St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-11-20

help. and she was thankful when she
heard Mr.. Hollands step approaching.
He took Marie in his arms and laid her
on her own bed, and then Mrs. Holland
gave him the letter that had thus shaken
the poor young wife.
"'What is it p asked the mother. as
she marked the pale face grow paler at
the reading. What is it? All, | know.
My son is dead . he is dead y
"'CsIm yourself. Louisa said Mr..
Holland. John is living and well, for
aught know. But some base person
has traduccd him, and sent the shaft
home TO poor Maria's heart with ma
lignitv worthy of iiend.'
" 'Traduced John. Why, husband,
John never had an enemy in the world
1t cannot be. Let me see the letter
1T was one of that species which
malice alone could ever have invented
an anonymous one. BY heaven, Karl, |
could bear anything better than one of
those missives that stab you in the dark
OF all the diaholical inventions to tor
ture quiet, unsuspcctlng people with,
these are the wickcdest And yet they
are SO common that scarcely one in Il
thousand. | DO believe. escapes without
receiving at least one OF them i'll the
course OF their life. Many one | have
read. while in the dead letter office. and
was always devoutly thankful that a
blunder, Somctchere, had prevented the
person from receiving it-glad, too, that
tor once malice had failed of its mark.
But | am forgetting this letter TO Marie.
To be brief, the person writing it dec!ar-
ed that John Holland had been untaith-
lul to his wile-tlIat he mad carried out
Il person with him 10 London, and that
the two had little child on board who
called them father and mother Then
followed mass of evidence which, had
the story, been told in court, by accredit-
Ell witnesses. would have been sufficient To
blast John Hollands hitherto unblemish-
ed name forever
Marie, look up dearest child
whispered Mr.. Holland There is not
4 word of truth in this, believe me. No
man nor woman living would dare to af-
fix name to tins fal,ehood. BE- at rest.
john Hollands wife never need blush
for her husband, whatever may come
"Bnt ha spoke to deaf ears. Marie,
-rntle and tender as little child all her
lite before. was goaded now into ieal-
Gus rage that was perfectly agonizing to
the parents to witness. All her love for
John seemed turned to burning hatred.
l. was strange that one 80 habituallv
mild AMI placable should be so trans
formed as she was. She even declared
her determination Of leaving the hosse
and returning to that OF her father, al
though AL intercourse between herself
and him ceased on her marriage dav
Never would she live with him another
day.
"Miscrahlr indeed were Mr. and Mrs
Holland. Such terrible thing to hap
pen in their pcaceable family. What
enemy could have done this For you
SEQ. Karl. they believed in John IIol-
,nnl as they did in the sun itself. And
the first shadow between them and Ma
Re wa- this and, although they treated
her kindly, still they could not forget
that >h" had been willing to believe an
unsupported talsehood from an unknown.
and therefore worthless source.
And now another trouble sciz,d the
unhappy parents. Before the time when
the next steamer mi-ht be expected,
Marie had carried out her resolution of
leaving their house tor her fathers
Nothing could induce her to remain until
he came and gave him chance to clear
himself.
"L'E.trangc met his daughter with n
Grim smile. which, had she been as clear
sighted as usual, might have enlightened
her ~ to the writer or instigator of the
letter. If | were writing this story,
Karl, | should probably keep this 4 mys-
tcry to be unloIded at the very last, al
though most any reader of common in
telligence could easily guess that LES
tran.e was the only enemy that John
Holland had in the world, and it was
easy for him to devise ways and means
to iniure him. \ rich man like LE>-
TRANCE would find no difficulty in finding
one vino would write any calumny he
was done. and more than one heart was
made wretched.
"The steamer arrived in two weeks
more, and with it came John. lie flung
himself into the first carriage he could
/ find, impatient to be at home once more.
The time which, in reality was so brief
seemed almost endless to him. lie had
/ pictured to himself Marie watching for
him at the window, or running down
stairs to meet him but, TO his surprise.
no such pleasant reception awaited him.
/ He entered the house and made his way
i the little room where his wife and
mother had always sat in the morning.
Marie was not there, and his mother mel
him with an air of singular restraint thai
alarmed and confounded him.
Are you not glad to see me, moth
erE he asked. why do you look Il
me so strangely, and where is Marie
| must 90 to her this instant
'.IIe ran upstairs. For the life of hel
Mrs Holland could not arouse courag,
enough to stay his steps. He went Il
Maries chamber. All the gifts were
there. The toilet. the bureau, even tn,
bed. were strewn with them. You cal
family imagine how the poor fellow mus
have felt. He came down again to hi
mother. Something had happened
something dreadful, he was sure.
| - l. she dead, mother?' he asked, hi
! poor, pale, quivcring lips attesting to til
true love he bore her.
/ "'No, John, Marie is living and well
, for aught | know, but she is not here
ssIIor tonpun refused tO toll him tn