New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-10-29

thing-advise me, mean. Oh cousin William, if
you could make my husband like meH
" always suspected this, replied, rather rue;
fully; g but chlld, Unjust know why he married
"Oh, yes," she answered, in very peculiar
tone; "and that is just the mischief. If had
known nothing, oil might have been we'll"
This was very mysterious. 1t took me sometime
and trouble to make Jenny more explicit; at
length she told me all.g
''When we were really married." she began
and | came home his wife, and looked at him
and felt proud of him, was happy. OH so
happy Perhaps you remember that, even be
fore changing my dress, went down the garden. |
l had foolish fancy to gather some Of my favor
ite flowers and take them with me. ! thought to |
Forbes letter on our coming in, and he had gone
to the garden to read it. / saw him in the
summer.house, sitting in your chair, his head
flung on the table, his arms clasped above it; and
agony. l turned cold and trembled;; knew it
was no physical pang that .wrung those moans
from him. The letter he had been reading was on
the ground by him. I picked itup and stood with
it in my hand looking at him he had not heard,
and he did not heed me. looked just at the first
words; and when l had read them, could not
leave off till had finished the whole letter. God
help me 1t was love letter, written to my hus-
band by one who had been compelled to betray
| him. but who, at the eleventh hour, repented her
error and asked to be forgiven! She wrote full
of hope and fondness. She suffered so much that
he could not, she said, be long angry with his own
Annie! Yes, she called herself his own. | was
his wife: ] had not been an hour married; | still
wore my white dress, my veil, and my orange
wreath and another woman wrote thus to my hus-
band! He now reused himself and saw me. !
still held the letter in my hand, and my face, no
doubt, told MIN that had read it; for he took it
from me and walked away-both without word
| wondered how he felt. Was he sorry the letter
had not come sooner? Would he have given me
up even at the foot of the altar? know better
now-I know Mr.. Forbes could not be dlshonor-
able but then my mind was not my own. One
thing, however, was clear. He did not love me.
He had wished to marry me in order to PUNISH
the migrate, and to hurry our marriage in order to
forestall hers, and show her how little he feit her
| faithlessness. He had taken me, poor, plain and
unattractiye, that might owe him much and ne,
! the rich, handsome gentleman owe me very illtle'
, That was it, and, cousin William, 1t was very
| bitter"
"You know now why we are not and cannot
be, happy. It is because read that letter. lam
like Pysche, and, like her, pay for my error.
/ had remained ignorant, should have been con
tent. Mr. Forbes would have acted his partto the
: end and to the end should have thought that
had fascinated him. But my poor little pride has
had fall and little cousin Jane has been sorely
1 humbed. She knows, what you knew all along
' that she was never loved, but merely made the
instrument of an angry lovers revenge. Still
q must be lust to him. am sure he meant to MAKE
me very happy-to be kind, generous and atten
tive, and perhaps, in the end, he would nave lke'
me- ONLY YOU see, he cannot. As he Is in you
presence, so he is in private-a perfect gentleman
t j. who meant to be so good, SO devoted, so dutltu
+ even, never find a word to say to my husband.
S answer him when he speaks, and that IS all.
am cold as a statue when he is by | feel it,
4 know it, and cannot help it; that Annie IS eve
2 between u.s. and she freezes me. have neVe
E seen her; do not know who she is, what she
d like; but sometimes lie awake atnight and thini
: If he were to find me dead tomorrow would h
: be very sorry; he could marry his AnnleH'
i, Poor little Jane My heart ached for her, an
!; it ached all the more when iancied she was fon
e of her husband. Jenny, Jenny said ], with
!. sigh, 81 will tell you why you can do nothing t
# win Mr. Forbes: it is because you like him."
s She hid her face in her hands, and l saw he
Y forehead, her neck even, turn crimson.
d Yes that is it," she said at length, looking
t, and turning pale again. al like hm-I who re
a preached myself for not caring enough about hi
e when we married. who meant to try SO hard
get that liking. like him. He does not see j
y he never will see it; but if he should, shall
d the most wretched Of women. It is the though
of my Indifference thatrecOnces him to his lot;
n he knew the truth, he would find it unendurable.
e, Chow do you know that" l asked, muc
IS startled.
e. 81 cannot tell you, but know it. nearly b.
er trayed myself once, and cannot forget his loo
of uneasiness and alarm
Is "Jane, you SANDER your husband"
"No,n she replied, quietly, " and you must NJ
in misunderstood me and wrong him. | am quie
you know; well, I believe that Mr.. Forbes too
V, me partly for that Here is girl who will e.
i'd pect no devotion, no fondness, no nonsense
ut thought nothing at least, that cannot give her
ct Suppose he finds out that am not the woman
e. thought me- and that when married did expe
or to love and be loved, will it not be misery to hi
to try and fulfil his part of the compact?"
1p Alas that was true, and because it was true
/ heaved deep sigh. At that momeht the parl
to door opened, and Arthur came in. At once
lie crept up to his young step-mother. She took hi
err on her knee and twining his arms around her me-
ba 1nd nn hprh hOsOln thence looked
er with pale ptiful little face that made me fc
of give him all his sins.
,r. "Jane," ;" I said, am not ashamed to add tn
%. my eyes were dim, "there is your hope and yo
We link with the father.n
nd Jane shook her head sadly.
er 'tNo link u she replied, "but, if possible,
p, cause of further division. When came and foul
nd this poor, sickly thing, my heart yearned toWar
er it, perhaps because it suffered like myself; pc
.e- haps" she added with a faint blush, because
it. was his. called it and it came. | caressed j
gs and it fell asleep in my arms When 1t was SICK
at tended it, when it peevish and tretful throuE
ed pain bore with it; and thus, suppose, it low
le me. But, you see, it loves me too much One vi
SIS ought to be rstis second now, and the second
ne away. I am obeyed when another is not heedet
am sought when another is left and am not /
as Annie that the preference should not be esente
ny not against me, indeed, not against the child, D
ne resented as a wrong. For if there be beiI
passonately loved, it is this little pale creatur
d His mother died when he was born, and his faith
almost became woman for his sake. He nurs
sb- him, he tended him, and reap the sweet fruit
,ut love-I who had not the care of the tree. Blu
on cannot help it. This is my comfort in sadnes
f this little warm living creature clingng to n
we and cannot give up. When talk to it a
m play with it, when dress it, as like to do da
er- feel almost happy. Arthur is not always cre
ng as you have seen him, cousin William; Arth
lir- does not always bite for Arthur is not always
pain, poor fellow. He has days when he is brig
and merry, and frolicsome without mischief, j
lot like young kid. Eh, Arthur?n
Ter Arthur looked up; she stopped and their i
met in long, fond kiss. They were thus VIII
wn Mr. Forbes entered the room. I saw his col
5ay change as he perceived the child in his wifi
ion arms, but he soon recovered his composure, cal
pc. up to us cheerfully, and bending over Jan
ell shoulder asked Arthur to kiss papa. Artl
ne, frowned, and gave papa sulky push, Mr.. Fort
py tried to smile as he walked away, but the SIN
Inc was forced, though blush which followed it
re- real. We are none of us perfect, and am bou
to say that as Arthur pushed his father away
tbs sunny little look of triumph passed through Jan
cry brown eyes; look that to me, at least, said yt
nd plainly, = am not Annie; but some one can lC
He me, Mr.. Forbes" It was this look which, whetl
OF he understood it Or not, made Mr.. Forbes co
ch- like d girl.
her Nothing is easier than to solicit confidence uni
ooFn 5,in ,1+, mon Ia m