Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-10-06

luil Oudt tnuSt Sptdh vi IL Will UiCdh.
"Poor girl, what is the wretched
man to you?" said the judge, deeply
moved.
"What is he to me? true, true, ev
erybody will ask that question; you
are the first, and I am here only to
answer it. Listen, sir, listen-since
[ was old enough to know what love
was | loved that man-you under
stand-the man whom you are trying
for the murder of his wife. He loved
me too, and though poverty kept
down his secret and wealth pamper-
ed my pride, love such as ours could
not be hushed or smothered by such
base nurses. Those who love passion
ately act passionately. | was ardent,
impulsive, sometimes arrogant. He
would not endure these things in me,
because | was said to have intellect,
and was rich; had | been poor like
himself, and selfShly weak, he would
have yielded up his pride to my great
love. We quarralled. 1t matters not
how or wherefore, and he went away.
For months | never wrote He shall
make the first advances, said, week
after week, until my pride was quench-
ed in keen anxiety. | wrote then,
and his answer was that he was mar
ried. He thought that ! did not love
him-that my exactions and naughty
will arose from lack of affection. He
should never love any woman as he
loved me, his letter said, but [ had
cast him from my heart and while his
soul was thirsting for sympathy and
tenderness, she, the woman he had
married was thrown in his way. He
was in the whirl of society, and fan
cying that excitement was the second
birth Of love, that his first passion
had perished when it was only in re-
senttul sleep, he pledged himself ire
vocably to another.
"Oh, how | had loved that man =
how truly had suffered but no hu-
man creature had dreampt of it; why
should they? had nothing but pride
left and that shielded me from pity,
though it did not from the anguish
which sympathy would have made
more bitter. This was two years ago.
Ho did not raturD RI tbo oit1, for
months and when he came with his
bride, it was long before we met |
saw her often, though, for she was fire.
quently in public; but it was always
with burning at the heart, and some
thing of naughty scorn, that one who
could love her, for she was an inferior
woman in intellect and person-my
pride as well as my affection was out
ragged in his choice.
we met al. .Ienggn-On, now cnang-
ed he was The whole truth had not
vet reached his heart, but his energies
were broken. his selt-respect was di-
minished he was the most pitiable OF
all objects, as a man OF strong ener-
gies suddenly rendered helpless. Jeal-
Gus affection made me keen sighted,
aud | knew all this before we had
spoken a word together. 1t was a
bitter Joy to me when | was first con-
vinced that he did not love the woman
he had married, My pride was APP
peased 10y this knowledge. but as that
gave way the passionate love so long
held in check grew into strength
again. 1t was unpremeditated-we
never should have sought each other
but after two years separation we
were thrown together accidentally
and alone. 1t was a terrible meet,
ing for US both-terrible in itself,
most terrible in its consequences
For the first time in our lives we pour.
ed out our whole hearts each to the
other. All thoughts of pride or pru-
dence were swept away by the strong
feelings of that moment. | cannot
tell you all that was said in that last
interview-the expressions ofsorrow
and bitter regret on both sides. You
have seen him in the court, and know
that even in this terrible trial he
seems calm and unimpassioned. 1t is
only the curb OF strong will on &
burning nature. That day he seem
ed equally calm, equally immovable
and this made my grief more elo
quent. | did not dream of the strug
gle that was going on under that colo
exterior, and thinking that he did no
suffer equally with myself, abandoned
myself to reproaches and expression;
of regret that goaded his already
frenzied feelings on to madness.
"Oh, if she were but dead !" | re
member saying this more than once
1t was wild. sinful, but only an ex
preston of agony. Heaven is my
Judge I had no deeper meaning. Tht
last time | uttered this sinful wisl
my hands were both clasped IN his
and as he bent over me | saw tina
bis features were convulsed and dread
fully pale. He wrung my knitted
hands and laughed-laughed, | say
You are a judge, used to the tortured
passions of men-the throes of a bro
ken heart, the wild cries of an up
, rooted intellect, are you study-tel
me if this man would have laughed if
T my words had not maddened him, il
he had not been insane. 'Oh, that sht
were dead = | uttered in the anguisl
of my heart. had my evil wish
the next morning she was dead"
The stranger sank on chair a
she ceased speaking, covered her fac
= and shaddered; but when the small
o hands were removed from over he
eyes they were dry and painfully bril-
liant as before