The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-07-11

| from his recumbent position on the sofa,
and looked into his wifes face. A cry
of tear parted her lips, and she said hast
ily,-
90 Edward, you are ILL.,
l am artsick--heart-b broken, in de-
spair, Anna,
Ny precious husband y 7 he tones
Of Mrs Fleetwood were ovcrburdencd
with the tenderest love-, don't say heart
broken-don't say in dcspair-don't say
ruined. God is In Heaven and you are
still man.
by a suddenly falling and unexpected
blow, Anna, am stricken to the carth.-
My all is scattered to the winds
But the man is safe!' said Mrs.
Fleetwood, throwing in the sentence, and
in n tone almost exultant.
Mr.. Fleetwood looked at his wife half
wonderingly. A light seemed at the
moment to break upon him, and he re-
piled,
yes, Annie, the man is safe, I trust
There has been no defect of honor
There could be none, Edward, and
therefore said, not ruined that Is i'm
possible. With honor on your side and
love on mine, our little world is snfe
No enemy can darken our door,
Il bless you for these words, dear An
ma said Mr.. Fleetwood, but not with the
air of man who felt relieved from the
pressure Of a heavy burden. Your cour
age, your faith, your patience, will give
strength in hours of weakness that are
sure to come. But let me tell you the
whole truth in plain words, and then you
will not wonder that the blow has strick-
en- me down. My little fortune has been
lost by the treachery of man in whose
integrity confided, and for whom have
done what l never would have done for
mysclf-used the official signature of the
Insurance Company of which am Prcsi-
dent, for purposes outside its legitimate
business. | learned of his failure an hour
ago, and called upon him Immediately
From his lips | received the blasting in
telligcnce that every dollar of hi, property
had already passed hopclessly beyond his
control Have you not secured anything !?
| asked. lie shook his head. Will that
collateral be protested | referred TO
NOES of the company which had given
to him. Everything has passed out Of
my hands, was his reply. Then you Are
villain and a duped and ruined man,
answered, and left him.
1T is very hard, Edward said his wife,
tears running over her checks, as she
leaned toward him, with her eye fixed
upon his pale, suffering face. 'But dear
dear husband, let me say TO you now at
the beginning Of consequences which
must flow from this sad disaster, that
nothing is to be thought of by you, rs
affecting me- Shall sit in the cool,
pleasant, summer evening with my hus-
band, and not stand by his side when the
tempest falls Only one thing you have
said has at all frightened me-"
Il know what you mean. Loss of
property, small rs it may be. is painful
disaster to any one but O, the thought
of dishonored name is indeed lrighirul
That ordeal, Anna, have got to pass,
and fear that strength will fail me.
o, it was wrong ever to put my name as
President, upon paper not strictly for the
company's Use. 1t vas n breach of trust,
so the world will call it, and visit me
with terrible consequences. There will
be no discrimination between weak con-
sert to aid friend, confied in as q
BROTHER and fraudulent purposes. The
notes were not intended for anything but
security, and were to be returned to me
before they came due. The transaction
was considered as kind of formality.
knew myself to have ample resources to
meet the sum they were meant to secure,
even if my friend failed to do so. The
sum was only ten thousand dollars-the
security ten thousand, which has been
most basely sacrificed
Ten thousand dollars So much as
that ? asked Mrs. Fleetwood, in a choking
voice.
yes, so much as that. o, Anna thi.
night is very dark. There is no moon 1;
and the clouds have hidden the stars.
If it were not for the times | might save
myself from disgrace, through friends
once able and always willing. But ruin
is sweeping through the land, and the
best, the bravest, and the most enduring
are falling all around us. To raise the
sum of ten thousand dollars, and get these
notes back into my hands, is simply i'm
possible. In less than two months they
will mature, and then
The picture wrought by the excited
imagination Of Mr.. Fleetwood was so
dreadful to look upon that he covered his
face with his hands and shudlered. His
wife did not offer any words of COM
fort, for on her own heart had fallen an
almost suffocating fear. Personal sacri-
flee had no terrors for Mrs Fleetwood.
Very bravo would she have been under
any of the common visitations of worldly
disaster But the thought of d:shonor-
ed name tor the husband, Of whom she
had been so proud, smote her like a
sabre stroke.
Something must be done II was
the wife's voice that broke the silence
Something must he done, Edward.
Dishonor' Never! never!" And her
slight form lifted itself up. Hope and