The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-08-20
8fEG. HARTLEY'S CURE.
"a FLORENCE MARRYAT.

floor Of an old fashioned but respec-
table house in the crowded district OF
Soho.
The street lamps had been lighted
flr the last hour, and the wet window
panes flashed like crystal beneath the
flick ring gas, whilst every now ana
then bullying umbrella $50 closely
did the house abut upon the pubic
thorOughf4re) would press against the
glass, and put the briliance moment
sriIv out. But the passenge gers for
Soho were few and far between.
1t had been g. wild and
stormy day, and no one ven
tured abroad who was not compelled
to do so. Everything looked dull
and dark enough, both In che house
and out Of it; and so thought its mis-
tress, Margaret Hartley, as she sat
upon the hearth-rug, with her hands
clasDed about her knees, and gazed
thoughtfully into the fast fading fire.
At little distance from her stood
her sewing machine: she had been
working at 1t all the afternoon, until
her fingers and her feet were weary,
and her head ached with the sound
of Its eternal click; and now, either
from motives of economy or taste.
she preferred to commune with her
self in the dark to arnmoning art H.
ciai light to reveal the discomfort by
which she was surrounded. And she
had plenty to think of, this woman,
ay, and to regret, -although tve-and-
twenty summers had not passed over
her head.
The expiring embers were not yet
so dull but that they revealed the
form crouching beside them to be
Young and graceful; and. the face, to
such as can accept the beauty OF ex-
preston before that of feature, at
traetive. Yet had each hour of pain
through which it had been Margaret
Hartley's fate to pass left wrinkle
on her fair smooth brow, 1t would
have been as scanned and puekered as
that Of an old woman. For she. had
suffered greatly, and not without
cause. AS she cazed into the smoul-
dering fire, had she cast her thoughts
ten years backward, she might have
seen herself as Margaret Lee, when,
aon the death Of her fathers poverty
stricken music-master - she entered
the house Of her brother, bankers
clerk, who had married from a station
even lower than his own, to become
the drudge, aud almost the servant,
of his wife and children. Philip
Lee was many years older than his
sister, and the world has sid at the
time that it was fortunate thing the
penniless orphan had such home
opeu to receive her. Yet her spirit
had been we'll nigh broken by daily
taunts and unkindness before any
Il IN, a
life. But then a certain Robert Mel
son, sailor brother of Mrs. Phillip
Lee :, had appeared upon the scene,
aud fallen in love, or protested to- do
so, with his sisters wretehed little
slave. He was rough, and rude, and
uuprincIpled, but the maltreatcd girl
of seventeen, who had barely
sufficient to eat and drink since
she had entered upon her life
of dependence, was not quick
enough toperceive that in marryiT g
Robert Nelson she would but ex-
change one sort of bondage for an
other, aud accepted his offer with
gratitude Ia feeling which proved of
short duration. Il" '-...' t4'@
Mrs lee was too incensed at her
brother choice TO wish to hold any
communication with Margaret after
her marriage, and the unfortunate
girl soon found that no drudgery is so
hard as that of an Ill used and .unpro-
teeted wife; for Rot ert Nelson, his first
fancy for her cooled, proved a harder
tas kmaster than she had ever. known
before.
He was his sister brutalized.
Being attached to some small coast
ing vessel he was seldom at sea for
d more than six weeks or two months
at time; so he established his young
wife in couple of dark rooms near
the docks, where the only happy
hours She spent were those during
which he was away. For he was ex-
acting, tyrannical and extremely ieal-
Gus, scarcely allowing her female COM
paOions, lest the indulgehce of any
society should bring her into contact
with the other sex.
Aud yet she had had one friend
during that unhappy period of hel
life; one true, staunch ally, who, in
his journeyings amongst the sick aud
he afflicted, had Glanced to light on
the abode of this disappointed crea-
ture, aud striven to make her trace
the hand of Providence even in the
apparent blasting of her earthly hopes
And this friend and guide had beer
> hard working London curate-Johr
Hartley. her present husband,-tha
she loved SO dearly, and yet to know
herself the wife of whom had not thu
power TO render her contented.
Had she, then, quite forgotten tina
awful day on which Robert Nelson
first discovered that the curate wa
trying to Undue her uninstructet
mind with the truths it was his pro
fession to impart, and the consolation
ib was his duty to administer, and
turning him with curses from tn
door. had given her something har
der still than curses as hershare o
his displeasure?
Had she forgottenithe life of terro
which she had thencefUrth led ant
the good cause which her brutal hus
band gaEe her to tremble at his fire
quent rea ppearance? "
Had all remembrance faded froI
her mind Of that day of relief, when
alter a longer absence than was usual
% instead Of receiving home the ma
- whom she had learned to bate ant
dread. the owner of the vessel callet
upon her. with a. lengthened yllsage, I
impsrt the melancholy news that tn
Mary Jane, in making her retur
voyage f1om Portugal, had bee
wrecked somewhere near the coast
africa, aud was supposed to hav
fouudered. with all hands on board?
And then, when the intelligence I
her husband 5 death had been amp
confirmed, and the owners of til
s-s Mary Jane@ had recoaciled then
selves to the loss of their We
sci, and she haA so far II
covered the first surprise of hea
inn sha Mas tres rs 70 -hsL truir