day as | was half wishing for my
country home again, letter arrived from
Stephen Marion's complaint was at cri-
sis, and great change would take place,
one way or the other in a few davs |
Nt'H ~ ~ ii'iht- put tilc place III tFticT, (
and be ready to receive them | did not
know till afterwards that Marion had beg
ged to be allowed to die at home. if the
change were for the worse if it had been
for the hettcr. there would have been no
reason for her staying abroaI
Well, ! went home arranged everv~
thing, and waited for them Three weeks
passed (the usual intervaD aud no letter
month, and | supposed they were travel
inc slowly to avoid fatigue On the dav
five weeks after | had received the last
letter, ! was sitting alone rather late in
the evening, when n quick step sounded
in the road outside, and Stephen came TO
the cate, opened it, entered the house and
sat down In silence lie was dressed rs
usual and looked tired and travel
stained hut there was no sorrow in his
face, and felt sure that Marion must he
safe. ] asked him where she was. lie
said she was not with him.
Have YOU left her in Italv?' | asked
She is dead he answered without
shadow Of emotion
How? Where?' ] was beginning to
question him, but he stopped me.
/ Give me something to eat and drink,
| he said have walked from London and
want to sleep
/ ! brought him what he wanted. He
/ hade me GOOD night: and as | saw he
/ wished IT, | left him and went to bed full
/ of grief. but even more of wonder that he
who truly loved his wife if ever man did.
could speak of her not month after her
death. without his voice faltering or his
face changing in the least. " Tomorrow
wi solve c!Te question" ! said to myself,
as, weary with crying, | felt sleep coming
over me. But Tomorrow did not solve
/ the question. He told me rs before, with
ont emotion, what he wished me to know,
and tro.a that moment we spoke no more
+ on the subject. In every respect but this
he was nv own stephen Of old-as kind
and thon-httut as ever, only altered by a
rather absent and ahstracted manner. !
thought at first that he was stunned by
his loss and would realize it more pain
fully afterwards; but months passed on
without charge Heuscd Maricns chair,
or things Of her work, or sat opposite to
her drawings without seeming to notice
them: indeed, it was as if She dropped
out of his life entirely, and left him as
he was before he knew her. The only
difference was that he, naturally 4 man OF
spdentarv habits, took great deal of cx-
ercise, and knew that he kept laudanum
in his bedroom.
At tins time NV lover was pressing NE
to marry him, ana with much difficulty |
consented to tell stephen about it. though
had no intention of leaving him To my
surprise he seemed pleased told him
that would nercr leave him alone, not
for al the husbands in the world but he
would not hear me.
Il think it Is your duty to marry him
Margaret" he said you love him and
have taught him to love YOU. and YOU have
no right to sacrifice him to ne
" Nv first duty is to YOU, Stephen.
will not leave vou alone
Il see that | must explain to vou.' he
said, after q pause. when you leave me
shall not lie alone
Who will be with YOU p ! asked
, wondering
Marion.
! started as if | had been shot, for
- thought he must surely he mad; but h
continued quite calmly and as usual, with
out emotion:
She died ut mit~dav. Till night di
:. not know what did felt stunned an
! broken and dying mTsaif; hut Mt iast
worn out as ! WIS with Watching ana S't
lot