The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-08-09
Meg Hsruey's Cure.
By FLORENCE MARRYAT.
from lem ,le Bar

tai beneath the Pickering gas, whilst every now
and then bulging umbrella $50 closely did the
house abut upon the public thoroughfare) would
press against the glass, and put the brilisnce
momentsrily out. But the passengers for Soho
were few and far between. Ii had been wild
and stormy day and no one ventured abroad who
was not compelled TO do so. Everything looked
dull and dark enough, both in the house and out
OF 1t; and so thought its mistress, Margaret Hart
ley, as she sat upon the hesrth.rug with her hands
clasped about her knees, and gazed thoughtfuy
into The fsstfading fire. At little dis lance from
her stood her sewing machine; she had been work
ing at 1t all the afternoon until her fingers and
her feet were weary, and her head achec with the
sound Of its eternal click and new, either from
motives of economy or taste, she preferred TO
commune with herself in the dark TO summOuing
artificial light 10 reveal the discomfort by which
she surrounded. And she had plenty to think
Of, this woman, and to regret although I've and
twenty summers had not yet 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 expression De-
fore that of feature. attractive. Yet, had each
hour of pain through which it had been Margaret
Hartley fate TO pass left a wrinkle on her fair
smooth brow, IL would have been as scanned aud
puckered as that Of an old woman. For she had
suffered greatly, and not without cause As she
gazed into the smouldering FIRE, had she cast her
thoughts ten years backward she might have seen
herself as Margaret Lee, when, on the death OF
net NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. -mdsteF-Sne
entered the house Of her brother, bankers
clerk who had married from a station even lower
than his own, to become the drudge, and almost
the servant, of his wife and children. Philip Lee
many years older than his sister, and the world
had said at the time that II was fortunate thing
the pennies orphan had such home to receive
her. Yet her spirit had been wellnigh broken by
daily taunts and unkndness before any change
happened in her miserable life. But then certain
Robert Nelson. sailor brother of Mrs. PhiliO
~ al ha and
fallen in love, or professed to do so. with
his sisters wretched little slave. He was
rough and rude and unprincipled, but the NAL
treated girl of seventeen, who had barely SUI.
feient TO eat and drink since she had entered
upon her life of dependence, was not quick
enough to perceive that 10 marrying Robert Mel
son she would but exchange one sort Of bondage
for another, and accepted his offer with graft
tude,--a feeling which proved OF short duration.
Mrs. Lee was too incensed at her brothers
choice to wish TO hold any communication With
Margaret after her marriage, and the unfortunate
girl soon found that no drudgeryIs so hard a.
that of an ill-used and unprotected wife; for
Robert Nelson, his first fancy for her cooled,
proved a harder taskmaster than she had ever
known before.
He as his sister brutalizsd.
Berg attached TO some small coasting vessel,
he was seldom al sea for more than six weeks or
two months at a time so he established his young
wife in q couple of dark rooms near the docks,
where the only happy hours she spent were those
during which be was away. For he was eXacting,
tyrsnnical,. and extremely jealous, scarcely al
lowing her female companions, lest the indulgence
of any society should bring her into contact Win
the other sex.
And vet The had had one friend during that IN
happy period of her life; one true, staunch ally,
who, IN his journeyings amongst the SICK and the
afflicted had CHANGED TO light on the abode Of
this disappointed creature. and striven to make
her trace the hand of Providence even 10 the ap.
parent blasting of her earthly hopes
! And this friend and guide hal been hard
working London curate-John Hartley, her pres
ent husband-that she loved so dearly, and yet to
know herself the wife of whom had not the power
10 render her cOntented! 60.
Had She, then, quite forgotten that awful
day on which Robert Nelson first discovered
that the curate was trying to Undue her I'M
instructed mind with the truths it was his pro
fession to impart, and the consolation II
was his duty to administer. and, turning
him with cures from the door. had given her
some thing harder still than curse as her share oil
his dispeasureI g..
Had she forgotten the life OF terror which she
had thenceforth led, and the good cause which
her brutal husband gave her to tremble at ms
| frequent appearances!
| Had all remembrance faded from her mind OF
| that day of relief, when, after longer absence
| than was usual. instead of receiving home the
| man whom she had learned to hate and dread
| the owner Of the vessel called upon her, with !
heightened vissge, to impart the melancholy new
| voyage from Portugal, had been wrecked some
where near the coast Of Africa, and was supposed
| to have foundered with all hands on board!
| And then, when the intelligence Of herhusbandi
| death had been amply confirmed, aud the owner
| of the MARY Jane y had reconced themselve
| TO the loss of their vessel and she had so Ia
| recovered the first surprise OF hearing she Wa
| free, as trying to persuade herself that Rooer
| Nelson had been better than she Thought him
| and tDat she was not 50 very thankful Tor he
| deliyerance-JOhn Hartley had come back 20 he
| sgaip.-come Just in time TO prevent her enterul
on service for her support, and told her that h
| loved her, and wished her for his vile.
| Had the short space Of three years really bee
| sufficient to blot out. or even dull, the memOr.
| of a moment of happiness like that!
| John Hartley so good and graelous,-OOth u
! appearance and demesnor so infinitely aooy
| herself not only by birth and station, but by tn
| DEGRADATION of her marriage.
| Had she not thought, when first he brought be
| home even to the dull room which she nov oce1
| pied that she was the most happy-most tortun
| ate of human creatures!
| And when, once since, her health had failed
| and he bad sent her lat an outlay which, be cOul
| illaford) to the country for fortnight by heI
| self how she had painted to return to the oil
house and him and told him truly, when ono
more folded TO his honest heart. that lie was nc
thing to her when not spent by his SIDE An
thew had a child toO-an infant OF their own; an
| John though often hsrassed and generally owe
worked still kept his health and more than b
| first love for her; and she had 1000 and clOtne
sufficient for her need, and roof above her heal
And yet Meg Hartley was not hsppy-she WI
even diseOutented.
she had not forgotten her first trials they hs
been too real and uBdisguised TO be forgotten
but she had ceased to shudder at their memory.
She had no more need to dread recurrence
them, and so their sting was fading with the lap
OF wears, and she put their gracious uses far avs
and permitted the paltry worries Of the present
harass her instead.
AS her soft eyes rested on the ficBering hr
and a sigh, every now and then, escaped her mu
murng heart, no thought, not even the remote;
, Of Robert Nelson, or the past, rose up TO chez
her ingratitude. Sailors and sudden death, a.
the dull docks, had not the least share In h
thoughts She was thinking of John Hartle
and The many ills Of poverty, and the misery
living in soho instead. How wretched, bow q
, | interesting. how mOnotonOus, was her llfe' pc
M in that hoTrid city. where each day seemed
PASS alike and was barthen in itself.
She was thinking Of her own cotton dresses a
| of her husbands shabby coat; Of how each mol
ing, we're the weather fine or foul, John dart
| had 10 90 forth 10 his work and labor midst 50
| = al. Al, N,fFa rofrr