Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1866-02-24

my memory somehow-driven away by
my own words.
L said, desperately, cit is all over, :"
and prayed to die; but in the morning
quarrelled with Bess again, this time
about Der old lover, whereat she tainted
me with Exelina. And so it went on
through all the bitter days of the long
week.
At last it was Saturday morning. i
gave her cruel stab-an unjust one,
as / knew When / spoke had my
back toward her aud was looking out
upon the cloudy sky, SO that did not
see her when she said: s
"You have made me hate you"
turned at that.
She was standing quite pale, even to
the lips.
And | saw that she had drawn her
wedding ring from her finger.
81 hate that" she said, land / hate
you."
And she flung the ring upon the car
pet, and made gesture as though she
we're flinging her love from her Also.
and left the room without another word,
though / waited tor her to come back
for nearly an hour. rrnr
/ had much to do that day, business
appointments which should have been
attended to forthwith but long after i
had reached my office in the city i
found myself sitting wretchedly in a
chair with my head upon my hands,
thinking over and over those words Il
hate that and hate you"
Oh no, she never had said them. /
had dreamt it my waking eyes had
not seen that wedding ring, flung by
her hand, glitter as it rolled over the
carpet.
And my love came back, and was
Robert walking with Bessy under the
trees again. not the stern married man
determined to teach his wife her duty.
Bessy-pretty Bessy-my own darling
hate me Oh, no, no, for / loved
/ her. so 80 .sfta fsilsa
L looked at the clock. I had Just
| time to catch the noon train for home.
Who cared for business for Jones and
Brown and Thompson =?
must go home and make it up with
Bess-my true love, with whom had
quarrelled about buttons. j seized my
hat and flew down the street. reached
the depot; was in a car breathless
with anxiety. We were thirty minutes
\ In reaching P, to me it seemed
| thirty hours. kapHf ~
At last was there. Before me arose
our little cottage home, with its slope
! of velvet green from the door to the
lriverps edge ?. tzSA AANA'AA N
Usually all was quiet, and scarcely a
soul to be seen, unless, indeed, my wife
walking in the shade of the elms, with
our baby. To-day group of women
stood by the river.
Two men, one a sailor neighbor from
the village, were there also, and
amongst them Bridget raised her shrill
voice: r.f-s.1
They've took to fightin' lately, and
they had it hot and heavy this. blessed
mornin', shouldn't wondher. Howly
Father. there's the masther now, and
she fled - y, T|
saw them all looking at ne in awe
stricken silence. I saw also my little
row boat lying wet upon the sand, the
oars not with her. . ;s.i-eaaHe) ~.
l felt my heart stand still, and gasped
ont: ~" rs A- ~.
"What is the matter?i ISL
Nv sailor neighbOr answered:
''We're afeard there's been an acct
dent" . ~. riT HT -iq
Tom Bowling took your boat out
( this morning, aud the boat has been
picked up-and-and Tom hasn't
YOuug Tom Bowling often borrowed
my boat; / was not Surprised at that.
81 hope Tom is safe" / said. "At
what hour did my wife lend him the
boat?" a.q
7 Nobody spoke for two minutes.
at last a woLian began to sob: h,u,
''Oh, don't tell him. Maybe tisn't
SO, . +. f.,a
And the sailor said solemnly:
stake heart, sir. mebbe there's hope
but your wife hired Tom Bowling to row
| her and the baby on the river at half
past ten" t ,yiHf.s
Il When those words fell upon my
ears dropped upon the ground in a
swoon.
They brought me out of it. How
hated them for it. And we began orr
hopeless inquiries. All the village was
.astir. In. three hours boy found Tom S
hat floating in the water. Two more,
and a grim, hard featured man came 10
me as / raved like a maniac upon the
beach, and touched his hat. r
'.MlsteT.'" he said s'Tom is found.
They're bringing of him"
had no need to ask how he was
f6and / knew. So they would soon
find Bess and her babe; heavy and cold,
with dark, dripping hair, and eyes wide
open, staring at the sky. So they won't
bear her; the water from her garments
soaking down into the While sand.
So bas lrsay9so bis ssniEes 4ai
D. 1 went to where they laid him and
locked at him. He had been a rough,
tred faced lad. He was white and smooh
and cold as marble now do not
know what / said or did, but, for the
time, / believe was quite mad.
/: Oh, it would have been terrible
enough without the awful memory that
we had quarrelled, that Ihad said cruel
things to her, and that she had said:
| aos.I hate you" - 80 81 seilo
Ut went into the house and searched
for the wedding ring. i could not find
it, Then a hope came into my heart
that she had SO far relented as to re.
store it to her finger, and that it would
be found upon her dead, white hand
And there I grovelled, searching for 1t
s-yet--and moaning:
lcos.Bess, Bess, Bess = Oh, my darling,